The long months of lockdown mean we’ve all thought more about cleaning our homes. And so recipes for home-made products with soda crystals, bicarb of soda, vinegar, lemon and so on are increasingly popular.
But could old-fashioned remedies do more harm than good on some surfaces?
If you’re still spring cleaning (or thinking about starting!), it’s important to remember that limestone, in common with some other materials, is sensitive to acid and alkaline. So you have to bear pH in mind before using anything on its surface.
What is pH?
pH scores tend to run from 0 to 14, so anything around the 7 mark is pH-neutral. That means you can use it on any surface you like. Below 7 is acidic, while anything above is alkaline.
Lemon and vinegar, for example, are around 3 on this scale, bleach-based cleaners around 11 to 13.
pH of common cleaning solutions
While soda has high alkaline levels, lemon and vinegar are both acidic. That means they can erode countertops or floors, and even any sealant. So stick with pH-neutral cleaning solutions.
Even some products whose labels say they’re free from toxins, such as an all-purpose anti-bac cleaner, can turn out to be unsuitable for limestone because its acid content is actually quite high. Equally, some products can leave a residue behind, making the next clean more difficult.
Remember as well that, whatever you use, you need to get the dilution of the product right before allowing it on your limestone surface. Using more of a solution certainly doesn’t mean that it will do a better job.
What it all boils down to is that, whatever you use, you need to be sure you read the small print before you do anything else.
How we at Royal Stone Care can help
If all this sounds rather complex, and the risk of damaging your precious limestone surface too great, we understand.
Royal Stone Care is a limestone repair and cleaning specialist in London. So whether you need limestone chip repair, we can help. We use the correct products and have the right equipment to do a perfect job every time. Talk to us today.
