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Your investment in a Marble, Granite or Stone benchtops gives you a piece of nature in your home or office, so it is worth spending a little time each day looking after it. To that end, the late Maurizio Bertoli of MB Stone Restoration and Supply Inc listed a series of Do’s and Don’ts to help you keep that investment looking pristine for many, many years to come.

My name is Mark Tomeo, I’ve been the owner of Granite Warehouse since 1996 and have produced this booklet to help you look after your new investment. I have seen so many expensive mistakes made by customers who do not know how to clean and maintain their Marble, Granite or Engineered Stone products, no matter where or what the application for which it is being used. The chemical make-up of rocks and marble can be unpredictable, so it is essential to use the appropriate products.

DO’S & DON’TS TO KEEP YOUR INVESTMENT LOOKING GREAT AND LASTING A LIFETIME!

✗ DO NOT Use home-brewed concoctions such as “water and dish soap” or “water and vinegar” to clean natural stone installations!

✗ DO NOT Use generic cleaning products such as “glass cleaner”, “mould removers” or “household cleaners” unless their labels specify that they are safe to use on natural Marble. (Be careful of the wording “Cultured Marble” as this is a man-made plastic and NOT a natural marble.)

✗ DO NOT Listen to the advice of friends and relatives, they usually do not know stone and, amazingly, neither do some trade people involved with stone.

✔ DO Use cleaning agents that are specially formulated to deal with the unforeseeable makeup of the natural material.

✔ DO Use a quality sealer if your material requires it. Not all natural granite need to be sealed but, if they do, consider MB Stone Care MB–4 Impregnator or MB-24 Barrier for Stone. If you’re not sure, ask your stonemason or give Granite Warehouse a call (08) 9209 2620 and we can let you know if, and when, you should apply a sealer.

Kitchen Countertops

✔ DO Clean daily, using a specialty product for stone such as MB Stone Care MB–5 Marble, Granite and More Spray Cleaner. Use it full strength on benchtops, on all cooking and eating areas. It is also great on stainless steel and glass – the perfect all-rounder! It is a ready-to-use, streak-free powerful cleaner designed to clean grease and other food soil from you benchtops efficiently and effortlessly.

✔ DO Use MB Stone Care MB-13 Stone Polish to occasionally “brighten up” your shiny countertop. It coats the surface of the benchtop with an extra thin layer of specially selected waxes to give your polished Granite, Marble or Engineered Stone that extra brightness. All of its components are rated”food grade”.

Vanity Tops

✔ DO Clean daily using a specialty product for stone such as MB Stone Care MB–5 Marble, Granite and More Spray Cleaner. Use it full strength on benchtops. It is also great on stainless steel and glass – the perfect all-rounder – so clean your mirrors with MB-5 as well. You don’t want to take chances of over-spraying your tops with a regular glass cleaner! It is a ready-to-use, streak-free powerful cleaner designed to clean grime from your benchtop efficiently and effortlessly.

✔ DO Use MB Stone Care MB-13 Stone Polish for some extra shine. It will brighten up your top and provide it with additional protection. It coats the surface of the benchtop with an extra thin layer of specially selected waxes to give your polished Granite, Marble or Engineered Stone that extra brightness. All of its components are rated “food grade”.

Floor

✔ DO Vacuum or dust before your weekly wash and clean.

✔ DO Use a quality pH balanced cleaner like MB Stone Care MB-1 Marble, Granite and More Floor Cleaner. MB–1 is a stable NO-RINSE formulation that effortlessly cleans soil and grime and dries without streaks. Mainly inorganic salts in the formula act as moisturisers and optical brighteners, enhancing the shine and finish of the floor. It also works just as well on timber, porcelain and ceramic. Another perfect all-rounder!

✔ DO Use MB Stone Care MB–2 Heavy Duty Stone, Tile & Grout Cleaner for that “once in awhile birthday clean” It is an excellent product for heavy-duty soiling conditions and built-up grime that the power of MB–1 is not quite enough. Highly concentrated and powerful, it cleans the toughest grime effortlessly and efficiently. Concentrate on those grout lines when using and they will come up near new. Note: MB-2 is NOT a rinse-free formula and will need to be neutralized or rinsed with MB-1 after use.

Shower Stalls

✗ DO NOT Use generic household cleaners if they are not designed to be used on Natural Granite, Marble or Engineered Stone.

✔ DO Rinse your shower stall after use and then use a quality squeegee to wipe down the walls, this will minimise soap scum, and hard water mineral builds up.

✔ DO Use neutral Ph liquid body soaps as well, this will also minimise soap scum build up.

✔ DO Clean weekly using a scrubbing tool like the beaver hand tool with a white buffing pad in conjunction with a specialty product for Marble, Granite or Engineered Stone such as MB Stone Care MB-5 Marble, Granite and More Spray Cleaner full-strength and then wipe down with a Micro Fibre cloth.

✔ DO Treat your shower walls only with MB Stone Care MB-13 Stone Polish for extra protection and shine, but please put down a towel on the floor before you start, as you don’t want to make the floor slippery.

✔ DO Use a specialty product like MB Stone Care MB-3 Soap Film Remover when the accumulation of soap film appears (waxy look and feel), especially in the lower part of your stall. It also removes possible hard water mineral deposits without damaging the surface of the stone. Use once a fortnight, or month, in conjunction with the weekly use of MB-5 to keep it looking great.

✔ DO Use a specialty product like MB Stone Care MB–9 Mildew Stain Remover if you have an occasional growth or mildew in your grout lines. It will not affect the delicate surface of polished Marble and other delicate stones. A hand-held grout brush also works a treat with the MB-9 if its taken hold or you have left it too long.

Water Marks in Polished Marble or Acid Etching

✗ DO NOT Try scrubbing at them with a cream cleaner or scourer as the marble has been acid etched and it will damage it more.

✔ DO Consider a product like MB Stone Care MB–11 Marble Polishing Powder for watermark’s or rings (acid etching, that is). It is a professional product, yet is user-friendly enough to be used by everyone. MB–11 will work on polished Marbles only and not Granite or Engineered Stone.

✔ DO Use MB Stone Care MB-13 Stone Polish after to give the repaired area that extra shine and lustre. It coats the surface of the bench top with an additional thin layer of specially selected waxes to give your polished Marble that extra brightness. All of its components are rated “food grade”.

Stains or Staining

✗ DO NOT Use so-called “professional poulticing kits” that no true professional would use for stain removal. They are usually very expensive and produce limited results.

✔ DO Give us a call on (08) 9209 2620 or email on sales@granitewarehouse.com.au and we can teach you how to do it or email you stain removal guidelines to help you get your stone back to its former glory.

This information is much cheaper than a “professional kit” and uses products that are more effective, are easy to find (you probably have them in your house already) and inexpensive.

Go to the “MB Care Products” page make a selection of what is best for your stone problems.

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