SHARE

Can I Use Vinegar to Clean Marble Floors?

 
Nidhi Nangia
By Nidhi Nangia. Updated: June 3, 2018
Can I Use Vinegar to Clean Marble Floors?

Marble is one of the most sophisticated and beautiful stones in the world. It is a kind of limestone that gets metamorphosed with pressure and heat. During this process, it gets mixed with some natural elements and it produces the intricate veins that most people pine for. But now that you have installed a marble surface in your house, it is your responsibility to take good care of it and keep it clean. While many people use vinegar as an all-round cleaning agent in their household, you should never ever use vinegar on marble, though there are many Household Uses for Vinegar. If you are still confused about can I use vinegar to clean marble floors or not, read this OneHowTo.com article.

You may also be interested in: How to Remove Lemon from Marble

The deadly combination of vinegar and marble

Some people confuse marble with granite and treat both as same, especially when found on counter-tops. But the truth is that marble is a very soft and delicate stone, especially when compared with granite. Marble wears and stains more quickly and easily, due to which both of them cannot be treated as same. So, if you use vinegar to clean granite, don’t take it for granted that you can do that for marble as well. Vinegar is a natural cleaning product because of which it is safe for you as well as for most surfaces. But it has an acidic quality that can actually etch your marble floor surface. So, the final word is that you should ‘never’ use vinegar to clean marble floors.

How vinegar affects marble

Vinegar is acidic and marble has calcium carbonate which is a base. When both interact, they are sure to react. Here is how vinegar can affect your marble floor:

  • Visually: Vinegar can change the color of your marble floor through etching. It can erode the finish of your marble floor and can even stain the marble stone beneath it. When this is done, the only thing you can do is to remove the outer layer of your marble floor to remove the stain of the acid. This is further deteriorating for your marble. As it has the same reaction as with lemon, the following article may be useful for you: how to remove lemon from marble.
  • Chemically: Marble contains limestone that produces a chemical reaction when comes in contact with vinegar. Vinegar is acidic while limestone is basic. When vinegar reacts with your marble surface, it raises its low pH to a higher number, due to which foam or bubbles may occur.

As a result of these effects, the finish of your marble floor is eroded significantly, and its breakdown and aging process is hastened to a great extent. So, it is always advised to keep your marble floor away from vinegar to keep its feel and look preserved.

How can you clean your marble floor then?

For cleaning your marble floor everyday, use a soft cloth and distilled water to wipe off the floor, and then use a dry cloth to dry the floor quickly. You can go for deeper cleaning occasionally with a ph-neutral dish soap and water. You may use hydrogen peroxide for light marble and acetone for dark marble. You may also mix clear ammonia in water and use this solution to clean your marble floor. Like vinegar, try to keep away all acidic things away from your marble floor, including wine, tomato juice, orange juice, soft drink etc. Never keep any hot thing on your marble floor, and use stone or ceramic containers instead of the metal ones to avoid any rust stains. Place rugs and carpets in high traffic areas of your marble floor, remove shoes outside, and keep pads under furniture pieces.

Can I Use Vinegar to Clean Marble Floors? - How can you clean your marble floor then?

If you want to read similar articles to Can I Use Vinegar to Clean Marble Floors?, we recommend you visit our Home cleaning category.

Write a comment

What did you think of this article?
Can I Use Vinegar to Clean Marble Floors?
1 of 2
Can I Use Vinegar to Clean Marble Floors?

Back to top ↑