Marble is a beautiful stone, and dishes made of it look almost like a work of art. Now marble is in trend: modern fashionable serving dishes use marble boards for cheese and meat snacks, marble plate holders, mortars, salt and pepper shakers, rolling pins and many other items.
To keep their beauty for a long time, they should be cleaned properly.
First of all, speaking of marble, you should know that it is quite soft and porous stone: it is able to absorb liquids and to stain. In addition, it is a material that is very easily damaged by acids, so Therefore, if you have such dishes, it is important to know how to get out of such unpleasant situations.
Everyday washing.
Any marble dishes should be washed with a soft sponge and soapy solution. Powdery detergents or caustic agents with acids are not suitable.
After washing, marble dishes should always be wiped dry with a towel.
Cleaning difficult dirt
No one is immune to accidents: what to do if you spilled wine, tea, coffee, vegetable oil on the marble?
First of all, you should wipe the stain right away. If you do not notice the unpleasantness and the liquid has spent on the surface of the marble for more than an hour, it is very likely to penetrate the structure of the stone and you will have to eliminate the stain with the help of special methods. It is different for every type of stain.
Coffee, tea, wine stains
Coffee, tea and wine can leave yellow and brown stains on marble. They must be removed with the help of hydrogen peroxide-based solutions. And it is extremely important not to forget that the tissues and rags that you will use in the cleaning process can only be white, as colored under the influence of peroxide can begin to fade and stain the marble even more.
Cleaner: 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, 3-4 drops of ammonia
Also needed: cling film, white cloth
Moisten the cloth with the cleaning solution. Place it on the stain. Wrap the cloth in clingfilm on top of the stain. Allow to stand for 8-10 hours. If necessary, increase the exposure time.
After this time, remove the film and cloth, wash with water and soapy solution, wipe dry.
Grease spots
Oily stains are the most common problem with serving boards because you put sausages, olives and sun-dried tomatoes cooked in olive oil on them.
If you clean such a board in time, there will be no problems, but if after it has been used, forget about it and wash it, for example, the morning after the party, stains can remain.
Such stains can be cleaned with starch – any starch will do, even potato, even rice starch.
Starch is applied as a thick layer to the stain and left for 24 hours. During this time, it absorbs fat and the surface is cleared.
The procedure can be repeated, often the first time the stain is not gone.
All-purpose cleanser
You can use baking soda to clean and even lightly sand marble tableware.
This cleaner contains the following ingredients: baking soda (1 tbsp), water (1 tbsp).
Apply the mixture of baking soda and water to the dirt and leave it for 4-5 hours. During this time, the mixture will dry. Due to the properties of baking soda, such cleaning helps for most types of stains, if they are not stale.
Cannot be used for marble
On a separate list, we want to list which products should absolutely not be used on marble.
Powdery dishwashing detergents
Household solvents such as acetone and white spirit
Vinegar
These cleaners will ruin the marble surface, leaving it with scratches or even gouges. Marble is extremely sensitive to acids – any compositions in which they appear categorically contraindicated for cleaning this precious stone.