Marble Maintenance: Elegance That Lasts Over Time
The care of fine surfaces is often experienced with apprehension: expensive and delicate materials such as marble, in fact, risk suffering irreparable damage if not treated properly. The timeless elegance of this natural stone has a “hidden” cost, which far exceeds its market price: being a porous material, marble tends to absorb liquids, and therefore can be seriously damaged by water and other substances.
La marble maintenance, however, is not that demanding: by following a few simple rules, it is possible to have floors and coverings that are always shiny and stain-proof, therefore more resistant and easier to clean.
Care of fine surfaces: marble
Il marble It is notoriously durable. Centuries-old marble floors and stairways still stand proudly in historic buildings, and often show no signs of age. Impacts and wear have almost no effect on this fine material, which in fact adapts well to difficult environments such as bathrooms and kitchens and finds wide application in the creation of stairs, worktops and other elements that require a certain robustness.
Marble, however, is also very delicateThis natural stone is largely made up of calcite, a crystalline form of calcium carbonate that can take on a very porous structure, making marble dangerously permeable to liquids. Acids and other chemicals can also corrode calcium carbonate, directly (and in some cases irreversibly) damaging marble surfaces.
Le fundamental rules for the maintenance of marble, therefore, they are quite simple:
- Intervene promptly in case of stains;
- Avoid chemicals, all-purpose cleaners and abrasive sponges;
- Use only neutral detergents that respect the Natural pH of marble;
- Protect surfaces from water and oily substances with a water-repellent treatment.
If you follow these few guidelines carefully, marble maintenance is anything but expensive or complicated.
How to clean marble naturally?
Correct maintenance of marble can only begin with a good daily cleaning. Whether it is the floors, the shower cladding or an external staircase, marble surfaces must be cleaned with specific and as natural as possible products. Warm water and a soft cloth, in cotton or microfiber, are the most suitable tools for cleaning marble effectively. The most important thing, however, is to choose products that respect the pH of the marble.
Le home solutions based on Marseille soap and bicarbonate are a valid alternative to specific detergents. Cleaning with a bicarbonate paste obviously requires a certain amount of attention, especially if we are dealing with polished marble. Cleaning too vigorously or using a paste that is too thick could end up scratching it.
For large surfaces such as floors, it may be more convenient to have a neutral detergent ready to use, possibly based on natural ingredients and which does not require rinsing, such as Mistral by New Chemical.
Designed for the daily care of fine surfaces, this detergent is formulated with raw materials of vegetal origin and surfactants ECOCERT and RSPO certified, and can be used on delicate materials such as marble, natural stone, wood, terracotta and ceramic, offering a practical and sustainable solution for the ecological cleaning of marble and other precious surfaces.
Ecological marble treatment: waxes and innovative solutions
One of the fundamental rules for the maintenance of marble, we have seen, is to protect it from stains and humidity with a water repellent treatment.
In addition to daily cleaning, it is therefore a good idea to plan for a periodic treatment, to be repeated approximately once a year, which allows you to overcome the problems linked to the natural porosity of marble, a characteristic that makes it extremely susceptible to water, humidity, acidic and oily substances.
When it comes to water-repellent treatments for marble, there are different approaches, more or less sustainable: for outdoor spaces and highly trafficked surfaces, the classic solvent-based water-repellents are still a very popular solution. Today, however, the Ecological marble treatment can count on equally effective formulations, which are essentially based on the action of very different ingredients:
- Natural oils and waxes: wax has always been used to protect unpolished marble. In addition to providing a soft and shiny finish, it creates a protective layer that prevents dirt and humidity from penetrating deep into the marble, thus avoiding the formation of stains and halos;
- Polymers in aqueous solution: the new generation of ecological products do not disdain the beneficial action of natural waxes, but also exploit nanotechnologies and polymers capable of buffering the microporosity of the marble, providing greater protection and brilliance to the shinier surfaces.
The water-repellent treatment is a must for those who want marble floors and coverings that last over time and are easy to maintain in good condition. In addition to preventing stains and other damage, in fact, this simple operation makes the smoother and easier to clean surfaces.
