The natural stone you have purchased for your home is an investment. Simple care and maintenance will keep it looking attractive for years of beautiful service. Here are some tips for routine care and cleaning.

Precautions

• Use coasters under all glasses, particularly those containing alcohol or citrus juices. Many common foods and drinks contain acids that will etch or dull your stone surface.
• Do not place hot items directly on the stone surface. Use trivets or mats under hot dishes.

General Surfaces
Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of a neutral cleaner, stone soap (available at hardware stores or from Grazzini Brothers) or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. Use a clean rag mop on floors and a soft cloth for other surfaces for best results. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing and dry with a soft cloth. Change the rinse water frequently.

• Do not overuse cleaner or soap as that may leave a film and cause streaking.
• Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone.
• Do not use scouring powders or creams; these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface.

Bath and Other Wet Areas
Soap scum can be minimized by using a squeegee after each use. Use a nonacidic soap scum remover or a solution of ammonia and water (about 1/2 cup ammonia to one gallon of water). Please note: frequent or over-use of an ammonia solution may eventually dull the surface of the stone.

Vanity Top Surfaces
These surfaces may need to have a penetrating sealer applied. Check with your installer for recommendations. A good quality marble wax or nonyellowing automobile paste wax may be applied to minimize water spotting.

Food Preparation Areas
The stone may need to have a penetrating sealer applied. Check with your installer for recommendations. If a sealer is applied, be sure that it is nontoxic and safe for use on food preparation surfaces. If you have questions, please check with the sealer manufacturer.

Do's and Don'ts

• Do clean surfaces with mild detergent or stone soap
• Do thoroughly rinse and dry the surface after washing
• Do blot up spills immediately
• Do protect countertop surfaces with coasters, trivets or placemats
• Don't use vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners containing acids on marble, limestone, travertine or onyx surfaces
• Don't use cleaners that contain acids such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners or tub and 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!

Hard-to-Solve Problems
Call Grazzini Brothers for problems that appear too difficult to treat. We’d be happy to offer assistance