Cleaning and Maintaining Your Marble floor

Marble floors can be stained or scratched easily due to their porous property. To keep your marble floor in good shape, you need to adhere to the following two-part cleaning and maintenance process.

1. Reactive Part

Spot Cleaning

This is the first thing that you need to learn if you want to get rid of any stain or scuff marks on your marble floor. The best approach to do spot clean entails:
i. Apply a small amount of pH neutral marble tiles cleaning solution on a soft microfiber cloth. Use a small amount of cold, clean water in the process. Before using any cleaning product, test it on a small area first to avoid causing damage to your lovely marble flooring.

ii. Then, while following the straight lines of the grain, wipe the dirt or stains on your marble floor. Avoid circular cleaning motion as it can destroy your beautiful flooring.

iii. When the stains disappear, use a dry cloth to dry your floor to bring up the lustre of the marble floor.

Cleaning Your Marble Floor Frequently

Routine cleaning is an excellent approach to prevent accumulation of stain or dirt on your marble floor. Below are some instructions you should adhere to when cleaning your marble floor:

i. You can choose to hire the services of a specialist cleaner or do it yourself. If you choose the latter, use warm water and a quality liquid cleaning solution.

ii. Mop up all over your floor using soft microfiber cloths and in short and moderate strokes.

iii. After you are done, rinse your floor with cold water. Do not use detergent as you are aiming at removing any soap residue on the floor.

iv. Then, use a dry and clean microfiber cloth to wipe the marble floor to make it shine. If you leave it to dry naturally, watermarks will form on the floor. Drying the floor also makes it safe for use. A wet marble floor is very slippery and can result in accidents.

What should you avoid when cleaning your marble floor?

Marble tiles are natural materials hence its prone to scratching and damage. You should, therefore, avoid picking any solution or product you find in the stores to clean it. Check the safety guidelines and instructions on any product and try it out on a small area first to avoid causing damage to your marble floor. Below are some things you should avoid to use when cleaning the marble floor:

•Rough fabric like wire scrubbing pads
•Conventional floor cleaning solutions. Always go for special marble cleaners
•Vacuum cleaners because their wheels and hoses can scratch it
•Cleaning solutions with too high or too low pH levels. Choose something neutral like vinegar
•Cleaners meant for ceramic tiles. They can make the marble floor dull

2. Proactive Part

Instead of waiting for damage or stains to occur on your marble floor to clean or repair it, it’s better to take some proactive measures. Furniture and cleaning approaches you use are the main elements that cause damage to your marble floor through scratching. To protect your marble floor from such damage, ensure you observe the following precautions.

a. Place your furniture on a carpet, rug or furniture pads. This will prevent scratching on your marble floor by the table or chair legs. Furniture pads are the best solution because they allow easy and safe sliding of furniture over the marble floor if they need to be moved.

b. Use the appropriate marble cleaning solutions and practices. Use soft brooms or fabrics to clean it and don’t leave it wet. Presence of moisture on the marble floor is not only harmful to the material but also dangerous for you and other people using the floor. Moisture on the floor makes it very slippery and can result in accidents.

c. Regular checking of your marble floor is highly recommended. It will help you to identify uneven tiles or any cracks early before they reach a point of repair. Cracks on the floor allow dirt to accumulate making the cleaning process difficult.

Moisture can seep through the cracks and facilitate the growth of mold and bacterial under the tiles. This can result in bad odor in your interior and also pose a health risk to you and other people in the house. To avoid this, contact specialists to fix any cracks or uneven tiles as soon as you note them. Ignoring them will see you spend a lot of money in the future on major repairs.

Conclusion

Marble tiles are an excellent flooring option that adds decor and functionality to any interior. However, if you want them to retain their beauty for long, you need to give them the care and attention they deserve. The above tips can help you achieve that.