Removing Marble Toothpaste Stainsby John
Hazy Toothpaste Stains On Marble
QUESTION:I have a hazy white stain where my electric toothbrush stands on a marble countertop. Any suggestions for how to remove the stain (I tried a water soaked towel but that made no difference)? Thanks, JohnANSWER:John, toothpaste, shaving cream, cologne and other bathroom products are often acidic or alkaline. Marble is made of calcium carbonate, which will react with acids and sometimes alkalines. What happens is the substance eats into the marble "etching" the surface.If the surface is honed or tumbled, then you won't notice the dull etch marks as much, but they are very obvious on a polished marble surface. Polished marble is not very porous and resists staining well, but often what happens is the marble will be etched (destroying the smooth polish creating a more porous surface) and then stained (substance absorbed into the stone). Typically etching is lighter than the marble color and stains are darker, but you may have a little of both here. First, I'd recommend you apply a poultice to remove any potential stain. Mix baby/talc powder with acetone into a paste like peanut butter (or soak a mat of 10-12 paper towels with acetone) and apply to the spots about 1/2 inch thick with a 1/2 border. Cover the poultice with plastic wrap and seal all the edges with masking tape. Let it sit for 24 hours then remove the plastic wrap, but let the poultice dry completely for another day. Remove the poultice, clean and dry. If the spots look exactly the same, then you probably didn't have any staining... just etching. If you notice a difference, then you may want to apply the poultice again to get more of the toothpaste out of the marble. Second, buy some marble polishing powder (I recommend MB-11 from MB Stone Care) and follow the directions for re-polishing the hazy etch marks. Hopefully, this will do the trick; however, I imagine the spots developed over a long period and the etching could be severe enough to warrant professional marble restoration. You could try the marble polishing powder first. You may get satisfactory results and not have to mess with the poultice. If not, use the poultice and then polishing powder again. Still no good... call a pro. Good Luck, Ryan
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