Natural stone surfaces bring a rustic vibe to your home and give your flooring an elegant look. But due to their porous nature, natural stones attract lots of dirt and grime, and when spills occur on them, they can easily get stained.
Fortunately, it is possible to maintain the pristine look of your natural stone, and here are the steps to remove stains from natural stones that will help you with that.
- When there is a spill on the natural stone, act quickly.
- Blot the stain with a clean cloth or paper towel. But avoid wiping it at this stage to prevent it from spreading.
- Mix a neutral cleaner like dish soap with some warm water and rinse the stain with this solution.
- Clean the excess solution with a dry cloth and repeat the process until the stain is gone.
- If the stain persists, it can be due to its specific nature and may require cleaning with different solutions.
- Next, you will need to treat each stain according to its specific type.
Pro Tip: Never use a chemical on natural stones until you know which ones to use for the type of stain and the type of stone.
Types of Stains & How to get them out of Natural Stones
⇸ Oil-Based Stains
These types of stains include cooking oil, grease, tar, and cosmetics. If you don’t treat these stains for a long time, they may permanently darken a spot of your natural stone.
To treat this type of stain, you need to mix baking soda and acetone and create a paste. Leave this paste on the stain for about 24 hrs and then rinse it off with water. Ensure you remove the paste properly and don’t leave any residue behind.
⇸ Organic Stains
Organic stains include stains caused by food, beverages, or another natural item. These stains are pinkish-brown, and you can treat them with hydrogen peroxide.
- Make a poultice with hydrogen peroxide and flour.
- Apply the hydrogen peroxide-flour poultice on the stain for a day.
- Scrape off the poultice the next day, and the stain should be gone.
- Rinse the area with water and dry it with a cloth.
⇸ Metal Stains
Metal stains on natural stones occur due to rusting of iron tools or metal furniture. You can use a poultice to remove metal stains.
- First, spray the stained area with water to fill the pores and saturate the stain with a wet sponge.
- Use a poultice recommended by your stone manufacturer.
- Slowly add warm water to the poultice powder in small batches and continue mixing it until it reaches the consistency of peanut butter.
- Cover the stain with the poultice using a wooden spatula.
- Apply a plastic wrap over the poultice with two holes in it to allow air to pass.
- Let the poultice sit for 24 hrs over the stain and scrape it off with a blunt tool.
- Clean the stain with neutral soap and water. Rinse and dry the area and ensure no poultice paste remains.
- You may need to repeat the entire process at least 4-5 times to remove stubborn metal stains.
⇸ Paint Stains
Paint can get into your natural stone during the renovation process or some DIY cleaning process. Paint stains can be tricky to remove from the natural stone, as scrapping too harshly can damage the delicate stone.
Here is how you can properly remove paint stains.
- Lightly scrape the paint off the natural stone surface.
- Vacuum the area thoroughly to remove paint debris and any hidden dirt or dust.
- Apply a little bit of rubbing alcohol over the pet stains to break down the oil molecules present inside the paint.
- After you remove the stain, rinse the rubbing alcohol with water and blot it with a clean cloth.
