It is not surprising that marble has a reputation of being one of the most extravagant building materials, as its tiles add beauty and timeless elegance to any home or commercial space. When used in interior design, polished marble tiles can truly make a room stand out and when cared for properly, last well beyond a lifetime. To be able to enjoy your luxurious surfaces as long as possible, we have put together some easy steps for you to maintain the sparkle of the natural stone.

1. To protect your marble floor at home from grit and dirt you should mop it on a regular basis using a soft dust mop. Make sure to clean the mop every time after use to not reapply the dirt next time. When cleaning the floor with a vacuum cleaner, always make sure you only use the brush and not scratch over the tiles with plastic or metal attachments. Please check the wheels of the vacuum as well, as these might scratch the tiles and damage the finish. It is furthermore advisable to use mats and rugs in areas of high traffic such as the hallway or other key entrance points like the kitchen to avoid small rocks and other debris to scratch your beautiful floor. Spills should be cleaned up quickly with a soft cloth and the liquid not spread to other areas.

2. When you design your home, don’t be put off using marble countertops in kitchens and baths thinking, they will not stand the test of time because of frequent use. All you have to do to keep the tiles in best condition is to be mindful of spills and to clean them up quickly. A lot of homeowners keep a soft towel nearby to mop up fluids instantly to prevent the spills sitting on the surface too long to stain. As shampoos, conditioner and shower gels and soaps contain ingredients that could leave stains on your marble or discolour the stone, always rinse the tiles with clear water then dry carefully with a towel after every shower. Should you have soap residue on your shower walls, simply use water and a pH neutral marble cleaner to remove the cloudiness. Use the same cleaner or pH neutral dish soap to clean your kitchen backsplash from food and drink splatters. It is important that you never use commercial cleaners on marble tiles, as some of these may contain harsh chemicals and harm the natural stone with stains and etching effects. Always remember to dry the cleaned surfaces thoroughly with a soft towel.

3. In order to prevent stains and etching from happening in the first place, we recommend to routinely seal your marble surfaces. Areas, which are more exposed to acidic fluids or get a lot of tear and wear, should be sealed more often than others. Sealing helps to keep the tile’s pores stain resistant and to find out if you need to seal your marble surface again, you can simply test it by lightly applying water to it. Once the droplets spread out instead of beading its time to seal the surface again. There are simple spray-on products on the market, which only need to be applied to the marble surface and wiped down after a couple of minutes to seal the tiles again. Despite the practicability, you should wait about an hour for the sealer to do its work before you use the surface again.

4. Do not panic at the event of stains, as these are likely to happen in any happy household. Especially in the kitchen, such stains usually come from either oil or grease and drinks such as tea, coffee and fruit juice which can all be cleaned with ammonia or hydrogen peroxide.

As you can see, maintaining marble tiles in your home to make them durable and long lasting is not different from other quality materials. You just have to make sure not to use harsh cleansers or chemicals but water and soap, as the key to keeping marble tiles, look beautiful and elegant is simplicity.