Natural Stone Care Part 3: Limestone and Terrazzo

Part three of a series on natural stone care explores limestone and terrazzo.  Let's start with limestone first.

How to Clean Limestone

It is a good idea to have some basics on how to clean limestone. Limestone is  calcium carbonate (CaCO3),  smooth, with different levels of hardness depending on where it was quarried. Limestone, like all stones that are calcium-based, is highly reactive to anything acidic, including citrus cleaners.  If you use anything acidic on marble, it will react with the calcium carbonate and cause your stone to be damaged sometimes heavily.

It's also important to know the finishes that limestone comes in.  Limestone is either high gloss, semi-polished or honed, with high gloss having the biggest shine level.   Be aware that limestone while it can get a good polish level going, it will never be at the same level of marble tile. Cleaning limestone is easy.  Like travertine or slate, you want to use a bit of dish washing soap mixed with water.  Even if you've sealed your stone, never wet mop marble.  Use a dry mop, or at most damp mop it.  There's a good chance that if you're using tap water, there may be a bit of chlorine mixed into the water which is highly acidic.  In addition, bacteria can be present in the water that may also cause chemical reactions.  Now, let's cover terrazzo.

How To Clean Terrazzo

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First off, be aware that terrazzo is not technically a stone.  It is technically an agglomerate stone.   Agglomerate is a fancy word meaning stone chips supported in some sort of binding agent. At first glance, terrazzo can resemble granite, but the care for them is very different.  As to how to clean terrazzo, never scrub a terrazzo floor or wet mop.  Light sweeping with a dust mop or light broom works best.  If any spills happen, wipe them up quickly with a soft cloth.  Never use water or harsh chemicals like bleach.

So remember, the stone in your house is more than decoration.  It is an investment.  So take care of it.  Know what you can do and what you can't.  And if you need any stone care advice, call us.  

This concludes part three of our series. For more information, please be sure to read part one and part two as well.

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
http://www.morriscarpetcleaning.com