How to Clean and Care for Marble Countertops

Marble countertops are an elegant, timeless stone choice that beautifully accentuates your home’s style and design – and keeping them in their best condition is a top priority.

Marble countertops are an elegant, timeless stone choice that beautifully accentuates your home’s style and design – and keeping them in their best condition is a top priority.

While marble is one of the most popular, luxurious countertop choices , it’s also a surface that’s prone to scratching and etching, requiring a bit of extra care to keep in perfect condition. To keep your countertops looking brand new, even after years of use, it’s important to know how to care for marble countertops and clean them to maintain their stunning, natural stone finish for years to come.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to do a ton of research to figure out how to clean marble countertops. Our experts at Pro Stone Countertops have put together a guide all about taking care of marble countertops, making it easy to learn all about maintaining your new stone.

How Often Do I Need to Care for Marble Countertops?

Taking the right steps to care for marble countertops is the key to keeping them sparkling and beautiful through the years. From daily cleanings to yearly re-sealing, we break down the tips for taking care of marble countertops.

Daily Care

Daily cleaning is essential to the overall health and appearance of your natural stone. Immediately cleaning up any spills is a must. To do this, we recommend using warm, soapy water as your go-to marble countertop cleaner. Be sure to wash them quickly to avoid any potential stains, rinse well, and dry for a healthy, damage-free stone.

Keep in mind, acidic formulas are highly damaging to marble. Everything from wine to lemon juice can do a great deal of harm to your surface, so keeping them away from marble or tending to a spill immediately will help keep these abrasive substances from leaving lasting damage.

Annual Care

One of the top, most important elements of annual care for marble countertops will be regularly re-sealing them. It’s important to take this step every few months to help keep marble stain resistant, although it will never fully be stain-proof.

Additionally, you’ll want to fix any etchings, including anything from light scratches, to nicks and water spots, to keep the surface strong. Marble scratch repair will keep the stone resilient, avoiding any additional damage or allowing stains to seep in through these scratched or nicked areas. This may require a professional to polish and remove scratches from marble, returning your stone to a shiny finish, but it’s worth it to maintain your stone’s appearance.

Tools and Materials You Need to Care for Marble Countertops

There are a few different essentials to have on hand to care for marble countertops. We are breaking it down based on the task – from everyday essentials to stain removal and sealing must-haves.

To clean marble countertops, always have:

• Spray bottle to disperse the solution
• A marble-specific stone cleaner
• Dish soap with a gentle formula
• Warm water
• Dishcloths for quick cleans
• An absorbent towel to remove moisture

For removing stains, we recommend having:

• Acetone
• Ammonia
• A soft liquid cleanser
• 12% hydrogen peroxide
• 20% hydrogen peroxide
• Bleach
• #0000 steel wool
• Sponge
• Gloves
• Glasses or other eye protection

To seal countertops as a DIY project, we recommend:

• A mild dish soap
• Plastic scraper and a razor blade
• Clean towels and cloths
• Acetone
• A sealer specially designed for marble countertops

How to Clean Marble Countertops

Figuring out how to clean marble countertops may seem challenging at first, but this is an easy, simple, and essential way to maintain your countertops through the years. However, knowing the right process is essential, and being careful with the solutions you choose will help prevent further damage.

Spray the Countertop with a Cleaning Solution

The first step is to spray countertops with the correct solution. In the case you don’t have a marble cleaner on hand, use mild dish soap and water, and use a spray bottle to disperse across your countertops.

Then, grab a wet cloth and gently scrub the solution across the marble surface and wipe away, repeating until countertops are completely clean.

Rub the Countertop Dry

When cleaning countertops, it’s always important to rub them completely dry with an absorbent towel. You don’t want to leave the water to just soak into the surface, and wiping them completely dry will have your marble looking sparkling and new.

How to Correct Etchings on Marble Countertops

Not only can acidic solutions stain, but they can leave etches, too. Etches are different from scratches as they are less of an incision into the stone and more of a dullness caused by things like milk, fruit, alcohol, and juice, or any acidic solution.

To repair any etchings once you’ve removed a stain, we recommend putting some water on the surface, followed by a sprinkle of marble polishing powder. Then, use a damp cloth or buffing pad to rub the stone. Keep at it until your marble shines again, ridding your surface of the dull etching.

However, in the case your surface is damaged with a stain you can’t repair, it’s time to call a professional. That way, they can remove the stain and repolish your marble to finally repair those pesky marks.

How to Remove Stain from Marble Countertops

In kitchens and bathrooms, we know there are a lot of different stains that can occur over time. It’s just part of a well-loved space! But that doesn’t mean the stains have to stay. For the best methods to remove all the most common stains from your marble countertops, check out our tips and tricks below.

Water Stains

Yes, even water can leave marks on marble! For how to remove water stains from marble, we recommend using dry #0000 steel wool to buff away any water stains or rings.

Oil Stains

For how to remove oil from marble, whether it be from cooking oil, makeup, or grease, you’ll need a cleaner with a chemical base. Gently clean the spot with a mix of a liquid cleanser and ammonia, mineral spirits, acetone, or bleach (but be careful to thoroughly rinse away!).

Organic Stains

To remove organic stains, which include coffee, wine, fruit, tobacco, and various other food stains, use a blend of 12 percent hydrogen peroxide and just a couple of drops of ammonia. Use a clean cloth to wipe the solution over the stain, then rinse with a wet cloth and dry.

Rust Stains

For how to get rid of rust on marble, you will need a poultice. This stain is one of the most difficult kinds to remove and is often permanent, but it’s worth a try to lessen its appearance.

Acid Stains

There are a lot of acidic solutions, particularly in the kitchen, that can leave stains. Removing acid stains from marble – which includes items like alcohol, fruit, juice, and even milk – requires using a poultice to remove the stain. This type of stain causes etchings, which you will also need to repair once the stain has been removed.

Paint Stains

Wondering how to remove paint from marble? To rid your surface of this stain, you may be able to remove some with a lacquer thinner or opt for a razor blade to scrape it away.

Conclusion

From how to clean marble countertops daily to all of the ways to remove common stains, you now have everything you need to know to care for marble countertops to maintain this elegant, timeless surface through the years.

If you have more questions about how to care for marble countertops, want help sealing, or have stains, scratches, or other damage that you just can’t handle on your own, our experts at Pro Stone Countertops can ensure the beauty and durability of your marble countertops. Backed by more than 20 years of experience, our team knows the best tips and tricks to maintain your countertops. For expert advice and solutions, contact us at 662-895-4795 today.