Think Your Kitchen Cleaner is Safe for Marble? These Common Household Products Could Be Destroying Your Investment
Marble floors represent a significant investment in your home’s beauty and value, yet countless homeowners unknowingly damage their stunning surfaces every day with products sitting right in their cleaning cabinets. The gleaming marble that once added elegance to your space can quickly become a dull, etched mess when treated with the wrong household cleaners. Understanding the truth behind marble care myths isn’t just about maintaining appearances—it’s about protecting thousands of dollars worth of natural stone.
The Acid Test: Why Your “Go-To” Cleaners Are Your Marble’s Worst Enemy
Because of their acidic content, regular household cleaning materials might do more harm than good on your marble floor. Remember to use only a pH neutral cleaning material to effectively remove dirt or stain and scratches off your marble floor without damaging it. The problem lies in marble’s fundamental composition—it’s formed from limestone, making it highly susceptible to acid damage.
Vinegar and other acidic cleaning solutions should never be used on marble or other natural stone, as they will dull the professional finish and eat away at the surface of the stone and lead to etching. Etching can often look like watermarks or a surface stain, but in reality, these are chemical burns that have damaged the surface.
The most dangerous household products for marble include:
- Tile cleaners, vinegar, Ajax, Soft Scrub
- The acetic acid in vinegar can react with the calcium carbonate in marble, causing etching and dullness
- Cleaning solutions that contain high alkaline levels or bleach can also damage marble floors and cause it to lose its shine
- Hydrogen peroxide can cause etching and discoloration, resulting in permanent damage. However, its strong oxidizing properties can react with the calcium carbonate present in marble, leading to etching and dullness
Debunking the “Natural Means Safe” Myth
One of the most persistent myths in marble care is that natural ingredients are automatically safe. Because it’s formed from high-alkali minerals, it’s very susceptible to acid. Even spilling some cranberry sauce on an unprotected marble surface can cause it to corrode. This means even seemingly innocent substances can cause permanent damage.
A natural stone like marble is alkali and can easily be vulnerable to acidic content, such as coffee, wine, pet urine, milk, juices and similar liquids. The reaction happens almost instantly—Natural stones such as limestone and marble, regardless of their installation time, quickly react to acids, alcohol, or ammonia. When acidic liquids are spilled on such floors (even if they are newly installed), they will need to be polished again.
The Professional Polish Myth: Why DIY Solutions Fall Short
Many homeowners believe they can achieve professional results with homemade polishing compounds. NEVER USE TOOTHPASTE OR ANTI-PERSPIRANT TO POLISH YOUR COUNTERTOP, omigosh. You may have read about people trying that, but it is a baaaaaad idea, and when you read farther into their tales, you invariably see them say, “Yeah, it made my counter look even worse.”
The reason why is that when you polish something, you want all the abrasive particles in your polishing slurry to be the same size. If they’re not the same size, then the big particles will constantly scratch up the polishing that the smaller particles are trying to do, and you never get a shinier surface.
The Sealing Misconception
Another widespread myth suggests that all marble must be sealed to be properly maintained. Marble floor polishing will be useless if the marble is not sealed. Although it is true that sealing prevents stains, it is not always required. The truth about sealing is that it only needs to be on absorbent surfaces. Only porous marble surfaces require sealing, which may be determined by letting a handful of water sit on it for 10 minutes and wiping it away. If a stain remains after polishing, your stone is permeable and requires sealing in addition to polishing.
What Actually Works: Safe Cleaning Alternatives
Protecting your marble investment requires the right approach. Regular dish soap makes a good cleaner for marble floors. Use a very dilute solution in order to prevent streaks, and gently buff the floor afterward to dry it and remove any residue. The key is maintaining pH neutrality—This is why it’s so important to use cleaning products that are specially formulated for use on marble and other natural stone. Granite Gold Daily Cleaner® is an effective stone cleaning solution that is pH balanced and completely food-safe.
When to Call the Professionals
If stains from coffee, wine, or cleaning chemicals have seeped into your marble and household cleaners aren’t doing the trick, professional polishing is your best option. Professional marble floor polishing services like Diamond Stone Restorations Corp understand the complexities of natural stone care and can restore your floors without the risk of further damage.
If severe enough, this can require the help of a professional stone restoration specialist to fix, which is an expensive proposition! The cost of professional restoration far exceeds the expense of proper maintenance, making prevention the most economical approach.
Protecting Your Investment
Your marble floors deserve care that matches their value. Marble is a highly porous material, which means that dirt and spills that don’t immediately get cleaned off the marble flooring will usually seep deep into its pore. Remember to diligently clean the dirt and spill as soon as it occurs, polish marble flooring after a thorough clean, and apply a sealant to protect the marble floor and preserve its shine.
The truth is that the field of marble polishing has transformed dramatically, with advancements in technology and technique dispelling the long-standing myth of dusty restorations. The modern approach to marble polishing employs cutting-edge equipment and wet polishing methods that drastically reduce or eliminate dust production.
Don’t let common household products destroy your beautiful marble investment. By understanding what truly damages natural stone and working with experienced professionals when needed, you can maintain the stunning appearance that originally drew you to marble flooring. Remember: when it comes to marble care, what you don’t use is often just as important as what you do.