Clean stone surfaces with a neutral cleaner, stone soap, or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. Similar to any item cleaned in your home, an excessive concentration of cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks.
Clean stone surfaces with warm water and a mild soap such as a clear Dawn Liquid Soap. Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with the soap solution and dry with a soft cloth. Change the rinse water frequently.
A mixture that is one-part bleach and one-part water can be used to safely get rid of the mold and mildew growing on the tiles in your shower. Use a non-scratch sponge or pad to gently remove the mold or mildew from the surface of the stone without scratching or damaging it.
If you have natural stone tiles anywhere in your house, avoid cleaning them with vinegar, lemon, or ammonia. The acidity in the products etches and dulls the stone, says Elena Ledoux, owner of Superb Maids in Las Vegas, Nevada. To repair, it will require a very expensive re-polishing process.
Not sealing a stone countertop or floor tiles — which get the heaviest traffic and are the most susceptible to wear and tear — leaves the surface vulnerable to absorbing foreign substances, which can weaken the stone and potentially lead to the growth of bacteria.
This means avoiding using vinegar. Stones like limestone, marble, or travertine will react to vinegar because it's an acidic cleaner with harsh effects. It can even lead to burning or etching to occur on the surface of the stone. Instead, cleaners should have a neutral pH level of 7 for natural stone cleaning.
Acidic commercial cleaners and those containing harsh chemicals, like bleach, can damage and dull natural stone surfaces.
DON'T: Use harsh or abrasive cleaners and sponges.
Windex; acidic cleaners, like vinegar, lemon, lime; or anything with ammonia or bleach should be avoided. Frequent use of these chemicals will dull and weaken the sealant over time.
Apply a paste of baking soda and water over the stain and leave it for 24 hours. Gently scrub the area and rinse it with plain water. Stains on Sandstone pavers, Travertine floor tiles, and Marble floors can easily be cleaned with a baking soda solution.
Simple Green Granite & Stone Polish is safe for use on granite, marble, travertine, limestone, porcelain, ceramic, quartz, Corian®*, Silestone®*, and other natural and engineered stone surfaces.
Yes, your natural stone shower should always be sealed! To keep your shower in great shape – and keep mold and mildew at bay – we recommend having your shower sealed at least once a year. Instead of a topical sealant that may flake off or discolor the stone, choose a penetrating sealant.
To maintain the luster and shine of your natural stone, use a stone-safe polish about once a week. To polish stone, simply spray the polish directly onto the surface, then buff the surface until it's dry with a lint-free cloth or dry paper towel.
In most instances, using a basic mixture of soap and water will be enough to clean any dirt and debris off your natural stone. To do so you, mix a bucket of warm water with an acid-free washing-up liquid to avoid any staining or discoloration.
Quartz is an incredible material and easy to clean.
The beauty of natural stone with the durability of a manufactured one. For heavier stains, glass or surface cleaners will do the trick since quartz is non-porous and you don't have to be as finicky with the pH as you would with granite.
Maintenance and Cleaning of Natural Stone Surfaces
Marble and granite are easier to maintain than you'd expect. Warm soapy water and a soft cloth will clean and shine on both surfaces. You can also clean with a stone specific cleaner formulated to be gentle and effective on stone surfaces.
How do I properly dust natural stone? Keep surface free of dust/dirt by regularly "dusting" floor/countertop with dry cotton dust mop/cloth or by using a dry Swiffer floor mop. If a cotton dust mop is used, regularly machine wash and dry the mop head to remove any dirt/debris.
And in this case, this mixture does not work well with the natural stone countertops. Due to the fact that vinegar is acidic substance and baking soda is caustic, the result of mixing the two can have an unstable effect on stones that are porous.
Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap (specific products from Lithofin for example), or a dishwashing detergent and warm water. Use a clean soft cloth for best results. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks.
Apply a thin coat of the appropriate sealer (there are different ones for polished natural stone tiles and for honed (matt) natural stone tiles) using a lint free cloth. Make sure the coat is even and all tiles are covered.
Many home cleaning products, particularly bleach and vinegar, are too harsh or acidic to be on natural stone. These cleaners strip down the stone and leave it in a weak, damaged state. Unfortunately, whenever natural stone is damaged it cannot always be repaired back to its original condition.
Rinsing is not necessary! If you're simply using a vinegar and water solution to wipe and disinfect, you won't need to rinse. However, if there's also plenty of dirt and grime you're wiping away, you may also want to rinse with some extra water.
Countertops. 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.