How to Clean Marble Stairs

Never use acidic cleansers on marble.

While properly maintained marble stairs give a room an elegant, refined touch, if the stairs are dirty, the effect is completely ruined. Although marble stairs are often associated with museums, churches and historic estates, older or more upscale homes sometimes contain marble stairs as well. Like any other surface flooring, marble stairs need to be cleaned periodically. Cleaning marble flooring requires different techniques than traditional flooring as marble's porous surface needs more frequent attention than many other hard flooring types, and the stone streaks or develops a film when exposed to harsh cleaning products.

Things You'll Need

• Dust mop
• Soft cloth
• Stone soap
• Bucket
• Rag or cotton string mop
• Corn starch

Instructions

1. Wipe the marble stairs with a dry dust mop frequently to prevent dirt from accumulating and settling into the porous marble surface. Dust mop on a daily basis for the best results.

2. Clean any spills on the stairs immediately. Blot the liquid with a soft cloth moistened with warm water until the spill is removed.

3. Mop the stairs every other week to remove grime left after dust mopping. Add 6 to 8 oz. of a stone soap cleanser to 2 gallons of warm water in a mop bucket. Dip a mop in the mixture, then wring the mop out to prevent exposing the marble to excessive amounts of water. Change the water while mopping as needed.

4. Let the mopped stairs air dry. Alternatively, you can rinse the stairs with cold, clean water, then dry them with a soft cloth.

5. Clean oil stains by wiping away any debris and sprinkling corn starch over the oil. Allow the corn starch to sit for one hour, then wipe it up and replace it with more corn starch. Let this application sit for 24 hours, then remove it and clean the marble with a mixture of stone soap and warm water. Rinse the marble with water and dry the stairs using a soft cloth.

6. Clean the stairs using specialized marble-cleaning chemical products when excess dirt and stains build up and cannot be removed with lighter cleaning solutions. Follow the directions on the product's label.

Tips & Warnings

• Salt eats through marble quickly. Clean any salt off of the stairs quickly in the winter.

References

• "Common Bond"; Maintaining Marble Floors; New York Landmarks Conservancy; October 1996
• Marble Institute of America: Consumer Resources: Natural Stone Care and Cleaning
• Mrs. Clean House Cleaning Specialists: Tips For Cleaning Marble Floors Safely & Effectively
• Integrity Marble & Granite: Home Maintenance Guidelines for All Types of Natural Stone Surfaces