Everything You Wanted to Know About Granite Cleaning But Were Afraid to Ask

Granite cleaning in Manhattan Beach can be done on your own, but we do recommend contacting a professional service to do it.

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Manhattan Beach Granite Cleaning:  The Steps to Take

If you want to clean your granite countertops, here is a list of helpful instructions from the site The KitchN:

"What's the best way to clean granite countertops? We've read a lot of varying views on this — use Windex! No, never use Windex! Use a special granite-only cleaner! No, you don't need a special granite-only cleaner! — but after doing our research, we think we've discovered a consensus among stone experts on how to care for granite. The best part? You really don't need any special cleaners to get those countertops shiny and streak-free.

The Dos and Don'ts of Cleaning Granite
DO: Make sure your granite countertop is sealed. While granite is a very hard surface and less porous than marble, unsealed or weakly sealed granite will soak up oils, spills, and stains. To check whether your granite is sealed, leave a few drops of water on the surface. If it beads up, you have a secure seal. If after a few minutes the water has soaked into the granite, then it's time to reseal the stone.

DON'T: Use harsh or abrasive cleaners and sponges, Windex, acidic cleaners like vinegar, lemon, lime, or anything with ammonia or bleach. Frequent use of these chemicals will dull and weaken the sealant over time. Basically, the harsher the cleaner, the quicker it will break down the sealant.

DO: Wipe up spills as soon as you notice them.

DO: Use warm water, a mild or gentle dish soap, and a nubby washcloth or microfiber cloth for daily wipedowns.

What About Disinfecting?
A well-sealed granite countertop is relatively impervious to bacteria. Hot water and dish soap should be adequate for daily sanitizing. However, if a stronger disinfectant is desired, mix together a 50:50 solution of water and 91% isopropyl alcohol. Spray onto the granite, allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, then rinse with water and dry with a clean microfiber cloth. Avoid bleach or ammonia-based cleaners." READ SOURCE

Did you see that?  No harsh or abrasive chemicals.  Sounds like similar care instructions for travertine and marble.  I don't think that's a coincidence.  

Granite Cleaning Services and Your Stone

Granite cleaning services know what to do, and what not to do.  So do you a little bit, at least now.  However, if you want professional results, hire a pro.  

The best professional to get for this job?  A commercial stone restoration service in Manhattan Beach is the best.

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
Contact Us

Everything You Wanted to Know About Marble Cleaning But Were Afraid to Ask

Marble cleaning in Beverly Hills is about  both knowing what to do and what not to do.  And marble has a lot of highly specialized care.

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Marble Cleaning:  Hire a Stone Restoration Service

In fact, marble is surprisingly delicate and easy to damage.  Like travertine, as we covered previously, simply spilling some orange juice or coffee on the tile can immediately start to damage it. Why?  Because marble doesn't react well to anything acidic.

In fact, as it comes from the same stone family as limestone and travertine, it can be affected by the same sort of things that these other stones can.  Any professional marble cleaning service can tell you that so much can damage marble it isn't even funny.

Like what?  Harsh chemicals for one.  What a lot of people don't realize is that common household bleach is essentially acid.  And if you pour anything acidic on your marble, you will see your marble start to dissolve almost instantly.  And it doesn't  have to be something as harsh as bleach.  Even orange juice and coffee can erode the matrix of your stone and leave your $5,000 marble floor looking like very expensive, inedible Swiss cheese.  Some store-bought cleaning solutions can also damage your marble, as can tap water in some cases.  We know what you're thinking.  Tap water?  Really?  Well, in a lot of municipal water sources, they put trace amounts of chlorine into the water and guess what chlorine is?  Bleach.  In addition, if you wet mop a marble floor, and don't dry it immediately, bacteria can start eating away at the stone.  What about short term marble cleaning.  This is actually simple.  Put mats at entry points.  These will help to trap grit and dirt.  Sweep lightly with a soft bristled broom, use only a pH neutral cleaning agent such as dish washing soap, and damp mop, never wet mop.  Leave the vinegar in the cupboard, and don't use lemon juice.

Why You Should Hire a Beverly Hills Marble Cleaning Service

Marble cleaning isn't for the faint of heart.  Even if you have a few dollars in the bank, no one wants the headache of an insurance claim that could have been avoided by simply calling in a professional Beverly Hills marble cleaning service.  You also don't want to see what was once a beautiful marble floor dissolving right before your eyes.  There aren't enough potted plants to cover what is a blemish in the middle of a once pristine floor.

So be smart.  Know your limitations.  Seek expert help when it is appropriate.  One of the best things that you can do is call a stone restoration service to help you clean and polish your marble floor.

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Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
Contact Us

Everything You Wanted to Know About Travertine Cleaning But Were Afraid to Ask

Travertine cleaning is not for some people.  If you don't have the knowledge then don't start.

Call Today for Travertine Cleaning in the South Bay of Los Angeles | (310) 545-8750

Travertine Cleaning in Los Angeles

Travertine is a natural stone such as marble, limestone, granite, etc.   Travertine forms differently than a lot of other stones, and it appears.  Travertine is formed in either limestone caves or hot springs.   Travertine is in a way, the Swiss cheese of stones, as when it's formed bubbles of carbon dioxide leave gaps in the formation of the stone.  When it's cut into tiles, travertine tile is filled with a resin.  Because of this, you should only work with a professional tile cleaning service in Los Angeles to clean your travertine.

Travertine is quarried in large pits and are cut into large blocks which are then further cut down at factories to tiles, pavers, mosaics, etc.  After the shape's done, then a finish is applied to the stone.  Most of the travertine found in the USA comes from Turkey.  There is a big difference between premium grade travertine, commercial grade, and A grade.   Travertine is graded by  the holes within the stone. Generally speaking, the more holes it has, the lower the quality.  Obviously there is a big difference in price. Also keep in mind that some travertine comes with a honed and filled finish. Since the filling is a uniform color, it's  easy to tell if the stone you're looking at is filled. The difference between premium grade and commercial grade lies in the amount of filling used. A honed and filled travertine tile with a whole lot of filling is considered of lower quality compared to a tile with minimal filling.  What does this mean where travertine cleaning is concerned?  Simple your travertine is an investment.

Travertine Cleaning: Protect Your Investment

What you don't know about travertine can hurt you.  Even though it's a different stone than marble or limestone, a lot of the same care instructions apply.  For one, no harsh chemicals.  So leave the bleach, ammonia, or whatever store bought solution you're thinking of using on your travertine under the sink or back on the store shelf.  Why?  Because anything harsh can easily damage your travertine, the resin filling, or both.  For a stone as hard as it is, travertine is really easy to mess up if you don't know what you're doing.

Simply spilling some orange juice or coffee on the tile can immediately start to damage it. Why?  Because travertine doesn't react well to anything acidic.  Some so called miracle travertine cleaning products can do even worse.

So remember, be smart.  Hire a professional tile cleaning service in Los Angeles to clean your travertine.

Morris Cleaning & Restoration
1007 N.Sepulveda Blvd. #1204
Manhattan Beach, CA 90267
(310) 545-8750
Contact Us