Natural stone is very easy to maintain, and for general day to day we advise the minimum amount of intense cleaning for your granite, slate, limestone, quartz and marble cleaning. It should not be necessary to do more than wipe over with a clean damp cloth using warm water.
A mild marble cleaning solution such as Easy Care can be used on polished or honed surfaces but under no circumstances should any abrasive, acidic or bleach type products ever be used. After you have washed down your worktop you should buff/wipe them with a dry cloth, which should stop the stone looking smeary. In addition care must be taken in using cleaning products on adjacent areas (i.e. glass doors, metal frames, sinks and baths etc.). With a small amount of care it will keep its natural appearance.
In the event that a potentially harmful liquid is spilt on the surface (i.e. citric acid or alcohol) it is important to wipe up the liquid immediately before it has had a chance to burn the surface of your worktop. If this is not done, ring marks or splash marks will occur.
There are different chemicals suitable for granite, slate, limestone, quartz and marble cleaning. These chemicals clean various types of staining and the quicker action are taken the greater the chance of removing marks and stains.
Granite and quartz stone are heat and scratch resistant but not heat and scratchproof. We would always recommend using a chopping board when cutting and a worktop saver when putting hot items down.
It is recommended that for granite, slate, limestone and marble maintenance the material is sealed with MN Stain Stop to help against water penetration and staining. This will remove the long term risk of penetration into the stone.
For stubborn stains Wexa can be used (diluted 1:15) on polished or honed surfaces which will help you with your limestone and marble cleaning.
For general granite, marble, limestone, quartz and marble cleaning a product such as MN polish care cream can be applied which will help protect and maintain the life of the material. However it may give honed surfaces a slight sheen.
NB - Caution – with any limestone and marble cleaning, a small area should be tried first preferably out of view.
J&R Marble are agents for Lithofin cleaning and marble cleaning and maintenance products.
Being a specialist in various aspects of granite, slate, limestone, quartz and marble cleaning we are happy to advise and assist in any problems or issues you may have in caring for and maintaining your natural stone products.
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