Natural Stone Cleaning and Sealing in Tucson

Natural stone such as marble, limestone, travertine, and other hard flooring is naturally porous and requires some specific care in order to maintain it’s natural beauty, right?

It’s simply imperative!

So what is the best practice for this? What types of products should you use and not use on these surfaces? How often should you have these surfaces professionally cleaned and sealed?

Zerorez® Tucson is here to save the day, with our Natural Stone Cleaning and Sealing in Tucson! Let’s dive right in and get some of those questions answered for ya:

Know Your Stone: What Type of Stone Do You Have?

First things first my friend! To clean and care for your stone in the best way possible, you must first know what type of stone you have. This part is easier than it sounds, I promise.

If you don’t already know what type of stone is on your counters or floors, don’t fret- Zerorez® is always here to help!

Natural stone can be classified into two basic categories: siliceous stone or calcareous stone.

Knowing the difference is pretty darn important when trying to care for your stone.

Siliceous stone isn’t as scary as it sounds, it just means this type of stone is mainly made up of silica or quartz-like particles. Its a very durable type of stone, and relatively easy to clean with mild acidic cleaning solutions.

Here are some common types of siliceous stone:

• granite
• slate
• sandstone
• quartzite
• brownstone
• bluestone

Now on to the next type of stone! Calcareous stone is mainly made up of calcium carbonate. This just means it is sensitive to acidic cleaning products and will require a bit of a different cleaning process than it’s friend, siliceous stone.

Here are some common types of calcareous stone:

• marble
• travertine
• limestone
• onyx

So what may work on siliceous stone may not always work on calcareous surfaces as well. With at-home care and cleaning, these two stones would prefer some special processes and products, that’s all!

No biggie, right?!

It’s a safe bet to use a soft cloth to clean stone surfaces, using only a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap, or mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. Make sure to rinse the area with a wet soft cloth after cleaning, to pick up any remaining residue or cleaners.

Too much cleaner or soap will leave a film, easily causing streaks and residue!

Yuck.

And of course, as we said above, these stones don’t like highly acidic cleaners, so avoid using those products that contain lemon, vinegar, or other acids on your marble or limestone.

But you know what works great on both, without the worry of sticky residues or acidity? Alkaline water… *wink wink* you can find out more about this below my dear friend.

Caring For Your Stone Surfaces

Caring for your stone countertops and floors doesn’t have to be a chore. And with proper care, your stone surfacing can live a long happy life!

Here are some general care tips that Zerorez® Tucson gathered for you and your stone, that you can easily incorporate into your day to day life, for both siliceous and calcareous stones:

• Be sure to use coasters under all of your glasses on stone countertops, especially those containing alcohol or citrus juices.
• Contrary to the common belief, you should not place hot items right off a stove or out of an oven directly on the stone countertop.
• Use trivets or mats under hot dishes and placemats under china, ceramics, silver, or other objects that can scratch your stone’s surface.
• For calcareous stones specifically, many common foods and drinks contain acids that will etch or dull the stone surface.

Stone Cleaning Do’s and Don’ts

Now that you know what type of stone you have on either your counters or your floors, we can discuss some common do’s and don’ts for your stone surface cleaning:

Do:

• Sweep your floors often!
• Clean surfaces with mild detergent or stone soap.
• Thoroughly rinse and dry the surface with clean clear water after washing.
• Blot up spills immediately.
• Protect floor surfaces with non-slip mats or area rugs and countertop surfaces with coasters, trivets, or placemats.

Don’t:

• Don’t use vinegar, lemon juice, or other acidic cleaners on calcareous stone (i.e. marble, limestone, travertine, or onyx surfaces).
• Don’t use cleaners that contain acids such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners, or tub & tile cleaners.
• Don’t use abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers.
• Don’t mix bleach and ammonia; this combination creates a toxic and lethal gas.
• Don’t ever mix chemicals together unless directions specifically instruct you to do so.
• Don’t use vacuum cleaners that are worn. The metal or plastic attachments or the wheels can significantly scratch your stone’s surface.

Cleaning Up Messes on Your Stone Surfaces

Proper clean-up care for your stone is vital for the life of your stone. It’s important to clean up messes and spills ASAP, as some stone surfaces can cause stains (because of their porous nature of course), and nobody wants that, right!

Here are some quick clean-up tips for your stone surfaces:

1. Remove any loose debris, dirt, dust, etc.
2. Blot spills; wiping the area will only spread the spill, and we won’t want that!
3. Flush the area with plain water and mild soap and rinse several times.
4. Dry the area thoroughly with a soft cloth or paper towels.
5. Repeat until thoroughly cleaned! Easy peasy right?
6. If the stain persists or for problems that appear too difficult to treat, call Zerorez® Tucson- it may be time for a professional cleaning!

Why Have Your Stone Professionally Cleaned?

Fun Fact: Did you know that U.S. restaurants are not allowed to install granite surfaces in their food preparation areas?

Hmmm… kind of makes you wonder why right?

Well, let Zerorez® tell you exactly why that is. See, stone surfaces are porous in nature, and this allows bacteria and other harmful germs and pathogens to easily slip in those pores to grow and, eventually, reach the surface area where you prepare food! Agh!

And as much as we like to try, sometimes wiping down those surfaces with a sponge and some cleaners really don’t do the job quite right. So how can we clean those pores out thoroughly?

Best practice would be a good high-pressure wash and extraction to completely cleaning those pores out. Speaking of which:

Zerorez® Phoenix Stone Cleaning and Sealing

Pressure washing with Zerorez®’s patented alkaline water, Powered® Water, followed by high powered extraction is the only way to make doubly sure that dirt and residue are permanently removed from the pores of your beautiful counter or floor stone!

And, as we mentioned above, although different types of stone require different ways and products of cleaning, you can never go wrong cleaning with high pressured alkaline water.

Zerorez® can make your stone counters and tile even cleaner and hygienic with our exceptional, nano-technology sealer, applied by our trained professionals. Our proprietary product actually fills the porous areas of your stone surfaces that we discussed and stops the bacteria from moving within the stone material.

This also kills and suffocates that bacteria at the time the stone is sealed and keeps other bacteria from getting in there and making themselves at home!

No one else comes close to cleaning natural stone the way Zerorez® Tucson does.