Cleaning high-touch areas in households has proven to be an effective way to keep families safe from COVID-19 and other viral infections. For many surfaces in the home, traditional store-bought, acidic-based cleaners will effectively disinfect these areas. However, it is important to avoid using store-bought cleaners on your natural stone for the following reasons:
1. Store-Bought Cleaners Damage Natural Stone
Many people invest in natural stones such as marble because of the sophisticated ambience and shine they add to a home’s interior design. Using acidic-based, store-bought cleaners will damage the porous structure of your natural stone, reducing the value of your investment and dulling its shine.
While acidic-based, store-bought cleaners are successful in decontaminating surfaces, you should avoid using this treatment on natural stone. Using the right cleaner will keep your natural stone shining for many years to come.
2. Store-Bought Cleaners Can be Bad for Your Health
Many people refuse to use cleaning solutions bought from the store because they are bad for your health. With harmful chemicals used in the ingredients of cleaners, such as ammonia and bleach, this can result in terrible effects such as chronic respiratory issues and even cancer. Some research has found that using store-bought cleaners can produce the same damaging effect on the lungs as smoking cigarettes.
If you choose to use store-bought cleaners in your home, make sure that you are following the proper instructions to protect yourself and your family from the harmful side effects. Maintaining and keeping your health at its peek is everyone’s main priority though these difficult and unprecedented times.
3. You Can Make a Safe and Effective Homemade Cleaner out of Common Household Items
There is a safe and effective alternative to store-bought cleaners that will kill the virus off of your natural stone without jeopardizing your stunning (and expensive) investment. Make a simple, yet effective homemade stone cleaner using the following:
- 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol
- 4 drops of dish soap
- Essential oils (optional)
Combine the ingredients into a 16-ounce spray bottle and fill the remainder with water. When applying the cleaning solution to your stone surfaces, make sure that you don’t wipe it off right away. In order to kill any viruses that may be living on your stone, you will need to let the solution sit for 3-5 minutes. When the solution has had enough time to be effective, wipe down your stone with a microfiber towel or clean cotton shirt.
How the Marble Doctor Can Help
Our team of experts offer a host of residential services, including grout and surface cleaning, stain removal, stone refinishing and stone repair, that will keep the stone surfaces in you home looking great year-round.
