The best course of action, as with any porous surface and spill, is to clean up any mess on your natural stone immediately. Never leave a spill sitting on a surface because it can result in permanent stains on the natural stone.
It is also important not to leave items on your marble or natural stone that can cause staining to occur. It is wise to cover your marble or natural stone when using chemicals, paints, or harmful cleaning agents.
Sealing your marble and stone surfaces is part of properly maintaining your investment and avoiding stains. Sealing prevents liquids from damaging the surfaces as quickly or extensively, but surfaces do need to be resealed periodically. This is a task that needs to be done correctly and regularly. Many people turn to professional contractors to ensure that their stone and marble are regularly and properly sealed.
Water Stains
Unlike many other stains, water stains cannot be cleaned. Water spots or stains are a result of deposits in water that build up on your marble surfaces over time. This is more common in areas like South Florida where the water contains large amounts of mineral deposits like magnesium and calcium, also known as hard water. Some cases of water stains on the natural stone can be prevented, such as leaving water on a surface, or a glass on a countertop. Other cases, such as in the bathroom, around sinks, and in showers can be more difficult to prevent.
To clean the water spots, the Marble Institute of America recommends the use of 0000 Steel wool. A word of caution- steel wool can be extremely abrasive and should be used with a light touch. If you’d rather not risk further damage to your marble surfaces or other natural stones, it’s best to hire an expert.
Rust Stains
As one of the most difficult to remove marble stains, rust stains are copper to brown in color and occur when metal objects oxidize. The most common culprit of rust stains is metallic objects left to sit on the marble surface for long periods of time. Things like nails, bolts, cans, screws, metal furniture, and metal flower pots can all cause rust stains.
Not only are rust stains unsightly, but they’re also difficult to remove. If you try to use your regular cleaner to remove the rust stain, it may not be effective because it doesn’t contain the active ingredients that help to remove rust. The most common marble cleaner most homeowners may opt to use is an acidic marble cleaner. However, this type of cleaning solution is not recommended because it can make the problem worse. To remove the rust stains, you may have to call a professional marble restoration technician.
Oil-Based Stains
Oil stains are common in the home kitchen and bathroom. Oil-based products include cooking oils, lotions, body oils, etc. You can identify an oil stain by the color of the damage, it is typically light brown or a yellowish hue.
Etch Marks
Etch Marks is one of the worst stain occurrences that damage the look and construction of natural stone and marble surfaces. When acidic substances are spilled, damage occurs to the top layer of the natural stone, literally causing it to disintegrate, and leaving behind etch marks. The top culprits for etch marks are wine, fruit juice, and other acidic fluids.
