How to clean marble countertops

Marble is a soft and sensitive stone that requires the proper cleaning products and cleaning procedures to keep it looking shiny and beautiful. Cleaning marble countertops requires a proactive approach to keeping your marble countertops looking clean and shiny.

Using the wrong cleaning products and using the wrong cleaning techniques can damage the polished finish of your marble countertops.

There are many beautiful types of marble from all around the world and it is this unique beauty that people desire in a countertop. Unfortunately marble is a soft and chemically sensitive stone that must be properly cleaned and maintained to retain its beauty. When a marble countertop is first installed it will look beautiful and have a beautifully polished finish. If a marble countertop is not a single piece and is made from tiles then you also need to keep the grout properly cleaned and maintained.

To many people the idea of having a marble countertop seems like a crazy idea.

After all countertops receive the most use of any tile or stone surface in the home. If a marble countertop is located in the bathroom it can be exposed to many different soaps, shampoos, shaving creams and cosmetic products. If a marble countertop is located in a kitchen there is the potential for acidic food products to etch the marble surface. Also due to the soft nature of marble it has the potential to get scratched by any metal or ceramic object that is dragged across the marble surface. So due to marbles sensitive nature to chemicals and it softness you can see why it does not seem the ideal stone to be used as a countertop.

Marble is a calcium based natural stone that is extremely sensitive to acidic substances.

You should never use any type of acidic cleaning product on a marble surface. Additionally you should never use any type of household products like vinegar or lemon juice near a marble countertop. It only takes one drop of any type of acidic cleaning product or other acidic product to instantly etch a mark in the polished marble surface. When the marble surface is etched then there is no way to just clean the marble surface to take out the etch mark. The etched mark in a marble countertop will stay there until it is polished out. Polishing out an etched mark in a marble countertop can be difficult to do properly for the average DIYer. You may be required to hire a stone restoration professional to polish out the etch mark on the marble countertops surface.

Additionally many types of shaving creams, soaps and cosmetic products are acidic in nature.

Many of these product will not etch a marble surface but they have the potential to dull the surface of a marble countertop. Using these types of product over time will start to cause micro abrasions in the marble surface that show up as dull spots on the marble surface. You may see how over time a marble countertop will have a beautiful polish on the perimeter but near the sink and high use areas the surface has become dull and lifeless.

With all the potential problems that can be caused to a marble countertop it is no wonder that it takes a proactive approach to cleaning and maintaining a marble countertop.

The first thing that should be done with new marble countertops is to have them sealed with a quality solvent based sealer designed for stone, tile and grout. Sinse marble is a dense stone you should use a solvent based sealer as opposed to a water based sealer. A solvent based stone sealer will have smaller sealant molecules then a water based sealer. The solvents in a solvent based sealer will be able to penetrate deeper into the marble to provide more protection then a water based sealer. There are many quality solvent based stone sealers on the market today and it it best to go to a quality tile shop to purchase them. Many of the solvent based stone sealers at the big box stores are not as effective or last as long as professional stone sealers purchased from a professional tile store. One quality solvent based sealers that is excellent for sealing a marble countertop is Stonetech's Impregnator Pro stone, tile and grout sealer.

If your marble countertop is not a single unit and is made up of tiles then you need to also protect the grout from becoming stained.

The grout in a marble countertop will typically be unsanded grout with thin grout joints. The thin unsanded grout joints are very difficult to clean up after they get stained so it is essential to seal the grout at the same time you seal the marble tiles. You can use the same solvent based sealer that you use to seal the marble with to seal the grout at the same time.

Sealing the marble and grout will help protect the marble countertop and grout from being etched, dulled and stained but it is not a foolproof method to protecting your marble countertop.

Tile and grout sealers only help to protect the surface but harsh chemicals products will still etch and dull a marble countertops surface.

If you find that your marble countertop looks dirty dingy and dull then you will need to use more aggressive cleaning products to get your marble countertops to their cleanest.

While marble is extremely sensitive to acidic cleaning products you can use strong alkaline cleaning products on marble. You should only use alkaline cleaning products that are specifically designed for cleaning tile, stone and grout. These types of alkaline cleaning products will not damage or dull the marble surface. You can ask your local tile store to recommend an alkaline cleaning product to use on your marble countertop. One of the better alkaline cleaning products for tile, stone and grout is Stonetech's Klenzall.

Mix the alkaline cleaning solution with hot water in the ration given on the alkaline cleaning solutions instructions.

Us only a soft white scrub pad to scrub the grout and to clean the marble surface. You should find that the dirt, grease and grime is easy to clean up from the marble surface but the grout can be difficult to clean. You should just keep scrubbing the grout with the soft scrub pad until it gets as clean as it is going to get.

After you are done cleaning the tile and grout with the alkaline cleaning solution you should thoroughly rinse away all the excess cleaner from the tiles and grout.

Sometimes a soft towel will help you to absorb any excess cleaning residue from the marble and grout.

After you have cleaned the marble and grout with the alkaline cleaning solution then you should go back and re seal the marble and grout.

The alkaline cleaning solution will break down any of the sealers that were in the marble and grout so you will need to re seal the marble and grout.

It is important to do reular maintenace cleaning of your marble countertops after every use.

You should never let any type cleaning, food or hygiene product sit on the surface of a marble countertop The longer the contaminate sits on the marble surface the greater the chance that they can etch or dull the marbles finish. When cleaning a marble countertop it is always a good idea to have a spray bottle of a pH neutral tile, stone and grout cleaner handy to spray and wipe down the marble countertop after every use. You can buy a premixed pH neutral tile, grout and stone cleaner in a spray bottle from most tile stores. You can also purchase a professional pH neutral tile, grout and stone cleaner and mix it with water according to the manufactures instructions and keep it in a spray bottle. One quality pH neutral stone, tile and grout cleaner is Stonetechs Stone, Tile and Grout cleaner.

To do regular maintenance cleaning of your marble countertops just spray down the marble countertops with the pH neutral cleaner and wipe off any contaminates with a soft white scrub pad.

You should rinse the marble surface off with warm water and wipe the countertop down again with a clean soft towel. The you should use a dry towel to dry off the marble surface to ensure there is no excess cleaning residue left on the marble surface.

A quality pH neutral stone cleaner will not break down any sealers in your marble or grout.

Do not use any type of aggressive alkaline cleaning product for daily maintenance cleaning as these products will break down the sealers. Also do not use any type of acidic cleaners on the marble as these acidic cleaners will etch the marble surface.

If you find that your marble and grout needs a more thorough cleaning then you should periodically use a strong alkaline cleaning solution to thoroughly clean your marble and grout.

Many people are disheartened after they clean their marble countertop to see that the grout is permanently stained and the marble surface is etched, scratched, dull and not polished.

Unfortunately these types of issues can not be dealt with when just cleaning a marble countertop. There are products on the market that you can buy to polish your marble countertops surface and bring back the polished finish. Additionally if the grout is stained then you may be required to remove the grout and regrout the marble countertop. You may consider seeking out the help of a tile restoration pro to polish your marble countertop to bring back the polish and shine that was there when the marble countertop was initially installed.