Many people long for the classiness and sophistication of marble tile. But just like linoleum, wood, granite, Formica, and tile, marble needs to be cared for in its own special way, and have their own pros and cons.
Unlike some other types of countertops, marble tile isn’t known for being durable. Marble is strong, but very sensitive to common kitchen items like cleaning chemicals, juices containing citric acid, and oily liquids. These fluids will eventually erode your marble or make it look “cloudy”. Here are some ideas to help you clean and care for your marble countertops:
Polished vs. Honed Marble
Assuming your kitchen counters gets lots of use, the best choice for those who use their kitchen is honed marble tile instead of polished. The honed marble has a matte finish as the last polishing step is skipped. The polished marble is stunning, but what many people fail to realized before they put it in is that every little bit of alcohol, lemon juice, and olive oil will leave behind spots, tarnishing the shiny finish. Also, nicks and lines from sharp objects such as knives, in the same way as stains, are much more noticeable on polished marble than honed.
Cleaning Your Marble Tile
Some must-have cleaning accessories in caring for your marble tile:
•Specialized stone soap (or another neutral cleaner)
•Soft bristle brush (synthetic)
•Soft washcloth or sponge
•Bucket
•Warm water
•Stone sealer/protector
Step 1: Preparing Your Countertop
Before you start cleaning your marble tile with specialized products, first use the soft bristle brush to loosen the surface dirt, wiping away what comes off with your soft washcloth or sponge. With the surface dirt gone, those specialized cleaning agents will have much more success.
Step 2: Specialized Cleaners
Be sure to only use cleaning products that were made to clean marble tile. Most household cleaning products people keep under their sink or in their laundry rooms include acid, which as already mentioned, will leave stains behind (exactly what you’re trying to get rid of). The best marble-friendly cleaning products are phosphate-free solutions or even liquid dishwashing soap. The best way to use any cleaning product on your marble tile is to rinse off the soap instantly with warm water to keep from drying out the marble.
Step 3: Removing Stains
Stained marble tile leaves you with two options: live with the stain or live with etched marble tile where the stain used to be. Many cleaners that remove stains from your marble countertop do so by removing the stain but also damaging the surface finish.
•For food and oil stains, a better option would be to spread dry con starch over the stain, letting it sit undisturbed for 24 hours. The corn starch will absorb the oil from the stain on the marble countertop, and will hopefully prevent you from having to use the harsher, damaging, cleaners.
•Removing rust stains is much more damaging to your marble tile countertops, as rust can only be removed by using specialized rust-removal products that only work by etching away polished surfaces.
•If the stain is just too horrible to live with, marble tile can be sent out and re-polished. You will receive your counter top back with a beautiful shine again, but it will also be slightly thinner.
Step 4: Sealing Marble Tile
When you have cleaned the surface of your marble tile countertop, you will want to seal it to keep oils and dirt from causing damage again. It is not a good idea to use wax, especially for white marble tile, as the wax causes the marble to yellow. A better option is to use a stone sealer designed specifically for protecting marble tile and helping it to resist the oils and dirt you just spent so much time and energy removing.
http://www.stonecare.com/
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