When you think of beautiful stone, marble often comes to mind. Because of its beauty and elegance, marble is a popular choice for many different applications throughout the home. Marble’s unique and timeless beauty works with many different design styles, and it’s most definitely a customer favorite. With marble comes some maintenance needs to keep this stone looking its best for years to come.
Protecting marble against etching and staining takes effort, but thankfully not a lot. Here are three tips for keeping your marble in tip-top shape:
Tip 1: Sealing
To help prevent etching and staining, we recommend sealing marble regularly using a sealer like this one. Sealing repels stains but doesn’t make marble stainproof. To know when it’s time to reseal, try the water bead test. When water touches the marble surface, it should bead up. If it doesn’t, it’s time to reseal. Make sure to seal high-use areas more often than other areas. Kitchen counters, for example, are cleaned and wiped down more frequently. So, you will need to pay closer attention to those areas as they’ll need resealing every few months.
Tip 2: Natural stone everyday cleaner
Regular cleaning products can etch the stone surface over time.
Never use abrasive cleaners as they will damage and dull the finish. Cleaning products that include vinegar, bleach, ammonia, lemon juice, or other general-purpose cleaners should be avoided. We recommend dusting with soft cloths or sponges and for wet cleaning, use a damp cloth and a pH-neutral cleaner designed specifically for stone.
Tip 3: Treat your countertops like a piece of fine wood
Treat your counters with care. Wipe up spills quickly to prevent them from seeping in and staining or discoloring your countertop. Keep caddies for soaps/lotions. Use cutting boards for food prep to keep staining substances from coming into contact with your countertop. Coasters help as well…especially for those red wine and coffee-cup ring stains.
Marble is also prone to etching – dull marks on the surface caused by contact with acidic substances. The key is keeping acidity low. But there’s surprisingly a lot of acidic cooking ingredients – lemon juice, vinegar, citrus, tomato sauce, etc. Keeping acidic food from sitting on the marble surface is imperative.
With a little bit of care and caution, your countertops will stay looking as beautiful as the day they were installed!
