CARE & MAINTENANCE
Natural stone is very easy to maintain, for general day-to-day cleaning we advise the minimum amount of maintenance on marble, granite, slate, limestone and quartz stone. A wipe-over with a clean damp cloth using warm water should be sufficient. A mild PH neutral cleaning solution suitable for stone may be used, however, under no circumstances should any abrasive, acidic or bleach-type solutions ever be used. After you have washed down your benchtops you should buff/wipe them over with a clean dry cloth, this will eliminate any smears. In addition, care must also be taken when using cleaning products on adjacent surfaces such as glass doors, metal frames, sinks & baths etc.
With minimal care, your stone will retain its natural appearance for a lifetime In the event that a potentially harmful liquid is spilt on the stone surface (ie citric acid or alcohol) it is imperative that the liquid be diluted with water and wiped up immediately before it has a chance to burn the surface. If this is not done, ring or splash marks will occur.
There are many products and processes available for cleaning various types of staining on natural stone and the quicker action is taken, the greater the chance of removing stains. Granite and Quartz stone are heat and scratch resistant, but not heat and scratch proof. We would always recommend the use of a chopping board when cutting and placing hot items down on the surface.
At granite warehouse Inc, all Granite and marble benchtops are sealed with a stain-resistant penetrating sealer prior to leaving our workshop. Although penetrating sealers are designed to minimize staining they are not guaranteed to prevent staining in all situations. They do not prevent etching (dull spots) but will give you more time to react. Stone benchtops should never be stepped or knelt upon especially near the hotplate or sink edges as this will result in cracking of the benchtop. Stone benchtops will not spontaneously crack unless a force of some sort is applied and almost always any cracking ever occurring is for reasons as mentioned above.
Marble Floors can be maintained using a small amount of methylated spirits (or a PH neutral cleaning solution suitable for natural stone) diluted in a bucket of warm/hot water applied with a clean mop. Follow up with a clean dry mop to eliminate any smearing.
