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.
Keep It Simple to Clean Natural Stone
You can use any type of mild soap detergent, such as dish or hand soap, and mix it with a little water. Wet the stone first, and then use a bristle brush and soap solution to wipe the stone clean. The last step is to make sure you rinse thoroughly.
Stone patios can accumulate dirt, stains, mildew, and algae throughout the year. You can use chemicals or natural means to clean your stone patio. Use dish soap, vinegar, or a pressure washer to clean the stone patio. Try cleaner, bleach, solvent, and baking soda to remove stains.
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.
'Avoid general, all-purpose floor cleaners. Instead, choose an easy to use, specialist, water-based product that is suitable for use on either sealed or unsealed stone. 'Dilute with warm water according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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.
Do Not Use On Granite or Marble. If you have soft surface countertops like granite or marble, step away from the magic eraser. You can use them on laminate, Corian, quartz, and other solid surface countertops, but do a spot check.
Windex contains ingredients that can permanently damage the granite. While the most common damage done by Windex is dulling the shine of the countertops, it can also cause pitting.
The multi-purpose cleaner contains bleach, which is extremely harmful for granite and many other natural stones. The wipes are also a cleaner you should stay away from, as they contain citric acid that can cause your sealant to wear down.
Acidic commercial cleaners and those containing harsh chemicals, like bleach, can damage and dull natural stone surfaces.
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.
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.
An oil-based stain will darken the stone and normally must be chemically dissolved so the source of the stain can be flushed or rinsed away. Clean gently with a soft, liquid cleanser with bleach OR household detergent OR ammonia OR mineral spirits OR acetone.
Always use a neutral cleaner when dealing with any natural stone. A pH of 7 is neutral. Anything below 7 is acidic, which can eat away the sealant and cause etching. Above 7 is alkaline , which is great for removing grease and grime, but can leaving a damaging residue if it's not properly rinsed and neutralized.
DO not use CLR on natural stone or marble, terrazzo, colored grout, painted or metallic glazed surfaces, plastic laminates, Formica, aluminum, steam irons, leaded crystal, refinished tubs or any damaged or cracked surface. CLR may etch older sinks, tubs and tiles. CLR is corrosive.
When using Dawn Powerwash, you should avoid cleaning porous surfaces such as marble and other soft natural stones or untreated wood. It is also best to keep Dawn Powerwash away from painted surfaces, too.
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.
Bio-Shield® is Proven Effective
It can be used to clean any exterior surface. For the correct application of these exterior cleaners, it is important the surface being treated is saturated and kept wet until the moss, mould and lichens are dead - in as little as 15 to 20 minutes using Bio-Shield®.
To clean smaller surfaces areas, pH-neutral soap, a little water, and a brush are suitable. If you want to clean larger areas of natural stone efficiently, you can reach for the electric patio cleaner or work with the pressure washer and a surface cleaner.
Make up a 50:50 vinegar and water solution, and apply to the paving – using a watering can will help you get even coverage. Leave the solution to soak for around 20 minutes, then use a stiff brush to remove stains. Once you're done, mop with clean water. Leave to dry before you put anything back on to the patio.