Maintaining Natural Stone Floors

Cleaning: Stone floors can be made of soft stone like limestone, marble, or travertine, or hard stone like granite. Cleaners that contain vinegar, lemon juice or other acids should not be used on stone flooring. Also avoid abrasive or ammonia-based cleaners. A steam mop is ideal for stone flooring as water will not harm the stone and there is little residual water to be absorbed into porous stone or caulking.

Wipe spills up immediately to avoid staining. A neutral pH cleaner or pure soap, like liquid dishwashing detergent, can be used on spills or for occasional all-over cleaning. Just make sure to rinse thoroughly.

Maintenance: Follow these tips to keep your stone floors in top shape.

• Vacuum, dust mop or sweep regularly to minimize the chance of scratching. Microfibre dry mops are good for capturing small particles.
• Keep area rugs at entryways to catch large dirt particles. Shake out entry rugs frequently.
• Take care moving furniture or appliances across your stone floor as this can chip or scratch the stone.
• Keep felt or soft cloth protectors on the bottom of furniture and appliances

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