Cleaning Stone In Your Home
Whether you bought it or installed it, natural stone is THE ancient floor surface. Stone lasts forever and is easy to clean. Over time, the stone actually gets better. Unlike linoleum and other hydrocarbon floors, stone doesn’t give out toxic vapors for months. As with any floor covering, wear always occurs. If you’ve ever seen ancient stone stairs, it’s quite obvious that the stone has worn down significantly. Kitchen appliances can be your worst enemy so make sure that you place floor protection devices.
Choosing the proper cleaning products is vital
Naturally, different sorts of stones must be cleaned according to their type. Granite is very hard and polished whereas Limestone is porous and rough. If you are unsure of the exact name of the stone, simply take a picture of it with your phone and upload it to Google Reverse Image Lookup. This works like magic. We promise! Here are the instructions, https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/1325808?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
If the exact type of stone can be found on Google, see if you can hunt up some receipts somewhere. A real estate agent would certainly be able to name your stone.
A basic check on stone characteristics:
- Does the stone easily scratched or etched
- What is the current finish on the stone
- Porous or non-porous
- Is the finish honed, flamed polished, or some other finish
- Again, what is the type of stone involved here
- It’s important to consider the wear for any given use: floor, countertop, bathroom, or something else
- How, and what, gunk builds up over time
- What is normal wear
- Is the stone damaged in any way
If possible, consider all of the above factors before installation.
Keeping Your Stone Clean
Of course, preventative/regular cleaning and surface treatments are mandatory if you want to avoid arduous cleaning. Putting floor mats at the doors will always make a huge difference. Wiping down countertops with simple soap and water after meals will also make a big difference.
Think about:
- cleaning with soap and water. Keep it simple!
- coasters on the counters
- keep pans off the stone
- keep surfaces dry as much as possible
- 00 steel wool
- keep track of the quality of the stone sealants
