Clean countertop using mild dish soap and soft cloth.

Clean stone surfaces daily with a soft cloth using mild dish soap, and wipe off any spills immediately. Especially after rolling dough on marble, you’ll want to clean up the mess right away. If a stain does soak in, treat it with warm water and a mild dish soap, or a stone soap recommended by your countertop contractor. For more serious stains, you may need to use a poultice–an absorbent compound, such as powdered whiting mixed with hydrogen peroxide–which will pull the stain out. Check with your granite or marble fabricator about cleaning recommendations for specific stains.

It is very important to wipe the countertop down again with clean water and then dry it with a cloth or paper tower. This will prevent the build up of soap residue which forms a film on the surface of the stone. This film can make the countertops look hazy and dull. But don’t worry, there are products out there which don’t leave any residue.

Using a dedicated natural stone cleaner

Another way to clean natural stone countertops is to use a dedicated natural stone cleaner:

Most of the better cleaners have sealing features. These cleaners protect your stone by putting a little bit of sealer on the surface as you clean – every time you do it. So they not only clean, but also help to protect your countertop from stains. These products are generally non-toxic, and friendly to the environment.

To apply, just spray it directly to the surface. If the cleaner has the sealer in it, let the surface stay wet for a minute before wiping it dry. That’s all there is to it! The countertops will keep their original shine and won’t dull.

All natural stone is porous to some degree. If not properly treated with a protective sealer, water, oils and other liquids can penetrate the stone. The same is true with the grout surrounding tile. The good news is that once treated with a protective sealer, natural stone, tile, masonry and grout is ready for care free, everyday use.

Sealing stone protects it from attracting and accumulating dirt and preserves its pristine beauty for years. You will need to periodically check the sealer for signs of wear, and re-seal if necessary. You can choose from many types of sealers, depending on your needs and preferences, but the two most popular and effective sealers are:

Topical sealers, made from natural wax, acrylic and other plastic compounds, create a film coating, protecting your stone from oil, water and contaminants.

Impregnators, or siloxane sealers, protect against oil or water spillages. They permeate the stone, and are breathable, allowing vapor transmission freely. Ideal for kitchen countertops, provided they are food-friendly, these long life sealers typically consist of siloxane or flouropolymers. They’re highly effective outdoors, as they protect your stone from the ravages of weathering and high humidity and are well-priced.

Try to avoid using coatings like acrylics, varnishes, lacquers on natural stone as they compromise the aesthetics of natural stone while affording few benefits.

Natural stone sealed on left side and unsealed on the right side, demonstrating the protection against staining.

Accidents will happen – food or liquid spillages, ink or rust stains can occur even as you take the best preventive and routine care. You can easily remove them, though, if you act immediately, and will protect your stone from lasting damage. The first step in stain removal is to identify what caused it in the first place; this helps to isolate the most efficient method of removal and the type of stain remover to use. Wipe the stain straightaway, and remove it using the methods prescribed below. These are effective remedies for stubborn, as well as older stains. 

Stain removers

Stain removers like solvents (mineral spirits like acetone or chlorinated solvents) work by dissolving the staining agent and remove most stains, including those from grease. Others like whiting (chalk) or talcum powder absorb grease and most stains, while bleaching agents like ammonia and hydrogen peroxide (hair bleach) whiten the area.

Poultices

Stain removal involves the use of poultices. These are easily available commercially nowadays, but we have described some easy do-it-yourself poultices for your convenience.
To make the poultice, follow the directions given, and mix the ingredients into a thick paste, the consistency of peanut butter, unless specified otherwise. To apply, wet the stained area thoroughly, and apply a 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer on the stain using a wooden spatula. Cover using kitchen wrap, securing it with masking tape. Leave it overnight, or for 48 hours if the stains are stubborn, remove gently and rinse, wiping it dry.

Organic stains

Liquids like coffee, tea, ink, soft drinks, fruit juice, flowers, cosmetics, tobacco, iodine, wet paper text marks and wet textile prints, can stain marble. Sometimes, wiping the stain immediately with a damp cloth, and drying the area will prevent staining. If not, make and apply a half-inch layer of a poultice by mixing whiting (chalk) and 20% hydrogen peroxide (hair bleach) into a thick paste, the consistency of peanut butter. If this does not help, try adding ammonia to the poultice and repeat the procedure.

Coffee stains – Dip a soft cloth in a solution of one part of glycerin to four parts of water and apply to the stain.

