The Best Way to Clean Natural Stone Floors

Your beautiful natural stone floors should be getting all the love and care they deserve! While they might look tough and indestructible, natural stone floors are actually quite delicate. These beautiful materials tend to be finicky when it comes to care and maintenance, and they require specific treatment in order to prevent staining and other damage like corrosion and etching. This type of destruction on natural stone can be difficult and costly to repair, so you will want to take every precaution to avoid such headaches. 

Help maintain the glorious splendor of your natural stone floors by following the below care guidelines:

Here’s what to AVOID when caring for natural stone floors:

• NEVER use ammonia or cleaning products containing acidic materials like lemon or vinegar. These substances can corrode the stone and cause etching or dulling.  

• AVOID using harsh tools like steel wool, scrapers or abrasive cleaners as these will scratch or chip the stone

• DON’T delay when it comes to sealant! Properly seal your floors when first installed and when it’s time to re-seal, do it right away! You never know when a spill will happen. 

Here’s how to safely and properly clean your natural stone floors:

• First, you will want to sweep your floor to remove larger particles of dirt and grime

• If possible, damp mop your floors with only warm water or a ph-balanced natural stone cleaner DAILY to maintain their cleanliness so that you only have to deep clean periodically. If you have small children or pets, deep cleaning may be a more frequent necessity

• If a deeper clean is needed, use a solution of warm water and a very conservative amount of a manufacturer-approved natural stone cleaning solution

• Soak a microfiber towel or mop in the solution and wring out excess liquid

• Start cleaning the area of the floor that is furthest from the room’s entryway (you don’t want to end up having to tramp over your clean, wet floor) 

• Remember to change out the cleaning solution as it gets dirty in your bucket

• Leave floors to air dry and avoid walking on them while wet

Here are some other tips for maintaining natural stone floors:

• When spills happen (and they will), clean them up immediately to avoid staining or etching 

• If you notice a stain, try to treat the area as soon as possible to prevent deepening of the stain. First, try using a heavier ratio of cleaning product and warm water as listed above to remove the stain. If that doesn’t work, try using a poultice product or contact a stone restoration professional.

• Add some extra protection to high traffic areas like entryways and hallways to avoid excess dirt and grime. Use entryway mats and runners where possible