Tips for Caring for a Marble Bathroom

A bathroom entirely clad in creamy-white Carrara marble is a design idea many homeowners dream about. According to Kitchen & Bath Design News, marble in the bathroom is a trend we’ll continue to see in 2020, particularly when it’s underscored by recessed lighting and dark contrast details such as narrow backsplashes. Some homeowners may feel apprehensive about installing marble in the bathroom because they’ve heard about porous surfaces and their propensity for allowing mold colonies and water stains to form. While it’s true that marble is more porous than other types of natural stone, proper care and maintenance can go a long way in terms of keeping your tiles, slabs, and panels looking like the day they were installed. Keep Marble Surfaces Dry When materials such as glazed porcelain get wet, there’s not much to worry about aside from mildew forming on the surface, which can always be wiped away. With marble, there’s a risk of water seeping through the pores and forming stains. The best way to avoid this is by making sure excess water is removed from marble surfaces. To this end, you can keep a foam or rubber squeegee tool in the bathroom, particularly near the shower or bathtub, so you can use it frequently. If you'd like to know how to clean bathroom and shower tile made of marble, granite, and other natural stone, watch this quick video: Seal the Stone Periodically Applying sealant is the final step of the natural-stone installation process. In the case of marble in the bathroom, a special impregnating sealant will be used, but it won’t last forever. Keeping a fresh seal on marble is something homeowners should get used to, and you need to use a specially formulated marble and granite sealer. Granite Gold Sealer® makes this process easy because it can be sprayed right on the surface and wiped into the stone. Keep Common Household Cleaners Away from Marble Most of the bathroom cleaning products you find on the shelves of your local supermarket shouldn’t be used on natural stone. These cleaners might be fine for ceramics, porcelain, and laminate, but they contain phosphates and other chemicals that may weaken the protective seal on marble and other natural stone, thus making it more vulnerable to water stains. You need a stone safe marble and granite cleaner. Granite Gold Daily Cleaner® and Granite Gold Shower Cleaner® are safe-on-stone cleaning products you should use on your marble slabs and tiles. Don't Forget About the Grout Lines By virtue of being narrow and recessed, grout lines are likely to attract soap residue and mildew that could spread to marble surfaces. Using Granite Gold Grout Cleaner® together with Granite Gold Grout Brush® is perfect for cleaning grouting around marble because the brush won’t scratch the surface of the stone. To remove stubborn mold stains, you can use a 50/50 solution of bleach and water, then let sit for 15 minutes and rinse with water. If you have a bathroom made of marble or another type of natural stone, such as granite, travertine, or slate, you can acquire everything you need to care for your stone properly from Granite Gold®. To find our products at a store near you, use our Store Locator. If you have any questions, please give us a call today at 1-800-475-STONE (7866).