Cleaning Marble

Marble has long been a favorite material for homeowners to use as flooring, countertops, and accent pieces. Since this is such a popular material in homes today, then it is entirely likely that you have some type of marble in your home that needs cleaning. To keep your marble as clean as possible and help keep it around for years to come, just use these simple guidelines to help you.

• Identify stain. The first step in cleaning marble is to identify the stain. Each type of stain typically requires a different cleaning method. The most common types of stains are organic stains, oil stains, and rust stains. Typically organic stains are from things like coffee, tea, milk, dirt, and plants; oil stains are from things like butter, lotion, and well...oil; rust stains are made from wet metal being left on the marble surface and rusting.
• Remove stains. Rust stain can be removed by using commercially available rust removers. Just be careful, though, since many rust removers have some type of acid in them, and the acid will end up etching and damaging the marble surface. Organic stains can be removed by creating a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (20% is strong enough) and a little bit of ammonia (about 1/2 a tablespoon). Place the cleaning mixture on the stain, let it sit for about ten minutes, then wipe it up with a regular white clean soft rag. For oil stains, sprinkle the stain with cornstarch and allow it to sit for 24 hours. The next day scrub with hot soapy water and a stiff nylon brush and remove all the cornstarch and stain. After scrubbing, rinse everything away a damp, warm cloth.
• Prevent. The best way to keep marble clean is to prevent stains by sealing the marble. Since marble is a fairly porous material, sealing will help keep the stains out of those pours and make the cleaning a whole lot easier. Another great way to help prevent stains from setting in is to get into a daily habit of wiping down the countertop or other material with warm water and a rag.