How To Maintain Your Marble Shower After Professional Cleaning
Marble is irrefutably one of the most attractive and classic decorating choice for any home. Surrounding yourself in its beauty while showering is a treat for those who choose such a luxury. This natural stone does however require routine maintenance to ensure its beauty is preserved as long as possible between your scheduled professional cleaning and restoration services by Orlando Stone Works technicians. We have put together a few simple tips here which we have collected over the years and always recommend to our clients to maximize their restoration and cleaning investment.
Items we recommend you have on hand to perform your marble shower maintenance and cleaning:
- Marble Cleaner
- Clean dry towel(s)
- Soft bristled brush or toothbrush
- Chamois, microfiber towel or squeegee
By performing these steps on a consistent basis, you will be able to prevent common issues people face with their marble showers, maximizing the life of your stone and minimizing the need for frequent professional marble cleaning services.
The first step is to determine what the issue is that you need to clean. Have you found soap scum? Mold and mildew? Or just need to perform daily cleaning and maintenance? Depending on the issue, some additional steps may be required.
For daily maintenance:
After you have completed your shower, make sure all soap and shampoo has been rinsed away to avoid staining. Then towel dry or squeegee all marble surfaces to ensure the shower is dry to avoid water stains, mold and mildew growth.
For more in depth cleaning, soap scum, mold and mildew:
1. Spray the entire surface of the shower with a dedicated marble cleaning solution. DO NOT use a regular shower cleaner as this will damage the stone and cause more issues. Follow the manufacture label especially if the solution is concentrated. You’ll want to make sure you cover the entire shower with the marble cleaning solution and allow it to work for the manufactures recommended time-frame to ensure maximum results.
a. If you have discovered soap scum that has built up, you will want to first being with the marble soap scum remover BEFORE you use the marble cleaning solution.
b. If you have discovered mold and mildew, you will want to first begin with the marble mold and mildew remove BEFORE you use the marble cleaning solution.
2. Work in the solution to all the shower surfaces, including the walls, seat and floor and hardware with a clean cloth. If you choose, you can use a white cloth so you can visually tell when the surfaces are clean.
a. If you are cleaning soap scum, allow marble soap scum cleaner to sit for the manufactures recommended time frame to ensure the maximum effectiveness.
b. If you are cleaning mold and mildew, all the marble mold and mildew cleaner to sit for the manufacturer’s recommended time frame then scrub with a soft bristled brush or toothbrush to remove the mold and mildew. This step may need to be repeated for stubborn stains.
3. Rinse off the cleaning solution from all areas of the shower, including seats, walls, floors and hardware.
a. If you are cleaning soap scum, rinse off the marble soap scum cleaner and then repeat the process with marble cleaning solution and rinse again.
b. If you are cleaning mold and mildew, rinse off the marble mold and mildew cleaner and then repeat the process with marble cleaning solution and rinse again.
4. Dry off your clean marble surfaces with the dry chamois, microfiber towel, or squeegee. Ensure that all marble surfaces are thoroughly dry to avoid water marks as well as mold and mildew growth.
If you have thoroughly cleaned and dried your marble shower and find stains still remain, these may be permanent stains which can only be removed by professional equipment and trained stone technicians. This will occur when substances are left on marble surfaces and they are leached into the pores of the stone causing staining. This is not usually found within marble showers when proper maintenance is performed, however, there is always the exception to rule. If you have permanent stains in your marble shower that just will not come clean, give us a call or request a FREE quote from one of our seasoned technicians. To learn more about our marble cleaning and restoration services, visit our website.
