Don't use acidic cleaners, like vinegar, on travertine floors. The acid may eat away at the surface. Don't vacuum travertine floors, as you could scratch or chip them. Don't try to remove stains, polish, or deep clean your travertine floor.
What you'll need. Before choosing cleaning products for travertine floors, keep in mind that the stone generally does best with products that are pH neutral. Acids like vinegar, lemon, or other harsh chemicals like bleach can react badly with the stone and cause discoloration and permanent damage.
DON'T: Use ammonia or vinegar to clean travertine
Certain acids or alkali in these chemicals may degrade the sealant, leaving the stone much more vulnerable to damages and staining. Take care not to overly drench or soak the mop in water, as the liquid may infiltrate the pores and cause mould to grow.
You can use a mild dish soap and water if natural stone cleaner is not available. Take caution to never soak the floor. This would allow water to seep into the stone and could result in stains. Use a soft dust mop and microfiber rag for cleaning.
Use 1- part baking soda to 4 parts borax and 8 parts water, mix in a spray bottle, spray onto your travertine tiles, then allow to work for 15 minutes. Use a small brush for cleaning grout stains. Rinse well.
If you are deep cleaning travertine, then you can use a strong alkali cleaner, but you must remember to rinse the floor well to remove all traces of the cleaner. If you are undertaking regular maintenance clean, then use a ph Neutral cleaner, preferably containing a small amount of stone soap or linseed oil.
Consider purchasing a floor cleaner formulated for travertine to use regularly. The label should clearly state if the cleanser is formulated specifically for travertine. Opt for a cleanser with a neutral pH of 7 or below. You can also use mild dish soap to clean travertine floors 3-4 times per year.
If it is time to disinfect the floor, add a tablespoon of mild, non-acidic dish soap to a gallon of water. Damp-mop the floor with this solution. Mop a second time with clean water to remove any lingering residue that may exist. Toweling the surface dry is also recommended.
Simple Green Stone Cleaner is perfect for regular use on marble, granite, quartz, travertine, porcelain, limestone, ceramic, porcelain, Corian®, Silestone®, and other engineered stone.
To kill off mold and mildew and keep your investment looking its best, travertine can be cleaned with a peroxide-based product like Oxiclean, which will not harm the polish on your travertine. Remember, hydrogen peroxide can bleach fabric, so, like bleach, watch your clothes and linens.
Travertine will absorb harsh chemicals, which again will damage the stone. Do not use products like MR Clean, dish soap, Windex, or anything like these products. These products leave a residue on top of the travertine tiles, collecting and attracting dust and dirt.
Avoid citrus or vinegar cleaning agents
Both these elements will cause the Travertine surface to dull. Acidic substances like lemon, orange peels, baking soda, vinegar slowly may penetrate the surface to cause irreparable damage.
To kill off mold and mildew and keep your investment looking its best, travertine can be cleaned with a peroxide-based product like Oxiclean, which will not harm the polish on your travertine. Remember, hydrogen peroxide can bleach fabric, so, like bleach, watch your clothes and linens.
If you want to keep your stone countertops looking beautiful, don't reach for vinegar. The acid etches and dulls natural stone such as marble and limestone. It can slowly dissolve them, according to Beckman.
Mopping: Dry 'mop' your travertine floors with a clean, dry dust mop to remove daily dirt, dust, and debris. Next, if needed, use a soft mop, with warm water to clean the travertine. If needed, you can also use a travertine specific floor cleaner.
You should seal travertine during the installation process. You'll need to reapply the sealer periodically. How often you need to reapply the sealer depends on the type of sealer as well as how much usage and traffic the travertine gets. Resealing every one to three years is typical.
Which, naturally leads us to the inevitable problem that most cleansers are acidic and will eat through your sealant and etch your beautiful stone. So, the occasional reach for good old Windex, 409, or one of their cronies is probably okay, but on a regular basis, it will produce etching.
I wouldn't recommend using an Acid based cleaner on your wood floors. An example is: Vinegar, Pine Sol, Fabuloso Lavender, etc. Natural Stone: NEVER EVER USE AN ACID ON NATURAL STONE!
We've said it before (and we'll say it again) DO NOT use Murphy's Oil Soap on any natural stone surface. Following our 20 years experience and the Marble Institute of America's Maintenance Guidelines, we recommend a neutral PH rinseless stone soap, used with an unbleached clean nylon pad to clean stone.
Using a neutral or mild alkaline based cleaner is essential to keep the surface and grout clean at all times. We strongly recommend the use of Lithofin MN Easy-Care along with our Edco Enduro Spray Mop for regular care when mopping travertine floors.
Once a year use a non-abrasive mixture of warm water and soap made for natural stone and tile to mop the surface. This will help remove any dust and debris that is left behind after sweeping.
Remove these stains with a mixture of 12% hydrogen peroxide—food grade hydrogen peroxide—and a few drops of ammonia. Apply the product to the stone on a damp cloth. Place the cloth over the stain to draw out the organic stain.
To kill off mold and mildew and keep your investment looking its best, travertine can be cleaned with a peroxide-based product like Oxiclean, which will not harm the polish on your travertine. Remember, hydrogen peroxide can bleach fabric, so, like bleach, watch your clothes and linens.