Ink stains – Make a poultice made from whiting and a solution made from sodium perborate dissolved in hot water and apply a ¼” inch layer to the stain. If blue ink stains persist, due to the presence of iron compounds in the ink, wash the area thoroughly with a strong soap solution. Remove black stains from the inclusion of silver salts in some inks using an ammonia water bandage.

Tobacco stains – Prepare a solution using 2 lbs of Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP) crystals in one gallon of water. Add a paste of 12 ounces of chlorinated lime and water. Transfer the two mixtures into an earthenware 2-gallon jar, mix thoroughly and allow to settle before use. To remove the stain, add talcum powder to some of the liquid to make a thick paste and apply on the stain using a trowel. Wait until the poultice dries, and gently scrape it off, using a wooden paddle. Do be careful with TCP though. Always wear rubber gloves, avoiding contact with skin. Wash immediately on accidental contact.

Oil stains

Using ammonia for stains from mustard, butter, milk, peanut butter and hand lotions should do the trick. If stains are stubborn, make a poultice, combining acetone and whiting into a thick paste, and apply a poultice. Do be careful with acetone, though – leave windows open to you don’t inhale its fumes, and don’t use near a flame.

Grease

Wipe grease stains immediately and cover with fullers earth or whiting. Fullers earth is a natural clay that absorbs the stain. For persistent stains, combine equal measures of acetone and amyl acetate and place a clean flannel soaked in the mixture over the stain. Do remember to use rubber gloves, and exercise caution while handling acetone.

Rust

Use oxalic acid with powder and water and apply on the stain. For ease, try “iron-out”, available at most hardware stores.

Copper

A mixture of ammonium chloride and methylene chloride removes copper stains

Paint – water based.

Use a mixture of commercial paint remover and powder to wipe the stains off. Please do not use acids; they could damage your marble.

Paint – oil based

Use methylene chloride if the paint stains are deep, other mineral spirits combined with powder will do the trick. Remember never to use acids on marble.

Blood

Always use cold water to wipe bloodstains, as hot water cooks the albumin in the blood and worsens the stain. To remove bloodstains, first wipe the area with cold water. Mix cold water with tri-sodium-phosphate crystals and scrub the stain. Rinse with cold water and dry-wipe. Wear rubber gloves to avoid contact with skin.

Chewing gum

Rub ice in the gum, hardening it enough to scrape off using a putty knife. Now use trichloroethylene and scrub using a nylon scourer. Do be careful when using trichloroethylene, though. Its fumes and contact with skin can cause unpleasant effects.

Here are some daily activities that should be avoided to protect the countertop against their harmful effects and retain the stones beauty for decades.

When furnishing the kitchen we want it to be aesthetic and practical. Both of these conditions meet the requirements of granite, which is both pretty and durable, and also adds value to your home or apartment. Granite rates a seven at Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness, passed only by Corundum, Topaz and Diamond. It is the molten rock that easily withstands temperatures posed by hot pots. Due to its hard structure it is resistant to most of the accidents that may happen in the kitchen. It is also very practical. Professionally installed granite countertops will withstand the test of time for centuries.

To increase the practicality of granite countertops, stone is carefully polished so that it is easier to clean and maintain a beautiful appearance. Also, sealers are available with properties that make it easy to care for and prevent any stains. Sealers are used periodically as an additional protection for natural stone countertops.

Although the granite is considered as the most durable material for countertops and other home components, it also requires proper treatment. This consists in paying attention to what is placed on its polished surface.

Although cutting or moving pots on the countertop during daily work should not normally damage the stone, try to avoid such actions. It will protect the surface from scratches. You should also avoid placing  acids such as lemon juice, vinegar, etc., because they can affect certain types of stone, making them dull or even causing etching. For daily cleaning of the countertop, we recommend using a soft sponge or a cloth with a neutral PH cleaning agent. After drying the countertop, it’s best to wipe the surface with a dry cloth.

If there happens to be a scratch or a chip, it is advisable to consult with stone specialist, who can restore the beauty of countertop. Most repair work can be done on site.

Crystallization is a series of activities involving the use of chemicals (crystallizers) which changes the structure of the surface layer of marble. During crystallization, the crystal structure of calcium carbonate opens and destroys, under the influence of acid in crystallizer. As a result of a chemical reaction that occurs between an acid and calcium carbonate, creating new chemical compounds.

These compounds – Calcium hexafluorosilicate Ca (SiF6) – characterized by high hardness, which significantly increase abrasion resistance of marble and scratches. The stone becomes harder, and its surface smooth.

