Spillages which leave a stain behind are part and parcel of daily life. Over the course of your time in a property, you’re bound to knock things over at some point, and drop and splash liquids.
Unfortunately, if you’ve had an accident with something like red wine, or anything acidic, and you get the liquid on a marble surface, that can be a problem. And porous marble can be especially vulnerable to staining. But the good news is that there are things you can do.
Time of the essence
If you’ve knocked some liquid on to a marble surface, act quickly. As soon as possible, absorb as much of the spilt stuff as you can. Use kitchen towel, but don’t rub at the surface, since this will just work the stain deeper into the stone.
Next steps
Once you’ve done that, and soaked up as much of the spillage as you can, it’s time to move on to tackling the mark.
The Marble Institute says that you can deal with the majority of organic stains using a 12% hydrogen peroxide solution. To this, add a few drops of ammonia.
It’s important that you don’t use anything even remotely acidic in your cleaning efforts, whether that’s lemon, vinegar or anything else. Unfortunately, that will just make matters worse.
Alternatively, you can use a product containing acetone – dip a cotton-wool ball in it and dab at the mark gently. You certainly don’t want to be rubbing hard at the stain.
Sealing the deal
When it comes to marble surfaces, like anything else, prevention is better than cure.
Treat marble surfaces with a sealant or similar protector each month. This makes stains and spillages a lot easier to deal with. While it won’t stain-proof your stone completely, it will cause it to be stain-repellent. Sealing also grants you a little more time after a spillage, to work on a stain before it sets.
Here to help
Royal Stone Care, we specialise in marble restoration, repair and cleaning in London. We also take on marble chip repair jobs. And if you have a stain on a stone surface that you can’t tackle yourself, talk to us before you talk to anyone else.
