Marble Top Bleach Stain
by Linda Brady
QUESTION:Hello, My cleaner put a bottle of bleach on my brand new marble top and now there is a dulled shape of the footprint of the bottle.I called the supplier of the marble to ask if they could get the marble stain out but they said there would be nothing they can do. They sent a young lad round with a bottle of marble cleaner and it didn't get rid of the stain. Surely they're not right and there is something that can be done? ANSWER:No they are not right, but bleach, like most common household cleaners (vinegar, ammonia) and most brand-name cleaners is damaging to marble.That's why only products made safe for cleaning marble should ever be used on marble. Why are common cleaners damaging? Because they are very harsh and marble is made of calcium carbonate, which is reactive to acidic and high alkaline substances. When in contact with marble such products will corrode and eat into the marble, destroying the finish and leaving dull and light-colored spots. These are not marble "stains". Nothing has absorbed into the marble. This is physical damage to the marble called "etching" and cannot be cleaned away.... must be repaired. In the US you can use SCP: Marble Polishing Paste to repair etching on polished marble. Very easy to apply and will completely restore the shine and color unless etching is severe (rough to the touch). Most etching is not severe, so this paste does the trick 99% of the time. However, this product is not available in the UK. Obviously, your supplier/installer is clueless. Etching is a known issue with marble... nothing new here. So, I'd contact a few other stone suppliers and fabricators to see if there is a product to remove marble etch marks available in the UK. If your marble happens to be honed (matte), then you can follow the easy DIY instructions found in the Removing Etch Marks ebook since the above paste nor any other product will work on to remove etching on honed, tumbled or any non-polished marble. Good Luck, Ryan P.S. Get all the facts, answers, explanations and simple solutions with step-by-step instructions for any issue, problem or question with our Granite & Marble Maintenance Manuals. |