In our market there are many different crystallizers. Practically every company producing chemicals for the preservation of the stone has it on offer. Crystallizers can be divided into two groups:

- Liquid crystallizers

- Powder crystallizers

To explain the process, I will describe it as an example of crystallization products made by Swiss company Taski: powder Taski Nobile and liquid Taski Carrara, which successfully applied for many years, achieving at the same excellent results.

Before crystallization, it should be performed the test, which will accurately determine the amount of time and needed to achieve the optimal result on the specific surface such as square foot. The stones of varying contents of calcium compounds react differently to the crystallizer.

We performed crystallization using a single disc machine with a turnover of ca 150/min and a weight in around 100> 120 lb. At the machine assumes a red nylon pad.

When performing crystallization of the powder once crystallized area should not exceed 40-50 sqft. We mix the powder with water and pour the resulting paste on the floor in a location that will crystallize. For spilled paste invaded machine with a nylon pad spreading it evenly over the crystallized surface, polishing it for a predetermined period of time. After the crystallization slime, created in the process, should be precisely vacuumed. The floor should be washed with clean water – the best twice. Leaving slime to dry can damage the surface of marble.

In applying liquid crystallizer, we use specially prepare the steel wool pads (preferably stainless steel). Very important is the selection of an appropriate thickness of wool that during the crystallization process it doesn’t scratch the marble surface. We apply crystallizer on the floor by spray and polish it until we get dry and shiny surface. The process should be repeated 3 to 5 times. Once we crystallize about 20 square feet the floor.

Proper performance of crystallization very effectively protects the floor from rapid destruction and improves its appearance and easy daily maintenance. Crystallization extended periods between an expensive and laborious grinding, often replacing them.

I will help you verify the substantive knowledge and working methods of companies engaged in renovation flooring of stone.

Description of cleaning technology:

Always first floor sweep, we recommend not using the vacuum cleaner (hard end may scratch the floor), then wipe the floor with a cloth or mop with a mild detergent for alkaline pH (pH never below 7).

Do not use aggressive cleaners to clean granite, marble and travertine!

Then we determine prevail stain type. We choose specialist chemistry and proceed to scrub the floor. Usually at this stage, we remove the old, worn sealers.

After the chemical neutralization we begin to point remove stains other than the predominant origin. At this stage we proceed to the grinding stone. This operation is aimed at removing scratches, leveling floor, we could also get rid of deep stains.

After another neutralization, we proceed to the crystallization of marble, travertine (bypass this step for tiles and granite).

This process involves mechanical and chemical treatment. Calcium crystals are converted into micro-crystals in silicate derivatives, in this way is increased resistance to abrasion and dirt penetration.

Crystallization of marble – it applies both in the case of new surfaces (sealing) and the renovation of old (and cleaning of sealing).

Then we sweep the floor, and washed off after crystallization and we sealing it. Depending on your taste you can put a shiny or matte sealing.

Typically, the final step is polishing the floor.

You can now enjoy a beautiful floor!

Black countertops work a lot like a dark mirror, showing dust, crumbs, and fingerprints. At the same time, their surface is really dense and all one needs to do is wipe the countertops with a clean dry towel.

If there is a black granite that you really like and it fits well in your kitchen design, you should go with it. It will reflect your personality and taste and that is what really counts. The fact that it may need to be cleaned more often should not stop you from the purchase of such a countertop. Additionally, the cleaning it is very simple and doesn’t take a lot of time.

Taking just a few precautions with your granite will mitigate, and often eliminate any problems whatsoever.

Use clean mops and brooms. Old vacuum cleaners can scratch your granite – avoid using them. Change mopping water frequently during cleaning. Use mats or trivets to place hot items on granite and especially on marble. Inspect interior and exterior tiles regularly and correct flaws straightaway.

Follow a daily and periodic cleaning routine. Avoid using polished granite in high traffic areas. Placing non-slip mats or rugs at the entrance minimizes soiling from dirt on shoes. Use abrasives (nutshells, feldspar or silica, quartz etc) on honed granite only, and never on polished surfaces. Abrasives can cause scratches. Try not to use wax on granite, as it makes it slippery. Wipe anything that spills on granite immediately. Use coasters under glasses or bottles.

Always rinse using clean, warm water. Allow floors to dry before use. Always follow the directions on your cleaner and avoid mixing chemicals unless specified. Never use a mixture of ammonia and bleach for removing stains. The resulting gas is toxic and lethal. Use honed granite on the floor – it is more resistant to scratches. Avoid using chemical cleaners, acids like vinegar and lime juice, grout cleaners, tub or tile cleaners on stone. They can etch or dull the stone. Do not use hot water to clean spilled milk or blood, as doing so makes the stain worse.