Marble tiling and countertops are very popular in today's bathrooms, and can give a feeling of luxury to even the smallest bathroom area. But even though it's durable, caring for marble the right way does take some knowledge. Here are a few tips for keeping your bathroom marble shiny, clean and blemish-free-without causing damage.
First, choosing marble: polished or honed? If you're thinking about installing marble and want to choose the most durable and low-maintenance marble possible, consider using honed instead of polished marble. With honed marble, the final polishing step is cut out-so you'll get more of a matte finish than a shiny, high-polish look. The benefit, however, is that it's easier to keep clean-every drop of water and every spill shows up on a polished marble surface, and it's a lot of work to keep it shiny. In addition, scratches don't show up as obviously on honed as on marble countertops.
Prepare before you wash. Because marble is easily scratched, you'll need to prepare the marble before scrubbing it. Simply use a soft bristle brush to loosen dirt, and use a washcloth or paper towel to clean it away. This will prevent hard dirt particles from leaving scratches on the polish, and it will allow the cleaning materials you use to work to best effect.
Use a cleaning product formulated for marble. Regular household cleaning products tend to contain acids that can permanently damage your marble surfaces. Look for cleaning agents that don't contain citric acids. Instead, choose a cleaning product that's more pH-neutral, such as a phosphate-free soap or dishwashing liquid. No matter what type of cleaning product you use, make sure to wash the soap off your countertop as soon as you apply it-don't let it dry on the marble.
Stain removers may etch your marble. It's very difficult to remove some types of stains from marble without the risk of etching the surface. If you have an oil-based stain from a food spill, you may be able to remove it without etching by putting dry corn starch on the stain and leaving it for twenty-four hours. The corn starch should be able to absorb the stain. Rust stains must be removed with a product designed for rust-removal, and this is highly likely to etch your marble.
Seal your marble. Once you've cleaned your countertop, seal it with a product designed to seal stone. Avoid using wax to seal marble countertops, as this will give white marble a yellow tinge. While you don't need to seal marble surfaces to keep them protected, it will make your surfaces more resistant to dirt buildup and stains. In the bathroom, sealing your marble can help excess moisture from getting into the marble pores and causing cracks down the road.
Clean up spills regularly. Daily, it's important to clean up spills when they happen and not to leave water lying on marble surfaces. Because marble is porous, it's vulnerable to expansion-liquid can leak into the stone, causing it to crack over time. The bathroom is a naturally damp environment; do your best to keep it dry by turning on the ventilation fan or opening a window to let out steam when you take showers, and wiping down marble countertops when they get wet.
Take scratches as part of the territory. Especially if you have a polished countertop, you will get some scratches and stains over time-and it can be difficult to keep up with all the cleaning you'll have to do to keep your countertops stain- and scratch-free. You can send your countertops away to be repolished if needed, but this can be expensive and your countertop will be thinner when it's polished. It's much easier to simply accept that some scratches and stains are a part of life with marble-and a sign of productive use.
Marble can be more work than you'd realize. Granite tends to be harder and more durable, but many people love the look of luxury that marble can lend to a bathroom. If you have marble in your bathroom, follow these tips to keep it clean and shiny. If you do, your marble should be able to stay beautiful for a long time.