How to Keep Your Natural Stone Surfaces Spick-And-Span

The life period of natural stone surfaces in your home can be prolonged and its elegance preserved- if you just take adequate safety measures while cleaning and handling them.

General Guidelines for Care & Cleaning of Natural Stone

Natural stone surfaces such as countertop, bench top, vanity top, floor tiles etc. need regular cleaning to avoid the buildup of stains, mould and dirt. It’ll be better if you can keep cleaning cloths and mops separately for natural stones. Even though they are stones, natural stone surfaces are delicate and porous. You will have to be very careful about the cleaning products you use on stone surfaces.  

Vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners containing acids should never be used on marble, granite, limestone and other natural stone surfaces.

A clean white cloth can be used for cleaning stone countertops while cotton mops are to be used for marble or other stone floors. Ensure to replace the cleaning cloth and the mop, well before they become outdated or damaged. 

Keep your stone floors and countertops clean on a regular basis and occasionally call expert home cleaners to clean and maintain them in a professional manner. You paid good money for your marble floor and granite countertop, now pay little more attention and invest time to clean them up properly. If people leave coffee mug circle stain on the stone surface unattended for long, we can’t blame the stone! And what result do we get? Stain marks that won’t go with normal cleaning!  

Another issue is natural stone surfaces get dull and worn out over time, even if you clean them regularly. Don’t worry; a well established home cleaning company can use appropriate cleaning and polishing/sealing methods to regain the shine and sheen on the stone surface. 

Care & Maintenance of Floor Tiles

Never use ceramic tile cleaners or the ones having acidic compounds on marbles and other stones for they can dull those surfaces.

While vacuuming natural stone floors, be careful not to allow metal components of the suction head coming into contact with the floor tiles and making scratches on the stone.

If some juice or acidic liquid spilled on the floor, quickly blot the liquid using a microfiber cloth- never wipe the affected area because it will help the harmful spill to get inside the stone through the porous surface. After blotting, give the area a good mopping to remove all traces of the spill.

Use furniture pads such as felt, rubber, cork, or plastic for chairs and heavy furniture to avoid scratching on the stone floor.

Bench Tops or Countertops

In order to prevent damage to stone bench tops, use coasters, trivets or placemats under glasses with citrus fruit juices or wine, and place hot-plates under heated dishes.

Blot (not wipe) the spills immediately with a clean cloth. Be attentive when there are guests with children.

For cleaning the stone bench top, first wet it with warm water, and then apply a neutral (pH-7) cleaner recommended by a reputed home cleaning company. Clean the bench top now with small overlapping sweeps and once it’s done, rinse the surface thoroughly with clean water. Then dry the surface with soft cloth. No traces of water or the cleaner should be left out because it’ll stain the bench top. 

Don’t use abrasive cleaning materials or chemicals as they can scratch your bench top. They will also dull the stone if used for long. 

Bathrooms and Toilets

Your toiletries such as perfumes, toothpaste and nail polish solvents etc. should be kept in a glass or ceramic tray to avoid spillage on the stone vanity top. If proper care is not taken, the stone surfaces in the bathrooms and toilets will get etched, and slowly the polish and sealants will be affected.

Ask your home cleaner what cleaning materials can be safely used on natural stone surfaces in your bath area.

At Select Home Cleaning Company, we do normal regular inside cleaning of homes. We also do spring cleaning and moving cleans. If your stone surfaces are severely stained or damaged, we can arrange to have them repaired or restored by affordable stone care professionals in our contact list. Call us now on 0800 000 907 for a FREE home cleaning quote- available now in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton.