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NATURAL STONE CARE & CLEANING GUIDE
Protecting Your Natural Stone:
Each type of stone may react to heat and chemicals differently
so please remember to use coasters under all glasses,
especially if they contain alcohol or acidic juices. Use matts
trivets under hot items such as pots and pans. Use placemats
under objects that can scratch the surface such as china,
ceramics, silver and sharp objects. To protect your floors,
use matts or area rugs inside and outside your entrance to minimize
sand and dirt that will scratch the stone floor. Seal your
stone once a year to prevent most spills from damaging your
countertops or floors. Use an impregnating fluropolymer based
sealer which will penetrate into the stone and help protect it
against water and oil based stains.
Basic Cleaning and Care:
Do
not leave spills on the surface. Blot the spill with a paper
towel immediately. Wash the area with mild detergent and rinse
several times. Dry the area with a soft cloth. Do not use
cleaners that contain acids on marble, limestone, travertine
or onyx surfaces. Do NOT mix bleach and ammonia. it
creates a toxic lethal gas.
Removing Stains:
Oil Stains:
This type of stain, which includes grease, tar,
cooking oil, and cosmetics, will darken the area where it is
spilled. It must be dissolved by using a liquid cleanser,
bleach, acetone, mineral spirits, household detergent or
ammonia. For deeper stains use poultice with baking soda and
water.
Organic Stains:
Organic stains (coffee, tea, fruit, tobacco,
food, urine, leaves, bird droppings) cause a pinkish brown
stain. It can be removed by using 12% hydrogen peroxide and a
few drops of ammonia. For tougher stains, use poultice with
12% hydrogen peroxide solution or 12% acetone solution.
Metal Stains:
Iron, rust, copper, and bronze stains are
orange, green or brown in color and difficult to remove. It
may be cleaned by using poultice with diatomaceous earth and a
commercially available rust remover. Deeper stains may
permanently stain the stone. Call a professional if poultice
doesn’t remove the stain.
Biological Stains:
Biological stains that include algae,
mildew, lichens, moss and fungi can be cleaned using a mixture of a gallon of water with a ½ cup of ammonia, bleach or hydrogen. For tougher stains you can use poultice with ½ cup
ammonia or bleach or hydrogen peroxide mixed with a gallon of
water. DO NOT MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA. IT CREATES A TOXIC AND
LETHAL GAS.
Ink Stains:
Magic marker, pen or ink stains can be removed from ligth colored stone by
using bleach or hydrogen peroxide (For light colored stone
only) or lacquer thinner or acetone (For dark stones only).
Paint Stains:
You can remove paint by using commercial paint
stripper but it may etch the stone so re-polishing may be
necessary. Follow directions on paint stripper products.
Cleaning with lacquer thinner or scraping off with a razor
blade is a better option for small stains. Oil-based paints
may penetrate into stone. Please refer to the oil stains section
for cleaning instructions.
Water Stains:
Hard water build up on stone surfaces can be
cleaned by buffing it with dry steel wool (0000).
Fire and Smoke Stains:
Commercial smoke removers available at
hardware stores can be used to remove stains and restore
natural beauty of stone.
Etch Marks:
Natural stone surfaces may be etched by acids left
on the stone. Some may etch and stain while some will just
etch but do not stain. The stain must be removed before
applying marble polishing powder. Sprinkle the powder on a wet
surface and buff it using a damp cloth or a buffing pad until
the etch mark disappears and surface shines. For etch marks
that you cannot remove please contact your stone dealer.
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