LESLIE: Alright, on to a cleaning question with Jill. How can we help you?
JILL: Well, I’ve installed marble countertops in my new kitchen; in my remodeled kitchen. And I’m finding very quickly – it’s only been about a month – that I’m getting spots on the counter that I can’t get off; not dirt spots but they seem to be almost like a sponge kind of spot. Like I’ve wiped it and it looks like the sponge mark is still there.
LESLIE: Marble is very, very, very porous and that’s why it’s generally not recommended as a countertop surface. If the natural stone look is something that you were leaning towards, that’s why granite is way more appropriate for that application; because marble does tend to suck up everything in sight.
Now, you’re saying it’s not really – it’s not like a wine stain or some sort of liquid.
JILL: No, it’s …
LESLIE: It’s just from like a wet sponge sitting there?
JILL: Right, right. I’ve wiped – when I wipe the counter – and all I use is just plain soap and water – what I’m finding is that there are marks. And it’s been sealed. I was told by the fabricator that it’s been sealed but it doesn’t seem like it’s holding the seal.
TOM: Well, marble needs a lot of maintenance and that’s one of the issues of using that natural material. There’s a good website out there called Stone Care International. They’re website is StoneCare.com. And they have a marble cleaner and sealer called Marbamist.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. It’s a hard one to say.
TOM: And then they have another product called Spray-N-Seal. And those are both good products to use on an ongoing basis to try to keep this in good shape, but when you buy marble you need a lot of maintenance.
LESLIE: And you know what else works good with marble is borax. If you just carefully and gently take some borax and rub it into the surface with a moistened cloth and then rinse it well with warm water and then buff it with a clean, soft cloth; that could give you a head start in getting that stain out and then keep you towards the maintenance.
TOM: Jill, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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