Guide To Granite And Marble Cleaning.

All granites are porous; what typically harms the finish on granite are the harsh chemicals contained in soap, shampoo, perfume, and cosmetics, the minerals in hard water, household cleaning agents which are highly acidic or alkaline in nature; all foods and beverages are not neutral when measured on the PH scale, many of which contain citric acid as a preservative.

Granite cleaning is very simple, a typical kitchen with granite countertops and an island, or a stall shower with granite walls and floor, takes no more than one hour of actual work time to clean with good quality products. Follow these two steps and you will be amazed.

Step One: Cleaning the granite surface, it is essential that a proper cleanser be used to keep the granite surface clean and sanitary. Because of the delicate granite finish, use products which are formulated to safely clean and not harm the granites' surface color, clarity, or gloss. These cleaning products are easily applied to the granite surface, simply use a pad in a circular hand motion to clean and remove any surface dirt; next, rinse the granite surface with clean water and be sure the granite surface is dry before sealing the granite.

Step Two: Sealing, polishing, and protecting the granite surface. To do this, simply apply a clear, deep penetrating, solvent based, impregnating sealer for polished granite and let it penetrate for at least one hour. Next, apply a light coating of a granite polish product to the surface to help to enhance the granites' color, gloss, and repellency of water, oil, and dirt penetration. Polishing can be done manually or by machine, the easiest way is to use a micro fiber mesh specially designed for granite polishing.

It is recommended twice a year, sealing, plus polishing and protecting your granite. Both of these preventative maintenance steps are crucial in protecting the natural beauty and value of your granite and yet they are so quick and simple to apply.

All marbles are soft and porous except for the dark green species which behave like granite. Please use products that were specially designed for marble cleaning and follow two simple steps: cleaning first, then sealing, polishing, and protecting the marble surface.