Marble countertops are a breathtaking feature in any room, but stains and scuffs detract from the appeal in a big way. If you’ve suddenly found yourself wondering how to clean a marble table top, don’t worry. These metamorphic rock centerpieces clean up with some household items and elbow grease.
When it comes to marble, it’s essential to consider what type of finish your stone countertop has and how to clean it properly. Marble is susceptible to anything acidic, and cleaners with citric acid bases, vinegar, or bleach can mar your countertop’s surface.
Some consider the buildup of these marks – or etching – as one of the marble’s allures, while others favor smooth, etch-free countertops. Cleaning a marble table top is a breeze with the right tools and know-how. Follow along if you are searching for ways to remove stains from a marble table without etching the surface and want to restore your kitchen or bathroom countertop to its former glory.
- How to Wash a Marble Table Top Easily
- What Are Marble Countertops?
- How to Clean a Marble Table Top With Soap
- Peroxide for Cleaning a Marble Table Top
- Isopropyl Alcohol Is a Marble Cleaner
- Castile Soap for Washing a Marble Table Top
- Baking Soda Marble Counter Cleaner
- Ammonia Will Clean Marble
- Marble Surface Flour Poultice
- A Magic Eraser Lifts Tough Stains
- DIY Paste for Cleaning Marble
- How to Remove Scratches From a Marble Table Top
- Protecting Your Marble Countertop
How to Wash a Marble Table Top Easily
Commercial marble is extracted from natural limestone and comes in many forms. Because of the variety of hues available and the random nature of the lacing as the stone gets compressed, no slab looks the same, so marble quickly becomes a room’s focal point.
For the same reason, stains and water rings on your natural stone table are distractingly noticeable, especially if the marble is a new installation and it’s their first time. Thankfully, cleaning a marble table top is refreshingly uncomplicated and is yet another part of marble’s appeal.
Explore the nature of marble, what makes it so peculiar to clean, and how to clean it with home solutions like soap, peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, Castile soap, baking soda, ammonia, a flour poultice, and DIY paste.
What Are Marble Countertops?
Marble is an incredibly diverse natural stone building material used to create marble floors, countertops, fireplace facings, windowsills, and more. Manufacturers extract the stone, mostly calcium carbonate, from mountainous regions.
The removed stones are heated, compressed, and shaped for various purposes, but in this case, they’ve made it to your kitchen or bathroom counter. Even the most beautiful kitchen or bathroom countertops are exposed to the elements adjacent to the sink.
Although they’re nearly impervious to bacteria, they still suffer from discoloration and stains, especially if your countertops aren’t sealed. It’s essential to determine if your counters are polished marble or honed marble to decide the best way to approach your marble cleaning job.
A DIY cleaning solution is a better alternative to chemical cleaning products for a natural stone table if you don’t have stone cleaner on hand, such as Granite Gold. Granite cleaner and other specialty stone cleaners are made specifically for natural stone counters. They won’t harm your marble while you tackle stuck-on grit and dirt.
It’s okay if you don’t have stone cleaner for your marble or granite countertop. Clean your countertops with just a few ingredients from the pantry.
How to Clean a Marble Table Top With Soap
Marble is sensitive to acid, which makes dish soap a perfect choice for removing stain marks from your countertops. The combination of mild detergents and gentle abrasives guarantees an excellent clean without the risk of etching your countertops further. If you find a stain, it’s time to whip up a simple dish soap cleaning solution.
Combine the dish soap and clean water in a bucket, and gently agitate the liquid until it’s soapy. Pour it into your spray bottle, apply it to the countertop liberally, and let sit for a few minutes. Wipe it away with a soft cloth until the discoloration lifts.
Repeat as many times as necessary, and wipe the stone with a dry towel. This simple cleaning solution is easy to make and works on natural stone countertops or accessories. Use a dry mop head instead of dry towels to clean marble floors.
Peroxide for Cleaning a Marble Table Top
Peroxide is a convenient alternative to dish soap. Besides being readily available, peroxide is also multifunctional. It’s used for dressing wounds, disinfecting, cleaning, and even bleaching hair if it’s potent enough. Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes organic material, which is how it works as a disinfectant on marble surfaces.
A bubbly foam appears as it acts on organic compounds. Because this process is natural, it poses no risk to your stone countertops. To use peroxide to clean your marble tabletop, apply it directly to the discolored area and allow it to sit for several minutes. Once it’s foamy, dab it with a cloth or paper towel until the stain begins to lift.
Isopropyl Alcohol Is a Marble Cleaner
Isopropyl alcohol goes by another common name, rubbing alcohol. It has surprising disinfectant qualities and can effectively kill pathogens on your counters from your last dinner party. Despite having mild solvent properties, isopropyl alcohol won’t etch, stain, or degrade your marble kitchen counters when adequately diluted.
Use rubbing alcohol to clean marble countertops by combining it in a bowl with warm water in a 1:1 ratio. Stir the water and alcohol together and use a rag to distribute it over your counter surface.
Castile Soap for Washing a Marble Table Top
Castile soap is a mild detergent perfect for washing a marble kitchen countertop or cultured marble floor. This gentle soap eliminates a stain without damaging the finish of the stone. Blend Castile soap with warm water in a cleaning basin per the instructions on the bottle.
Dip a nonabrasive cleaning pad or sponge into the Castile soap and water mixture and rub it back and forth over marble countertops to clean them. Follow with a thorough wipe down with a damp cloth and leave your marble to dry naturally.
