How To Clean Limestone Floors

Natural stone has been used in buildings both internally and externally for centuries and it is an incredibly beautiful and durable material. We know that natural stone is an investment and so a little time spent looking after it every day is a gesture of love that will keep your floors looking their best for years to come.

There is no need to wet clean your limestone floor too often, however, ensuring you are removing dirt and debris from the surface of your floor is important. Small grains of sand, grit and soil can become embedded in or scratch the surface of your stone so we recommend that you use a combination of a dry Swiffer mop and silicone molt net spray to remove this surface dirt.

In exchange for just a few minutes of light work you can protect your stone and enjoy it for many more years to come.

Where you live, how many people and pets live in the property and what type of limestone you have, will determine how often your limestone floor needs wet cleaning. As a porous material, you can cause damage to your stone by frequent use of a steam cleaner or wet cleaning the floor every day.

When mopping the floor, it is essential to ensure that you do not let the dirty water dry into the floor. Rinse the floor with fresh water after mopping away any of the dirt and then use clean towels to dry off the floor. For those with a larger area of limestone, a wet vacuum can be a great investment to draw up the water after mopping to prevent dirty water from pooling in grout lines.

If your floor has been sealed with a surface wax then as an additional step, we recommend to periodically top-up the wax by adding a capful into fresh water after cleaning your floor.

Caring for your natural stone is very straight forward and the trick is to implement a few simple steps that will help to ensure that the sealants used to protect your stone can do their job for as long as possible. These top 3 tips will help to make sure that your limestone floor always looks at its best.

• Only ever use pH neutral cleaning products. Highly acidic substances will damage your limestone floor and alkaline cleaners can impact the sealant. The best thing about pH neutral cleaners is that they are also environmentally friendly too.
• Ask guests to remove their shoes at the door or invest in a good quality entrance mat. Foot traffic will cause dulling of a polished surface.
• Pop felt pads onto the bottom of furniture to further protect the stone from scratches. It is the little things that make a huge difference when it comes to maintaining natural stone.

If you feel like your floors require a deeper clean, Athena Stonecare can help restore your stone to its former glory. Visit www.athenastonecare.co.uk for more information.