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November 16th, 2008<a href=”http://technorati.com/claim/fdi6husgvq” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>
How not to clean hard water deposits in a stone shower
September 19th, 2008Following is an all too frequent question.
“I bought high shine marble and I have very hard water. I tried to clean it with CLR. I now have what looks like water drip marks. Do you have a cleaning recommendation or product for sale that will correct this? Thanks for any help you can provide.”
Another inquirers asks, “I have stone floor in my shower. It has a very large hardwater stains and build up on it. I plan to clean and re-seal the tiles. What is the best cleaner for it? I have tried CLR, Limeaway and nothing has worked. ”
Hard water deposits on any stone shower is a common problem. Cleaning hard water deposits is not difficult. Unfortunately there is no such thing as a cleaning product that will resolve the real problem these homeowners are now faced with. In both of these cases, the solution the homeowners used actually created another problem. Products like CLR are caustic acids which effectively attack the hard mineral deposits. The problem is that marble and limestone are also mineral in nature and are also attacked by the acids. The acids in the CLR and Limeaway more than likely removed the deposits but also left deep etch marks in the surface of the marble leaving the streaks that they are referring to. The only way to repair these streaks is to have the shower professionally refinished by a stone restoration contractor.
By the way, once the shower is restored there are several things you can do to prevent the build up:
1. Each time the shower is used spritz a little stone safe neutral cleaner, then take a squeegee and wipe the walls clean.
2. A tiny amount of car paste wax can be applied to the walls as well as glass shower doors.
3. A good, albeit more expensive solution, would be to install a water softener.
Our network of stone restoration contractors tell us their jobs would be far fewer if homeowners would use only stone safe cleaning products. Only use products to clean the marble that are designed for marble. Stay away from products like CLR etc.
To locate a qualified stone restoration pro in your area visit www.stoneandtilepros.com/findapro.php
Dr. Fred
Chief Technical Director
www.stoneandtilepros.com
www.stoneforensics.com
Dispelling Myths About Granite
August 29th, 2008By Frederick M Hueston PhD
Many of you will use granite for your new counter tops and you will run into many myths when shopping for granite. The following will help you deal with these myths and rumors.
Myth #1- Granite can harbor harmful bacteria.
This statement is simply untrue. We contacted The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to find out how many cases they had on file where granite has caused any illness or disease as a result of bacteria. They could not find one case, proving that granite will not harbor bacteria. In addition, you would expect one to clean their counter top on a regular basis.
Myth #2- Granite contains harmful radon gases.
This again is another myth that is untrue. This claim was investigated by Donald Langmuir, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Geochemistry at the Colorado School of Mines and President of Hydrochemical Systems Corp. Mr. Langmuir’s response can be found at http://www.natural-stone.com/radonmyth.html.
Recently this concern has resurfaced in the news and appearing all over the US in newspapers and even on TV. The good news is that almost all the media are interviewing geologists and experts who are basically saying….there is not enough radon emitted from granite to cause any concern. One scientist took readings of several granites and found the radon emitted was only in the 3-4% range of what the EPA considered safe. They even placed a piece of granite in a hot car for thirty minutes and retested with the same results.
The following are the links to these various articles
http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/3435111/
Myth #3- Granite is difficult to clean!
Also, not true. Anyone who works with or owns a granite countertop, knows it is very easy to take care of. Cleaning requires wiping with a good stone cleaner. There are even disinfectant cleaners now available for both granite and solid surfaces.
There are many myths, false accusations and just plain lies out there about using granite. Remember granite is a rock. Depending on where you live your house is more than likely built over granite. Radon can be a serious issue but most of the radon problems that exist would more likely be from the ground rather than your countertop.