Clean, Seal, Polish: Three Easy, Essential Steps to Caring for Your Natural Stone
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- Clean, Seal, Polish: Three Easy, Essential Steps to Caring for Your Natural Stone
Walk down the cleaning aisle at the local store, and we’re inundated with what seems like infinite products promising to do this thing or that – or even both. That seems to be the case more of late with granite cleaners and other stone-care products – products promising to clean and seal, clean and polish, or polish and seal.
Realistically, they may do a little of each, but the solution or secret sauce is diluted – not doing enough of each.
Having grown up in the stone industry, we learned firsthand the importance of a basic three-step process for proper care and maintenance of stone surfaces:
“What do I do” and “How do I do it” were common questions in our installation and restoration days (Lenny P. still runs his restoration business and still gets those questions to this day), and when we first started Granite Gold® in 2003, we were sure to include a cleaner, sealer and polish to answer our customers’ questions.
While stone is a hard, durable surface, it’s from the Earth and very susceptible to various elements and wear and tear.
Step 1
Clean often. Even if your surface appears clean, the safest bet is to clean it daily and after every meal preparation. The most miniscule particle could have a detrimental effect on your natural stone. Avoid common cleaners and abrasives. They will break down the protective seal, and you could be faced with costly repair or replacement
Step 2
Seal frequently. Truth is, you can’t over-seal natural stone surfaces. Frequently sealing granite countertops and all other natural stone surfaces maintains maximum surface protection, penetrating stone surfaces to provide superior, long-lasting resistance to staining, etching and soil build-up. Regularly check the integrity of the seal with an at-home water test. Pour water (about 3 inches in diameter) on the surface in several locations and let it sit for 30 minutes. If you see a dark mark or ring, the water is penetrating the stone and it’s time to reseal.
Step 3
Polish regularly. Polishing stone provides two great benefits. First, polishing after cleaning will bring out stone’s natural beauty. Secondly, it will reinforce the protective seal and provide ongoing protection against water spots and fingerprints. Also, polishing shower walls and tub surrounds will help prevent soap scum build-up. Don’t polish stone floors. You’ll have a hockey rink in your house.
As you would expect, we of course advocate our products. Behind Granite Gold are experts in stone care, so if you have the simplest or most complex question about your stone, just Ask the Experts. Ask us on Facebook, Twitter or by email at StoneCareExperts@GraniteGold.com.
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It took me awhile to find products that kept my stone looking as fabulous as it does now. I’m also a huge fan of this company for their personal service. You just can’t find companies that this any more. They actually get back to you rather quickly with any questions you may have about caring for your stone!!! Serious props 😉
Question: I use your Daily Cleaner and Polish, but the area of my granite that I wwork on the most never rises above a duller finish than the granite elsewhere. If I were to use your sealer, would I be locking in the dullness permanently?
Hi Mr. Mark,
Granite Gold Sealer will not lock in or interfere with the finish of the stone. The dull area, however, will require professional polishing.
My granite is becoming pitted. It was installed 4 years ago. I used Cinch to clean it. Did the cleaner cause the problem? What do I do?
Thank you
Hi Lisa,
Would you please send us up-close pictures of the pits? It will help us further evaluate your challenge and propose a solution.
I need one to bathroom and another to kitchen. Which type of your products would work well for the each? Also do I need to rinse after using the product?
For your kitchen, we’re assuming you’re looking for a granite cleaner for stone counters. We recommend Granite Gold Daily Cleaner®. Our streak-free formula safely deep-cleans granite, marble, travertine and all other natural-stone and quartz surfaces. It quickly removes all types of spills and soils, and leaves a fresh citrus scent. For your bathroom, Granite Gold Shower Cleaner® is also a streak-free formula that safely deep-cleans granite, marble, travertine and all other natural-stone and ceramic shower walls and tub surrounds without damaging natural-stone surfaces. Regular use will help prevent mold, mildew, soap scum and hard-water deposits.
