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How to Remove Lemon from Marble

Alice Marini
By Alice Marini. Updated: July 28, 2019
How to Remove Lemon from Marble

Most people who have marble in their house will ask themselves how to remove lemon or other acidic substances from their marble sooner or later. Lemon and acid stains on marble are very common, specifically because this type of material is very common in kitchens. Additionally, while lemon is generally great for a lot of cleaning, it actually stains marble.

If you’re wondering how to remove lemon etching from marble, keep reading here at oneHOWTO. Follow these effective tips on how to remove acid stains from a marble floor for more!

You may also be interested in: How to Use Lemon to Clean

What happens when lemon juice spilled on marble?

If you are asking yourself how to remove lemon from marble, you probably already know that lemon damages marble, but how?

Marble is a stone that chemically reacts to acidic foods, including lemon juice, tomato, apple juice, pineapple juice, and vinegar. Calcium carbonate, present in marble, reacts to acid by corroding its surface, creating dull spots. Acids corrode marble and leave a discoloured or less shiny spot called an etch mark. Limestone, although not technically marble, reacts in the same way when exposed to lemon juice, mainly because of its calcium carbonate content. So, if you need to remove lemon juice from limestone, these tips will also prove effective.

So, what should you do to avoid spilling lemon on marble? First, if you cannot stand lemon etchings on your marble, you should probably consider not having a marble counter top in the kitchen. If, however, you already have a marble surface in the kitchen, we recommend using coasters, even for water glasses.

Another thing you can do to prevent marble from etching, is choosing a honed surface instead of a polished one. Lemon juice stains on marble are much less visible on this type of surface, and you won't have to worry about how to remove lemon from marble.

What about sealing? There are 2 types of sealing for marble. The first one is usually done by marble producers, so you won’t have to worry about it. This type of marble sealing only usually protects it from quick deep staining, as it slows down the penetration of lemon on marble. It does not, however, protect it from etching. The second option would be to completely protect the marble from both deep stains and etching. In order to do this, we recommend consulting your marble manufacturer.

For more, you may also be interested in reading our article where we answer the question, ‘‘Can I use vinegar to clean marble floors?’’

Keep reading to find out how to remove lemon from marble.

Lemon stains on marble

In order to know how to remove lemon from marble you need to first learn about the types of lemon stains on marble. Whether your problem is lemon on marble tiles, lemon marble polished brick mosaic, lemon juice on marble floor, lemon juice on marble counter, or lemon juice etching on marble, you will need to know about the different kinds of lemon stains on marble before you learn how to remove lemon from marble.

  • Lemon marble etch mark: a lemon etch mark on marble refers to a dull spot, a slight corrosion of the shiny surface layer on top of marble. You can generally only see it from a certain angle with the right light. For this, you will need to know how to remove lemon etching from marble, which we will discuss later. Polished marble is very sensitive to etching, but does not stain easily. Therefore, your lemon juice stain on marble floor is probably just a lemon juice etching on marble. Additionally, lemon on marble etches within seconds. Once the marble is etched, it will stain more easily, so the lemon juice will penetrate more into the marble.
  • Lemon stains on marble: This refers to a true marble stain. The lemon juice on marble floor is absorbed by the stone, and the marble presents a darker color spot. This case is not very common, as lemon does not usually penetrate that deep.
  • A lemon stain on marble can also be of both kinds: a superficial etch mark and a deeper lemon stain on marble.

For more, we recommend reading our article where we discuss how to clean acid-stained floors.

Now that you know what kind of lemon stain on marble you’re dealing with, let’s look at some marble stain removal methods.

How to Remove Lemon from Marble - Lemon stains on marble

How to remove lemon from marble

Follow this step-by-step guide on how to make marble cleaner, including how to remove lemon stain from marble, and etch remover marble:

  1. First of all, if you’ve spilled lemon juice on marble counter or floor, wipe it immediately with water. Then, rub it with baking soda.
  2. If you are sure you that you’re dealing with a lemon juice etching on marble, then your best bet is to buy a specific etch remover from a reliable supplier (your marble seller will be able to advise). Do not buy general marble polish, but a product specifically made to remove etch marks. Paste for etch marks is not expensive, and you can easily use it at home by yourself. This is the most common solution when it comes to removing lemon from marble.
  3. If your marble has a honer, matte finish, you cannot use the etch remover. In this case, you will need to grind down the etch mark with a special disk. It is not impossible to do it yourself.
  4. If you notice that your marble surface is also scratched, then you should buff it out with sandpaper. If the stain isn’t too deep, this method should work.
  5. Granite marble is very hard to etch. If you notice a different color in your granite, it is probably soap and you can clean it with acetone.
  6. How to remove lemon juice stains from marble: if you’re dealing with a stain, the color and surface texture will be different. In this case you will need a professional restoration to grind down the stone and re-polish the marble. This is the most expensive option when it comes to how to remove lemon from marble

What is important to know regarding how to remove lemon from marble is that you should not be impulsive and use aggressive cleaning products such as vinegar (which is good for many things but not marble).

Our last suggestion is to use the preventive measures so you won't need to learn how to remove lemon from marble anymore!

How to Remove Lemon from Marble - How to remove lemon from marble

If you want to read similar articles to How to Remove Lemon from Marble, we recommend you visit our Home cleaning category.

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2 comments
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kate
Is there a way to remove lemon juice stains from a marble counter top. Counter has a matte finish
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RAY KERSHAW
Brilliant. Many thanks
OneHowTo Editor
Thanks Ray!
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