As we work with natural stone for a while, we’ve become intimate with it, how to choose and take care of it, protect it, and solve problems when they happen.
We are always here to answer all of our customer’s questions.
One of the most usual questions we get is:
“Now I have my natural stone, how do I take care of it?”
For example:
You have a lot of natural stone, a beautiful bar top, gorgeous granite countertops, and marble vanity tops in the bath.
You want to keep them great.
Do we have any tips for you?
Ok, you have asked the right person!
We are here to help you keep them at their best.
Here are our five essential care tips to make your natural stone last for a lifetime and keep looking the same way.
1) Seal Your Natural Stone to Stop Staining:
Most natural stone is porous; it can absorb staining factors in dropped liquids, food, and even other things.
Most natural stone countertops should be sealed appropriately and re-sealed to protect them against Staining.
Here’s a great idea to know if your countertops need to be sealed.
Spill some water on the most-used spaces and let it sit for some minutes before wiping it away.
If the water left a dark spot, this indicates that the natural stone absorbed the water, and you need to seal it.
Do it yourself or call a professional?
You can do it yourself!
But you may prefer to have a specialist do the sealing.
This way, you ensure proper coverage and the total removal of any excess sealer.
2) Clean with Proper Stone-Safe Products:
It would help if you used a pH neutral cleaner for your routine cleaning, specially selected safe for natural stone.
And please, never listen to your grandma when she tells you to use vinegar and water to clean your stone!
Never use any cleaner that is acidic or abrasive.
Even using dish soap and water can form a filmy buildup and maybe discoloration, depending on the soap’s components.
Using glass cleaner can be the worst, as it may eventually dull the polish.
If you want to clean mirrors above vanity tops, avoid overspray of glass cleaner.
3) Treat Stains Immediately:
Blot spills up immediately.
If your stone does become stained, treat it as soon as you can.
Do not postpone today’s work to tomorrow.
4) Avoid Damage on Natural Stone:
Acidic spills can harm calcite based stone such as marble vanities, so always remember to use coasters below glasses and clean up spills quickly.
Don’t put perfumes and cosmetics directly on delicate vanity tops; you can use a pretty tray to display them.
No doubt, that Granite is tough, but take objective regards.
Most natural Granite can handle the heat, but don’t take random chances.
Use trivets under hot pans.
Try to reduce direct sunlight.
UV rays on some stone can make your stone fade, and you will end up with discolored areas.
This is more in the features used on some stone than the stone itself.
There are protecting treatments that can be done, but merely minimizing direct exposure should be enough in most cases.
5) Call for Help When Needed:
We recommend that you have a recurrent beauty treatment, a clean, polish, and seal service on your countertops by your stone restoration specialist.
So, Let’s summarize what we have learned about cleaning natural stone:
- Clean your countertops every day with a mild cleaning chemical.
- Lemon juice and vinegar can cause the same damage to natural stone countertops as strong cleaners, don’t use them!
- Use coasters or placemats under glasses, dishes, and silverware that could hurt your countertop.
- Clean up any spills, especially of acidic food, right away to stop staining.
- Never put anything straight from the oven onto a natural stone countertop.
- You can handle a mild scratch in a kitchen countertop finish on your own, using a buffing powder or solution specially created for natural stone.
Natural stone countertops add a touch of elegance to any kitchen and are certainly a durable choice.
However, they require more involved care than other types of stone.
Ensure you know the type of maintenance your stone surfaces require and how much time you can dedicate to them.
When you take care of your natural stone, it will keep serving you and giving you that great and luxurious look!
For more information, you can contact us!