Baking Soda Marble Counter Cleaner
The best mild abrasive treatment to remove dirt from a marble surface is baking soda, a popular cleaning item. Use baking soda to clean your marble counter affordably and safely to get rid of tough stains like dried sauce or food stuck to the stone. Remove stains without harming the stone or altering the color of the marble counter.
Apply baking soda powder and hot water paste to the marble countertop scum. Clean the baking soda paste from the marble by wiping it with a towel dipped in water after it has been allowed to settle for 30 minutes. Use a flexible plastic scraper to remove the remaining dirt, being careful not to apply too much pressure.
Ammonia Will Clean Marble
It’s important to keep your kitchen marble tidy and streak-free. While baking soda and other remedies make good cleansers in a pinch, there’s no guarantee they won’t leave a few streaks behind once they dry. Using ammonia for your marble tabletop lets you clean it without leaving streaks.
Ammonia breaks down grit and grime, especially in oil and fatty acids. It also evaporates quickly, so it’s popularly used in glass cleaners. These same evaporative properties leave your countertops without risking a streaky mess.
Dilute the ammonia according to the directions on the bottle and use it to clean your marble countertops. Cleaning ammonia has potent fumes and is best used in a well-ventilated space, and wear a mask.
Marble Surface Flour Poultice
The Marble Institute says the transition joint from the sink to the edge of the marble counter is typically sealed with caulk – but sometimes, this sealant fails. Your marble may become stained and require a cleaning poultice to remove the dark mark.
If you have discoloration that won’t go away on your marble kitchen countertops, try combining flour and hydrogen peroxide to create a poultice. A poultice is a paste-like substance that removes tough stains from porous stones like granite and marble, notably those brought on by heat.
To clean marble countertops, prepare a mixture of flour and hydrogen peroxide to remove discoloration or stains from your marble tabletops. Apply the paste to the affected area, then wrap it in plastic wrap.
Give the paste 24 hours to cure on the marble, lift the plastic wrap and use a clean, damp sponge or towel to remove the paste. Rinse the counter with water, and dry it with a clean cloth. Duplicate this method for dirty sections of marble flooring.
A Magic Eraser Lifts Tough Stains
Magic Erasers eliminate stains through abrasive cleaning. These melamine foam blocks smoothly remove the particles as they are rubbed back and forth over your marble counter.
A Magic Eraser is an excellent last resort to get extremely persistent staining off your marble countertop, and it demands caution. If improperly used, a Magic Eraser risks stripping off the marble sealant. Choose a Magic Eraser marked safe for marble and use it with light pressure and only on the discoloration.
DIY Paste for Cleaning Marble
Another well-known marble cleaning paste contains peroxide, baking soda, and a tiny bit of ammonia. The mixture works wonders on marble and the grout between marble tiles and is stocked with well-known cleaning chemicals. The hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and baking soda powder react to form a deep cleaning and brightening paste.
Add baking soda after stirring the peroxide with three to four drops of ammonia. Spread this cleaning paste for natural stone on the blemish and cover it with plastic wrap for 24 hours. To prevent touching dangerous substances, wear rubber gloves.
Peel the plastic wrap, remove the paste with a towel, and inspect the marble. Apply another poultice if the blemish is still visible. If the paste’s consistency is watery, add additional baking soda, one teaspoon at a time, until you have a thick paste.
How to Remove Scratches From a Marble Table Top
If cleaning isn’t enough to remove scuff marks from a marble table top, don’t despair. Buffing assists in removing little blemishes. If the marble countertop has a honed surface, sand the marble using 400-600 wet and dry sandpaper. Sand medium surfaces with 600–1200 grit paper and high-gloss marble with 1200–150 grit paper.
Sand the stone until it is sufficiently rough. However, avoid excess sanding, and clear away the stone dust. Using a high-speed buffer and a buffing pad, polish the scratched surface to bring back its luster.
Buff the surface marble and lightly rub the scratch until a haze forms. Repeat so the scratch disappears. Buffing a glossy marble table top restores shine following scratch elimination.
This easy and safe method can also be used to buff water stains off a marble table naturally. The water ring will only sit on the first layer of the marble and can be rubbed out gently.
Protecting Your Marble Countertop
It’s prudent to focus on protecting your marble countertops rather than repairing damage later. Due to the porous nature of marble, sealing the stone lowers the possibility of liquids and acids infiltrating the tiny holes. To maintain the marble’s integrity, seal your counters every three to six months.
If you’re on a tight budget, tung oil is a good substitute for store-bought sealer. Although you might be tempted to use any oil on hand, some oils might discolor marble and are not recommended.
Applying tung oil to marble is safe. It gives your countertops a long-lasting shine and originates from the nuts of the Tung tree, a native of China. This sealant is a secure and affordable alternative to conventional store-bought marble sealers. Always use a cutting board and regularly polish a marble table top to keep it looking glossy.
Did this article enlighten you on how to wash a marble table top? Marble is visually striking, yet it requires special care to stay glossy. It’s an investment, and learning how to care for it correctly is worthwhile.
This natural stone brings warmth, style, and sophistication to the kitchen, yet it looks tacky if scratched or stained. Don’t ruin your marble kitchen countertops with caustic cleaners. Use proven remedies to keep your marble looking gorgeous with items you already have.
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