All floors need to be cleaned because dirt, grime, and bacteria may be lurking on them. Although stone floors are good at resisting many elements, cleaning stone floors regularly is a good idea. Unlike typical floors, you can’t use common floor cleaners on them, especially if they have acidic or abrasive elements in them. These chemicals can damage the floors. Instead, you can clean your tile floors with simple products that may be lying in your cabinet. Or you can opt for commercial products on the market, specially formulated to clean stone floors.
It is also a good idea to have a stone restoration company maintain your stone floors to ensure they last and are in optimal shape.
Cleaning Tile Floors
It would help to sweep ceramic or porcelain tile floors regularly because dirt particles can damage or scratch the surface. The best way to clean these floors is to use a mild detergent and warm water. As you clean, make sure that you refresh the mop water so that the dirt won’t discolor the grout between your tiles. If there is dirt embedded in your tile grout, then you can create a baking soda paste and apply it between the grout. You can also use commercial grout cleaning products such as Zep or Goo Gone but make sure to test a small area first.
Keeping Natural Stone Floors Clean
When cleaning stone floors, you have to be careful with natural stone. While they are very durable, they can be damaged by the wrong type of product. Below is how to keep the most common types of natural stone floors cleaned. If the grout of these stone floors needs to be cleaned, avoid using abrasive cleaners and choose grout cleaner specially formulated for natural stone. This will keep you from etching the stone. Also, it is a good idea not to intermix floor cleaners. A floor cleaner that may be right for granite may not be suitable for marble. Therefore, make sure you note what type of stone the commercial mix should be used for.
Travertine
Stone floors made of travertine should be cleaned with a soap-free cleanser. Non-acidic dishwashing soap such as Dawn can also work well on these floors, but you must be sure to rinse them well so that the soap won’t leave a film.
Slate
Like with travertine, a mild detergent is good to use for cleaning slate floors. If there are stains, you can use a mix of isopropyl rubbing alcohol and water or hydrogen peroxide and water. Let it sit for about five minutes and use a soft bristle brush to remove the stain. With deep-colored slate, this is not recommended as it may cause discoloration.
Granite
A mild detergent can be used on granite floors, too. Or you can use a commercial product specifically made for granite because they don’t contain acidic chemicals, nor leave a soapy film behind.
Marble
Marble is one of the most expensive and elegant stone floors to have in your home. So, you certainly don’t want to damage them with an acidic or abrasive cleaning product. Instead, like other stone, make sure that you use a mild detergent, or a cleaning product formulated for marble.
When To Call the Experts
Whether you have been properly maintaining your stone floors or not, there still may come a time when you need to call the experts. A floor restoration company may provide you with a variety of services to protect and improve the longevity of your floors. One important task that this company will do is provide your floors with a deep cleaning. This will get out hard-to-clean grout between tile and stone clean. Also, if you have problems such as cracks, chips, holes or general wear present on your stone floors, they can fix it and bring back your floor’s luster.
If you have etched your natural stone by using the wrong cleaning products, they can also help. Another good reason to call out the experts is that you may need them to seal your floor. When you first had them installed, you probably didn’t get them sealed because you loved the charm and rustic look of your stone floors.
However, because they are so porous, they have absorbed water stains and other color stains that are difficult for you to remove. A restoration team can remove the stains and seal your stone so that you won’t have as many problems with keeping them clean in the future.
Keeping stone floors clean is easy if you use the right products and avoid allowing spills to seep into them. Stone floors are very durable and will be able to withstand most elements. However, it still is a good idea to get help occasionally from a stone restoration company to keep your stone floors looking their best.
Stone Floor Restoration Services
Bring your long-term floor investment back to life with Restore-A-Floor stone restoration services. We work with homes and businesses throughout Michigan to remove all sorts of stains, minor scratches, repair, and polish all types of stone floors as well as tile and grout restoration. Our stone refinishing professionals are skilled in special techniques, as we use the best tools and products for each stone restoration project. We provide beautiful polished and honing finishes for any stone surface. Call and see why so many people trust our process to restore their floors back to their original beauty! Free Estimates