If you have grout, we recommend Granite Gold Grout Cleaner®, and if you have stone floors, we recommend Granite Gold Stone & Tile Floor Cleaner®. Also, if you have delicate fixtures such as stainless steel, glass, copper or brass that are very close to your stone surfaces, be wary of common cleaners. Their overspray is harmful on your stone. Granite Gold Specialty Cleaner® is designed to clean the delicate fixtures with an overspray that won’t harm stone.
All of the products we just mentioned do not require any rinsing. For periodic tips and advice on stone care, check out the other articles in The Gold Standard at https://granitegoldca1.wpengine.com/stone-care-blog/.
[…] cleaner on it or or you can dull it. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to use the Granite Gold 3-step system {clean, seal, polish} to keep my natural stone looking like new – it shines like a […]
where can I buy your products.? are they available in big box stores, like Walmart,lowes ,home depot, hardware stores send any infor on how to do
Hi Ms. Smith,
Thank you for contacting the Stone Care Experts at Granite Gold. Our products are available in a variety stores, such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Ace Hardware, True Value Hardware, Home Depot online and select locations, and numerous grocery stores. Check out our Store Locator for the store nearest you: https://granitegoldca1.wpengine.com/store-locator/
Question: I have marble tiles in my bathroom. They were shiny when they were installed, and sealed them right after. I sprayed a little regular bathroom cleaner(no bleach) on a soiled spot and after I wiped it off, that area had lost its shine totally. I used a stone sealer, but it did not restore the shine and that small area is dull. I was so shocked to see what just a little cleaner did to the marble. I usually use a stone cleaner, but thought a little bit of soft scrub would be okay. What do I do?????
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn,
Any common household or bath cleaner will damage natural stone surfaces. If you send us a picture of the affected area to StoneCareExperts@GraniteGold.com, we can further evaluate the challenge. It is very likely the stone is etched and needs professional restoration.
I accidentally spilled some Whink rust cleaner on my marble kitchen counter top and it clouded the color. Is there anything I can do? Also, our contractor did an undermount sink so there is calcium deposits that build up around the faucets. I have been using CLR which is probably bad but I don’t know what else to do.
Thanks,
Hi Sandy,
Those products are quite harsh on marble and other natural stone surfaces. Our recommendation is to have a professional restoration specialist hone the marble. Following that, frequent sealing and polishing will help maintain the life of the stone and help resist the calcium deposits.
I have granite in my kitchen which should be a lite color of tans, browns, and creams. I live in Louisiana an had them install forward the storm in 2005. Like I didn’t have every things going on it that time. The granite is now black (with in 2 to 3 week after install it). We have had the people who install the granite back to look it at. He come back and put something in the granite cover and leave it for a day. He come back under cover it and the stone look a lot better. With in a week it was black again. All of the stone is black, the stone in the back by the wall isn’t black at all. Ever body love the granite but me. I pay a lot of this granite at that time everybody raise they price sky high. Can you help me.
We can try to help. Send before and after pictures to us at StoneCareExperts@GraniteGold.com
Here all steps are really fantastic but i have one question on that How do I care for my granite and marble countertops? Is there any products which can help us.
Hi Roy,
Here is the link to our complete stone-care line of products: https://granitegoldca1.wpengine.com/stone-care-products/.
[…] granite countertops and any other natural stone surface is among Three, Essential Steps to care for your natural stone, whether it’s a countertop, floor, shower wall or […]
[…] granite countertops and any other natural stone surface is among Three, Essential Steps to care for your natural stone, whether it’s a countertop, floor, shower wall or […]
I’ve just purchased your products (clean, seal, polish) and need instructions. Obviously it’s fairly straight forward but I’m curious about the “prep” for cleaning. This is bathroom marble countertops and I am wondering about hairspray, etc that may have built up. The stone looks clean/shiny but feels “not polished” in some areas. Should I try to do a heavier clean before using your products? I don’t want to “seal” in the hairspray, etc
Hi Janell,
Here are a couple things you could do: One option is to thoroughly clean the area with Granite Gold Daily Cleaner using Granite Gold Scrub Sponge, which will help remove any build up. The other option is to apply acetone to a clean, dry, lint-free cloth and rub vigorously onto the entire stone surface, followed by sealing and, 24 hours later, polishing.