Cleaning Marble Floor Wax & Dirty Grout
by Melissa Glorioso
QUESTION:Our kitchen and living area floor is a white to cream colored marble with a wood inlaid border which is again inlaid with brass... we bought the house from my mother in law... her housekeeper waxed the marble(?!) and wood border probably every week for years.Needless to say she also waxed in years of dirt and grime and the grout is also very dark (supposed to be light cream). I have called a steam company, with no results, then called chem-pro cleaners, and they did not have much luck... I have hand scraped the wax off in places with a straight edge razor (it does peel up with some pressure, but what a pain... it is a large area!) They are coming back to redo with another cleaner they are ordering and they say they can restore the shine with some sealer, although I am quite skeptical about that. Another person told me I might need to have the marble done with a diamond polisher which could cost as much as redoing the whole floor (is that true? How much really? Do you know of any product that will clean the marble (get all of the old was off) clean the grout, and restore the original polish? ANSWER:Holy Moly Melissa... what a crummy situation.Here's the deal: Of course, you need to strip the wax off the floor before any marble cleaning can occur. There are many commercial wax strippers on the market, but they will etch and damage the surface polish almost certainly requiring professional restoration/re-polishing. I have some ideas for you that may not cause surface etching, but considering the scope of this project you most likely will need some degree of professional help to get the floors back in shape even after all wax has been removed and grout cleaned. Removing Marble Floor Wax Before you resort to the commercially marketed wax strippers, try acetone that you can buy at your hardware store. Acetone has a neutral pH and will not damage the polish, but it could damage the wood so be careful there. You'll want to have plenty of rags, mops and maybe even a wet vacuum on hand when you really give this a go, but first just start on an out-of-the-way area. Pour some acetone on a tile or two... let it soak for 15 minutes and then wipe up. Maybe use a plastic scraper too just to get an idea about how well the acetone is working. If the acetone isn't working too well, then try isopropyl alcohol. It is slightly acidic, so there is a risk of etching, but probably effective removing the wax. Test an area, if working then dilute the alcohol with water to neutralize the acidity and see if it is still effective. If either the acetone or isopropyl alcohol works, then you'll have to go full scale... mopping the acetone around sections, cleaning off the mess with mops or a wet-vac, etc. No doubt about it... this will be an awful project and I'd hire someone. Not a cleaning company, but a floor or preferably a marble cleaning - restoration company. Cleaning Grout After you remove the wax, then you'll need to clean the grout. The acetone will help some, but you'll want to use MB-2 Tile & Grout Cleaner and a soft-bristle scrub brush. Once the floor is all clean, it's time to assess the surface. Has it been etched or damaged by any of the process? If so, then you'll need professional stone restoration help to either hone the surface and/or re-polish with diamond abrasives. The person/company that told you sealing will restore the shine... do not deal with them anymore. They obviously don't have a clue. Sealing will only diminish the possibility of staining by decreasing the absorbency of the stone. Sealing won't do a darn thing to protect against etching, improving or restoring the shine. Polishing marble is a mechanical process much like sanding rough wood smooth. It takes physical action and not a chemical application. FYI, honed floors are easier to maintain. You must seal them, but etching is not nearly as noticeable and much more easily repaired without professional help than polished floors. Also, you don't have to fret about the polish being worn away in high traffic areas necessitating regular professional re-polishing, etc. Polished marble, travertine, limestone will show a more vibrant color and pattern and be more stain resistant... they just require a bit more effort to keep looking sharp. Cost Comparatively speaking, re-surfacing marble will be expensive, but should not be as expensive as installing a new floor. However, considering the whole of this project, how nasty and time consuming the wax stripping and grout cleaning will be, it may be a better idea and more cost-effective just to rip it out and install a new floor. I'd at least get a couple quotes. Once you have your old floor restored or a new marble floor installed, then clean and maintain with MB-1 Floor Cleaner and MB-7 Polish Preserver ... excellent products formulated specifically for marble cleaning. I hope this goes as smoothly as possible whatever you choose to do Melissa. If you decide to strip the wax and restore, report back via the comment link below and let me know how it turned out. Good Luck, Ryan  I highly recommend MB Stone Care Products to maintain all your marble, stone and granite countertops and floors in optimal condition. I've used other good products (Stone Tech, Miracle) but found MB Stone Care is the most reliable and effective.
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