Cleaning limestone daily

danapalamara · 01-23-2008, 06:46 PM

Hi,

I've just had a limestone floor fitted in the conservatory. Does anybody know what the best product to use for daily cleaning is please? The floor has been sealed with a natural stone sealer.

I've read that Lustro Italiano has a good daily cleaner, but the write-up seemed to point more towards it's use on marble rather than limestone, so I wasn't sure.

Our porch is also freshly tiled with granite - what cleaner if any should I be using? I've been using plain water unil now

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Dana

Huligar · 01-23-2008, 06:53 PM

The Lustro Italiano is great for most stones.
It works well with Limestone, the only problem that you may have it the container it comes in. the package is gear more to countertops but it works just as great on floors.

danapalamara · 01-23-2008, 07:01 PM

Thank you ! Dana

Huligar · 01-23-2008, 07:05 PM

Dana, I am checking with them to see if they have it in a concentrated form that you can dilute for your floors. It would be a pain to spray and mop a floor.

danapalamara · 01-23-2008, 07:14 PM

Thanks Huligar,

I've just tried to buy some via the site, but I don't think they'll ship to the UK

Huligar · 01-23-2008, 07:18 PM

They will, as long as you have a street address.

cheesedog · 01-24-2008, 01:50 AM

the best way to keep limestone clean on a daily basis is to keep it dry. use a dust mop and a vaccuum. mopping it and constantly using cleaners will only contribute to the build up. no one believes me but i have pictures to prove it.

Huligar · 01-24-2008, 02:53 AM

Cheesedog, what build up are you speaking of?
what daily clean was used on the stone that you have pictures of?
I would like to continue this conversation in the trade area of this forum. please upload the images and give us the details in the trade area.

danapalamara · 01-24-2008, 11:07 AM

Thanks for your advise cheesedog - I'm new to all of this, but it certainly seems to makes a lot of sense to use products as little as possible on any natural surface. I've resolved to try to keep cleaning with any product to a max of once a week.

Under Foot · 01-24-2008, 10:22 PM

Hi Dana, and welcome to the NSRA forums!

There are many good products for cleaning natural stone. The real key is that it be a "neutral" cleaner (i.e. that is has a PH balance of about 7). It is good to hear that the stone has been sealed, as this will help. Please keep in mind that not all sealers are created equal, however, and that the best quality sealers can cost almost 10X less expensive varieties. If your installer sealed the floor after installation, I fear that it is unlikely that the sealer used was a high quality, vapor permeable one (it is that RARE installer that is willing to pay substantially more for a high quality product when the client doesn't know the difference).

In any case, keep in mind that stone sealers have an effective life of only about 1-2 years, especially on a floor that receives regular foot traffic. CheeseDog is correct in stating that it is beneficial to dust mop regularly (sand and grit on a floor will cause it to wear much more quickly), but you need not be concerned that weekly moping will create problems for you, SO LONG AS YOU USE A NEUTRAL PH CLEANER. A neutral PH cleaner will not leave a residue behind, and as long as the water used for moping is clean (as one would expect with regular cleaning), you will not be doing your floor a disservice (full disclosure: CheeseDog and I have slightly differing views on this matter).

It is unavoidable, however, that a porous limestone will eventually need professional cleaning (e.g. here in the USA there are services, such as Under Foot, with specially constructed steam cleaning units that can remove soil from the microscopic pores inherent in your stone...perhaps these services exist in the UK as well). Have your limestone floor professionally cleaned and resealed every 1-2 years, and it will provide you many decades of beautiful service.

Good Luck!