Do’s and Don’ts for Maintaining Marble Floors
Marble is one of the most beautiful natural materials used in home decor. Marbles have been used through centuries to add a timeless classic look and appeal to one’s home. Even with the growing popularity of other stones like granite and advancing technology of tiles, the popularity of marbles remains as high as ever before. From exotic Italian marbles to ones found in various demographic regions across the world, marbles continue to attract buyers galore.
Buying a marble is an expensive affair. Since marbles have a good shelf life compared to other stones and manmade tiles, they do work out to be cost efficient in the long run. However marbles require dedicated care to make sure they last a lifetime and retain their magnetic aura. Since marbles can get strained, they must be cleaned regularly to enhance its overall look and feel. Let us look at some of the common do’s and don’ts when it comes to maintenance of marble floors.
Do’s for maintaining marble floors
Use the good quality sealers: The first and the most basic step in taking good care of your marble floor is to make sure that slabs are sealed using a high quality sealer. Marble has a natural tendency to get stained by certain liquids and chemicals. The use of good quality sealers designed for marble floors makes sure that no liquid is able to penetrate the marble floor to cause any unwanted damage.
Use a specialized marble cleaning agent/powder: In case the stains on the marble floor are quite prominent, one can use a specialized marble cleaning agent available with a general hardware store. These cleaning agents are specially designed to make sure no damage is caused to the marble surface while provide help in removing those stubborn and old stains spoiling the floor. In case the stains are not removed even by a marble polishing powder, seek professional help of marble cleaning agents to get the stains removed.
Don’ts for maintaining marbles
Avoid the use of any abrasive cleaners: Marbles may look and appear to be soft on physical touch at the surface but they have a tendency to get scratched easily. One must always avoid the use of any abrasive cleaners or cleaning agents. Such agents work by eroding the top layer of the stone and while the final look may be clean, it would slowly erode the natural topmost layer of the marble slab. The use of non abrasive or natural cleaning agents is recommended instead of harsh cleaners.
Avoid Acidic Cleaners: Acidic cleaners or cleaners with high acidic contents like vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners containing acids must be avoided at all costs. Such high acid content cleaning agents can easily eat into the marble surface causing more damage to the marble floor in the long run.
Never Place Hot Items on Marble Floor: One must always protect marble floor by making sure no hot items are placed directly over it. Certain liquids and chemicals have the potency to cause straining on marble and therefore must be kept covered with non slip mats and rugs wherever possible to avoid unwanted strains.
Common mistake while cleaning the marble floors
A common mistake a lot of people commit while cleaning their marble floors is to use more than recommend dosage of cleaning agent. The most natural and organic cleaning agent must always be used within prescribed limits, as it can cause some miniscule amount of damage to the floor while cleaning. Rather than increasing the amount of the cleaning agent, make sure to increase the frequency of cleaning of the marble floor for best results.
