If you’ve recently invested in the natural stone tiles Sydney companies are offering, you need to know how to take good care of these products. This is essential for ensuring that your investment lasts. Although stone is just as durable as it is beautiful, it’s still prone to developing problems with etching, scratching and discoloration, especially if it isn’t properly maintained. Following are a few important things to keep in mind once you have this material installed at your floors or counter tops.
Avoid Exposure To Acid And Acid-Containing Solutions
If you have stone counters in your kitchen, always use a cutting board, especially when slicing acidic fruits like lemons, limes or other types of citrus. Acid can eat right down into stone to cause long-lasting and very noticeable damages. In fact, even a small amount of lemon juice can create deep etches that will have to be buffed out or otherwise resolved by professionals. When etching and discoloration resulting from acid exposure are severe, the affected stone may need to be replaced entirely. You should also take care to avoid using highly acidic products to clean stone surfaces, even if these are formulated specifically for the maintenance and care of counter tops and floors. Multi-purpose cleaners like these should generally be avoided.
Never Clean Stone With Abrasive Solutions Or Materials
Just as you want to avoid using acidic cleaning solutions, you also want to avoid exposing stone surfaces to cleaning agents that are abrasive. These can create noticeable scratches or dulling. If accidental application of an abrasive cleaner has occurred, get in touch with professional stone cleaners right away, in order to have the original, protective finish restored.
Use A Vacuum To Remove Potentially Abrasive Debris
Sweeping can also result in scratched surfaces. That’s because brooms can drag abrasive materials back and forth across the finish. Even tiny particulates can be sharp enough to disrupt stone aesthetics. This is why many homeowners use vacuum cleaners to eliminate dirt, dust and other debris from these surfaces instead. If you are doing a vacuum cleaner, make sure that no attachments are dragging behind you while working so that these don’t create scratches either.
Put Rugs Down In High-Traffic Areas
You can limit the amount of potentially abrasive debris that collects on your floors by putting rugs down in areas of high traffic. For instance, if you have stone flooring in the entry way of your home, consider putting a thick mat down just beyond the door. This can be taken outside every few days and shaken out.
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