White Film on Marble Flooring from Tub Cleaner
QUESTION:I used a tub/shower cleaner to clean my marble tile floor in the bathroom. Now they is a white film on the floor that I can't get off. I have mopped several times with just water to try to get is off but that hasn't worked. Help!ANSWER:Unfortunately, whoever installed the marble for you (or who you bought it from) failed to inform you the correct way for cleaning marble and marble maintenance.Marble is sensitive to acidic food, drinks and products as well as harsh alkaline cleaners, which is almost all common and/or brand-name household cleaning products. You don't have a film on your marble floor and no amount of cleaning will remove it. What has occurred is that you have etched your marble by using the wrong type of cleaning product. You should use ONLY products safe for cleaning marble otherwise you run the risk of damaging your marble like you did with the tub cleaner. Etching is corrosion. The tub cleaner reacted with the marble, which has destroyed the surface finish on the marble. It's physical damage to the marble... like a chemical burn. Luckily, marble etching can be repaired although it depends on the type of finish on the marble. On polished (shiny) marble you can easily restore the shine and color using SCP: Marble Polishing Paste, which is engineered specifically for the do-it-yourselfer to repair mild to moderate etch marks. Most etch marks are not severe, so this paste almost always works like magic on polished marble. On honed (matte) marble the paste won't work. You'll have to follow the instructions provided in the Removing Etch Marks ebook. And if the area is large or the damage is severe (rough to the touch) you best bet is to hire a marble maintenance professional to re-finish the surface. In fact, with extensive and/or severe damage professional marble restoration is your only option. But I recommend employing one of the other methods (depending on finish type) first. They are cheap and easy to do, so you don't have much to lose if you end up having to hire a pro. I'd also suggest you get the Cleaning Marble Secrets ebook guide that will teach all about cleaning marble, marble maintenance, protecting marble with simple DIY solutions to any problem you may encounter. You don't need to get both ebooks though. 'Cleaning Marble Secrets' contains all information provided in the 'Removing Etch Marks' ebook. 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. |
