It used to be that owning marble countertops or floors was a serious commitment, requiring their own personal Secret Service agent with an eagle eye to watch out for problems. These days, there are a boatload of easy ways to polish and maintain your marble, no secret agents required.  

Here are five mistakes that many marble owners make and how you can avoid them:

1 – Clean Your Marble Countertop Regularly:

It’s easy to get complacent with kitchen countertops and even floors. After all we use them constantly, so it would be easy to think that a quick wipe every now and then when the coffee maker overflows or a pans spatters oil everywhere is all that’s needed. But keeping your delicate and sensitive marble clean and pristine is one of the most important things you can do to keep it looking beautiful longterm. 

Just use a damp cloth, preferably a chamois or microfiber with warm water and a few drops of mild dishwashing agent. 

Bar or powdered soaps are a bad choice for marble because they leave a residue. And NEVER use bleach or other alkaline or acid cleaning products because they will eat away at your marble sealant. Vinegar, ammonia, orange or lemon, while lovely ‘green’ choices, must also be avoided because they contain natural acids that love munching through sealants. 

2 – Fix Spills Right Away:

When you accidentally spill something in your countertop, clean it up right away so the liquid doesn’t penetrate your marble. Liquids like cooking oil, wine, juices, coffee and sauces WILL stain your delicate marble. Use the same soft, damp cloth with warm water and gentle dish detergent that you would use for regularly cleaning to mop up spills.

3 – Use Cleaning Products with Neutral pH:

Since marble doesn’t like alkaline or acidic substances, a neutral PH cleaning and polishing product is the best choice. It’s also a good idea to use polishing products that are specific for marble countertops. Call Stone Surface Specialists today or visit our ‘Recommended Products’ page https://loveyourstone.com/stone-and-tile-care/

4 – To Seal Or Not To Seal

Sealing may make the difference between a worn and stained marble countertop and a one with the secret of eternal youth. Whether or not you need to seal it depends largely on the natural color of the stone; darker marbles are naturally more adept at camouflaging stains and marks, so you could view it as optional to seal your marble if you have, say, Ubatuba or Tropic Brown marble. However, the lighter marbles absolutely need sealing – you’re really asking for trouble if you don’t. The lighter the marble, the more often you should seal it – every 3-6 months is a good idea.

5 – Polishing Your Marble Countertop:

When it comes to polishing, remember that marble is a delicate material, so less is often more. Apart from cleaning products with a neutral pH, you can also use acetone, hydrogen peroxide or clear ammonia mixed with water to polish your marble. Acetone is best used for light colored marble and hydrogen peroxide for darker-colored marbles. 

If you’re not sure about any aspect of cleaning or polishing your beautiful marble, play it safe – call the experts at Stone Surface Specialists at 801 856 0164.