We recommend finding a pH neutral cleaner, such as Lithofin Wash & Clean, diluted in warm water. This product is made for natural stone and will help clean, enhance, and maintain the natural surface of your tiles. Some cleaners may say 'suitable for natural stone'.
Use a 1/2 cup of any of the following: ammonia, bleach, or hydrogen peroxide and a gallon of water. Reminder: do not mix bleach and ammonia. On light colored stones, clean with bleach or hydrogen peroxide. On dark colored stones, clean with lacquer thinner or acetone.
Fill a recepient of warm water and use only water, or mix it with a small amount of neutral liquid “All-Purpose-Cleaner”, detergent or cleaning solutions specific for stone. Change the solution when it starts to get dirty. Dip a microfiber towel, a duster or a mop into the water mixture and start cleaning.
Best stone tile cleaner: Bona Stone Tile & Laminate Spray
It has a rinse-free and streak-free formula that removes dust, dirt, and grime. This safe and effective tile cleaner can be used around children and pets.
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.
When cleaning natural stones like marble, limestone, and onyx, you can't reach for your regular cleaners like white vinegar, lemon juice, bleach, or abrasive cleansers. These cleaners are too acidic for natural stone and can damage or etch the stone (although some can help remove rust from concrete).
⇒ Instead of removing stains, vinegar can cause hard stains on the natural stone. ⇒ Also, vinegar can cause etching on the natural stone surface during stain removal. So, you should refer to the preventive tips for cleaning natural stones without damaging them.
Grinding with diamond abrasives, crystallization, applying barrier coatings, and buffing with polishing powders and compounds are the most common methods used to create shine on natural stone floors today.
For the best results when tile and grout cleaning, choose cleaners wisely. Murphy® Oil Soap and other non-synthetic solutions are safe to use on tile and grout without wearing down either one, but other natural solutions include rubbing alcohol, particularly for more set spots of mildew.
Maintenance and Cleaning of Natural Stone Surfaces
Never use abrasive cleansers, “soft scrub” products, or harsh/acidic chemicals on any stone as these can scratch or dull the polished finish. This includes substances like ammonia or many common liquid cleaners, such as Windex.
Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap and warm water. Use a clean rag mop on floors and a soft cloth for other surfaces for best results. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks. DO NOT use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone.
The best thing about natural stone tiles is that the surfaces are very easy to clean. You won`t spend a lot of time and energy scrubbing stone tiles, compared to other tiling materials.
The first is to use a spray bottle with a floor cleaner and a dry microfiber mop. Lightly spritz the cleaner on your floor and let it sit for a minute so the solution can grab the dirt. Then proceed to mop. This method minimizes the amount of dirty liquid that you may get into the grout lines or holes in a stone floor.
It's essential to only use cleaners which are appropriate for natural stone surfaces. This means avoiding using vinegar. Stones like limestone, marble, or travertine will react to vinegar because it's an acidic cleaner with harsh effects.
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.
Can you clean stone floors with vinegar? Although cleaning with vinegar can work on other floor types, it's acidic and will eat away at the surface of your stone flooring. It should be avoided at all costs along with any other acidic solutions containing white vinegar, lemon or ammonia.
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.
You should absolutely NOT use Murphy's Oil Soap to clean your wood floors!
Non-acidic dishwashing soap such as Dawn can also work well on these floors, but you must be sure to rinse them well so that the soap won't leave a film.
Porous surfaces should be sealed first with Stone Floor Sealer. Dilute three parts Stone Floor Shine to two parts warm water. Apply a thin coat of Stone Floor Shine evenly over the whole surface using a mop or a sponge. Leave to dry for 30–60 minutes and the shine will appear.
If necessary, work gently using a non-acidic cleaner, such as washing soda, a soft scrubbing brush or mop and clean water, but never soak the floor. ' Whatever you're using, it's important to test clean a small area of stone first. Take particular care if you're going to clean marble.
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.