How to Make a Marble Floor Shiny and Clean
How to Make a Marble Floor Shiny and Clean
Marble floors are a joy to look at, but they require regular and careful maintenance.
If you are planning on installing marble tiles in your house, or are planning on moving into a property that has them, but you aren’t sure how to take care of them, then please read on.
The Trouble With Marble
While marble is thought of as being something that lasts forever, it is porous and softer than other common surfaces such as porcelain or granite.
This means that cleaning it can be a challenge. You need to be proactive about keeping marble floors clean because they can stain quite easily.
If it is cleaned, buffed and polished on a regular basis, then it will look amazing.
Removing Difficult Stains
If you’ve just moved into a property that has a dirty looking marble floor then you will need to deep clean it and use a poultice to remove the stains.
Start with a cleaning solution of about one litre of warm water, some dishwashing liquid, and 3tbsp of baking soda and use a soft sponge to scrub the floor.
For best results, rinse the sponge regularly, and if the water starts to become dirty refill the bucket with a fresh solution.
Once the floor is free from ‘surface dirt’, your next job is to use the poultice:
- Mix 1 cup of a product known as diatomaceous earth, plaster and talc together with a small amount of water.
- Keep adding water and stirring the mixture until it becomes a paste with the consistency of cake frosting
- Pour a small amount of distilled water over the stained area
- Spread the poultice over the stain
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the poultice and tape over it with masking tape
- Leave for 48 hours
- Remove the wrap and use a sponge to wipe away the poultice, revealing clean marble
Once you have clean looking marble, use a stone sealant to stop it becoming stained again. You can also contact professional tile cleaning services to help you.
Day to Day Cleaning
Once you have a fairly clean marble surface, your goal should be to keep it that way. It is much easier to maintain clean marble than it is to clean it once it is damaged.
Do not use harsh detergents on marble, because they can cause an effect that is similar to erosion, leaving the marble looking pitted and dull.
Polished marble is easy to wipe clean, and is quite stain resistant, but you will need to work hard to maintain that shine.
Honed marble is less stain resistant, but can be lower maintenance overall.
To keep marble clean, wipe up spills as soon as they happen, and avoid using all-purpose cleaners, or home-made cleaners that use vinegar or lemon juice.
Instead, for day to day cleaning, just use soap and water and a soft microfiber cloth.
Preventing Damage to Marble Surfaces
Marble can be easily scratched or damaged. If you have older furniture, use rubber ‘pads’ on the feet to stop it from scuffing the surface.
Try not to drop sharp or heavy items on the floor, because this can crack or damage the surface.
Try to keep the floor dry. Encourage people to take their shoes off before entering the room, and mop up any dirt that you see as quickly as possible.
You may want to polish the floor periodically, and there are specialist marble polishes that you can use for that.
With day-to-day care, marble can last for a long time.
Think of it as an investment, and treat it with care so that you can enjoy the cool feel of marble beneath your feet each day.
Also read our marble cleaning guide here.
If you are looking for a professional and highly specialised tile and stone care company, then look no further than us at Slique.
Slique has highly-developed systems and processes, which means we provide a tile cleaning service that is second to none.
