Wash Marble Floors

Marble floors are elegant, but cleaning them can be a matter of concern if you are not sure how to do it properly. There are commercial marble cleaning products on the market and these are highly recommended because they have the correct pH and will not eat away or dull the marble. If you'd rather do it yourself from scratch, this is possible also.

Steps

Homemade preparation

  1. Pour cool, clean water into a bucket.
  2. Add detergent or stone soap liquid to the cool water. The detergent must be near neutral pH (around 7) and very gentle.
  3. Use your normal mop and wash as usual. Use overlapping short strokes in a rhythmic fashion.[1]
  4. Mop over again thoroughly with clean water free of dirt.
  5. Allow the floor to air dry.
  6. Deal with Remove Scuff Marks from Floors and spots by attending to individually. Use a felt pad and a gentle neutral pH powder cleanser or dollop of detergent to remove, rubbing only along the grain of the marble in a straight line. Do not rub in a circular way, as this will leave marks.

Wax the floor (seal)

  1. If you can wax a marble floor, do so. Doing this will help to prevent the absorption of dirt and keeps the floor very shiny. Only use a hard wax; soft wax can discolour marble.

    Waxing will bring an artificial shine and will need to be stripped off regularly which is not good for the marble.
    • Marble needs to have the pores left open and waxing closes those pores which over time can cause the veins in the stone to rupture creating what is called spalling.
    • If you need your shine restored to marble it is so much better to have it polished correctly by a professional than to wax it.
  2. Definitely do seal the marble with a penetrating sealer which protects against staining but still allows the stone to breath.

Commercial preparations

Commercial preparations are available for marble surfaces and their use will vary according to the manufacturer's instructions. This section is simply a clarification of where to find them and things to consider when using them.

  1. Look for marble floor cleaner in hardware stores and floor cleaning specialist companies. Stone Tech®, Resolve®, or Simple Green® are often recommended by professional, commercial floor care companies because of their gentle chemicals and neutral pH.[2]
  2. Follow the manufacturer's instructions. It is important to ask questions of the retailer as to the particular brand.
  3. Be budget conscious. Commercial marble cleaning solutions can be pricey but it is possible to eke them out if you ensure that the floor is polished.
  4. Store commercial preparations out of the reach of children and pets at all times.

Prevention methods

Keeping marble floors stain, scratch and grime free is a constant job and there are some "preventative measures" that you might consider taking, as follows.

  1. Keep a large, quality doormat at all entrances leading to marble floors from outside.
  2. Avoid using marble in areas where food is prepared or consumed. If this cannot be helped, use rugs under the eating or food preparation areas.
  3. Always remove snow boots before walking on marble. Salt will dissolve marble and can also pit it.
  4. Keep pets off marble floors. Their claws can cause scratching if they walk across it repeatedly.
  5. Carefully maintain a good, scuff-free floor finish as recommended by marble floor professionals. Marble is very hard, and makes an excellent wear surface, but it is also quite porous. If the protective surface is allowed to wear off the marble will absorb anything tracked over it or spilled on it resulting in staining.



Tips

  • Clean spills immediately because marble is highly porous.
  • If any of the cleaning methods cause the marble to dull, try rubbing on tin oxide powder with a thick cloth or electric buffer. Rinse off and dry.[3]
  • Marjorie Harris also provides this solution for treating grease stains on marble. Note that it contains vinegar and therefore may not be ideal for your situation but if the stain is already bad and you work quickly, this method might be suitable (but do test first!).
    • Attend to immediately. As marble is very porous, it will soak up any liquid.
    • Mix one part fine pumice powder, one part washing soda, one part fine powdered chalk and one part white vinegar.[3] Mix until you have a paste.
    • Test spot the paste. Vinegar is damaging to marble, hence it is important to test this solution in an inconspicuous part first to see if it marks. If it does not, you can use it briefly on the stain. Rub in using a soft cloth.
    • Clean off immediately with gentle liquid detergent and water that has been premixed with baking soda.
  • Wet sanding and chemical stripping can help marble floors in desperate need of a big renovation.[3]

Warnings

  • Most of the so-called "frugal home compounds" will actually do more harm than good to marble. Mixes of household cleaning solutions, alcohol or lemon-based cleaners will etch the marble in the same way that vinegar will.
  • Marble is very soft and porous (calcium carbonate); it will react poorly to acidic or highly alkaline materials. Problematic cleaners include vinegar, ammonia (often cited as alternative cleaners), alcohol (including Windex), abrasive cleaners such as Ajax, commercial tile cleaning preparations, etc.[4]

Things You'll Need

  • Hot water
  • Bucket
  • Neutral pH detergent or liquid stone soap
  • Mop
  • Felt pad and powder cleanser for spot removal
  • Suitable floor wax, hard variety

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ Yahoo! Answers, How do you clean a marble floor?
  2. ↑ A Copasetic Carpet Cleaning Company, Mesa, AZ.(Marble and Terrazzo Cleaning and Service.)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Marjorie Harris, Better House and Planet, 1991, p. 135, ISBN 1 55013 257 1
  4. ↑ Royal Care Services, Inc., Don't Lose Your Marbles
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