The #1 reason why its so hard to clean your natural stone floors, showers, counters and grout too?

The #1 reason why its so hard to clean your natural stone floors, showers, counters and grout too? It?s not just the housekeeper.

And the top three quick and easy ways to fix it.

?I hate my stone. No matter how hard I clean the floors it never looks clean. Why can?t my?? housekeeper get the dirt out of my stone??

We hear this question weekly and despite what some homeowners think its from a lack of trying.

Natural stones have the same cleaning problem as the skin on your face. The larger the pores the easier it is to trap dirt in the surface. Marble, travertine and limestones is natural porous and has even bigger pores depending on the shininess and that?s what makes it hard to clean.

Below you?ll find some great cleaning tips and three quick and easy solutions that will make you fall back in love with your beautiful natural stone.

The Problem:

My floor looks dirty even after I clean it.

The Cause:

Usually the soiling is embedded in the surface pores of the stone and your product and method of cleaning (mopping or microfiber mopping, swiftering etc.) isn?t loosening the soiling enough to clean it off. Sometimes its an etch or a true stain in the stone which cant be cleaned off (there is still hope).

What you can do:

1. Get a better cleaning product.

Make sure it(?s):

* Stone Safe (ph neutral),

*Non-residue forming ? has a good soap or surfactant (something that makes wet things wetter).

THIS IS WHERE MOST STORE BOUGHT CLEANERS STOP.

* People and Pet safe, Environment too ? You don?t have to drink it or spray it in your eyes but the smell of it shouldn?t cause cancer, induce headaches or vomiting.

*Has an extra molecule of oxygen ? This helps the cleaner eat organic soiling (coffee,tea,wine,mustard.

*Has a natural oil remover ? This helps clean body and food oils, nail polish, lipstick (just make sure its not petroleum based).

* Has a natural sanitizer ? Helps get rid of the germs (imagine what your bringing into the home on the bottom of your shoes and pet paws (especially around crawling babies).

Tip ? Heat your cleaning product or add it to hot water which will make the molecules in your cleaner more active and the heat is better for killing germs.

Quick and easy solution ? If you can?t find that product in the shelf (you can?t i checked) just call us. Our cleaner does all of this.

2. Change your cleaning method.

Always sweep, swifter or better yet vaccuum the surface before you mop so you don?t turn loose soils into mud that you engrain into the stone when mopping.

Tip ? Microfiber mops work better than sponges or rag mops and rinsing the mop and changing the mop water as much as possible is critical (otherwise your just pushing dirty water around and straight into your grout joints).

Tip ? Scrub and Rinse periodically ? Especially when your floor is really dirty. Use a soft bristle brush after you spray or mop on your cleaner to loosen and remove sticky soils then rinse mop with clean water.

Tip -The best solution is to get a little extraction machine that puts down a solution, scrubs the surface and vacuums up the water (bissell and hoover both make one you can buy at your local sears or bed, bath and beyond).

Quick and easy solution ? If your machine is no longer effective enough, you don?t have a machine or don?t like the idea of using one you can call us and in less than a day we can do a thorough hot water extraction cleaning where we meticulously get all soiling out of the stone and the grout joints too and even professionally seal the stone for you.

3. Seal the stone with a topical sealer (this is the secret weapon).

Most of the time the stone has been sealed with an impregnating sealer that goes just below the surface and keeps water from penetrating but does not fill the pores on top.

Tip ? Instead you can install a special topical sealer that can fill the pores on top and make the stone even easier to clean.

Tip ? install your seal on a thoroughly cleaned surface only. Otherwise the seal will fail and leave your stone unprotected.

Tip ? Make sure its safe- many sealers are oil-based and have horrible odors and contractors feel they are sacrificing performance if they don?t use them (which is a myth). Find sealers that are mainly water-based which means as they dry water is evaporated and wear gloves, goggles and a n95 mask with carbon filters to avoid contact and odors.

Tip ? If installing an impregnating sealer make sure to completely remove any excess sealer before it turns into an ugly haze (#1 mistake we see homeowners and even contractors make that we get paid lots of $$$ to fix).

Quick and easy solution ? Have your seals professionally installed. We have access to the best sealers (the safe and effective ones that you can?t find on the shelf). Having us install your seals is the safest for you and the floors.

If you want to know the solution for your natural stone or just want the quick and easy solution call us today for a free tile and grout assessment and estimate. 708-352-3536.

Bonus Holiday Cleaning Offer: If you call now you???ll receive a special $50 DeSitter / Haugland Brothers Gift Card on your next carpet, rugs, upholstery or tile and stone cleaning.