How To Remove Hard Water Stains From Natural Stone

Stain Removal

Spills and Stains
Blot the spill with a paper towel immediately. Don't wipe the area, it will spread the spill. Flush the expanse with plain water and mild lather and rinse several times. Dry the area thoroughly with a soft cloth. Echo every bit necessary. If the stain remains, refer to the section in this brochure on stain removal.

Stain Removal
Identifying the type of stain on the rock surface is the key to removing it. If y'all don't know what caused the stain, play detective. Where is the stain located? Is it near a plant, a nutrient service area, an area where cosmetics are used? What color is information technology? What is the shape or design? What goes on in the area around the stain? Surface stains can frequently be removed by cleaning with an advisable cleaning production or household chemical. Deep-seated or stubborn stains may crave using a poultice or calling in a professional. The following sections describe the types of stains that yous may have to bargain with and appropriate household chemicals to use and how to prepare and use a poultice to remove the stain.

Types of Stains and First Pace Cleaning Deportment

OIL-BASED
(grease, tar, cooking oil, milk, cosmetics)
An oil-based stain will darken the stone and normally must be chemically dissolved so the source of the stain can exist flushed or rinsed away. Clean gently with a soft, liquid cleanser with bleach OR household detergent OR ammonia OR mineral spirits OR acetone.

ORGANIC
(coffee, tea, fruit, tobacco, paper, food, urine, leaves, bawl, bird droppings) May cause a pinkish-brown stain and may disappear after the source of the stain has been removed. Outdoors, with the sources removed, normal lord's day and rain action will mostly bleach out the stains. Indoors, make clean with12% hydrogen peroxide (pilus bleaching strength) and a few drops of ammonia.

Metal
(iron, rust, copper, statuary)
Iron or rust stains are orange to dark-brown in colour and follow the shape of the staining object such as nails, bolts, screws, cans, flower pots, metal furniture. Copper and bronze stains announced as dark-green or dingy-brownish and result from the action of wet on nearby or embedded bronze, copper or brass items. Metallic stains must be removed with a poultice.(See section on Making & Using a Poultice) Deep-seated, rusty stains are extremely difficult to remove and the stone may exist permanently stained.

BIOLOGICAL
(algae, mildew, lichens, moss, fungi)
Make clean with diluted (1/two cup in a gallon of water) ammonia OR bleach OR hydrogen peroxide. Practice NOT MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA! THIS COMBINATION CREATES A TOXIC AND LETHAL GAS!

INK
(magic marking, pen, ink)
Clean with bleach or hydrogen peroxide (light colored stone just!) or lacquer thinner or acetone (dark stones only!)

PAINT
Modest amounts tin can be removed with lacquer thinner or scraped off advisedly with a razorblade. Heavy paint coverage should be removed only with a commercial "heavy liquid" paint stripper available from hardware stores and pigment centers. These strippers normally comprise caustic soda or lye. Do not apply acids or flame tools to strip pigment from stone. Pigment strippers can compose the surface of the stone; re-polishing may exist necessary. Follow the manufacturer's directions for apply of these products, taking care to flush the area thoroughly with clean water. Protect yourself with rubber gloves and centre protection, and piece of work in a well-ventilated area. Use but wood or plastic scrapers for removing the sludge and curdled pigment. Normally, latex and acrylic paints will not crusade staining. Oil-based paints, linseed oil, putty, caulks and sealants may cause oily stains. Refer to the section on oil-based stains.

WATER SPOTS AND RINGS
(surface aggregating of hard water)
Buff with dry 0000 steel wool.

Burn AND SMOKE Harm
Older stones and smoke or burn down stained fireplaces may crave a thorough cleaning to restore their original appearance. Commercially available "smoke removers" may save time and endeavour.

Etch MARKS
Compose marks are caused by acids left on the surface of the stone. Some materials will etch the finish but not leave a stain. Others will both etch and stain. In one case the stain has been removed, wet the surface with clear water and sprinkle on marble polishing powder, available from a hardware or lapidary store, or your local stone dealer. Rub the powder onto the rock with a clammy cloth or by using a buffing pad with a depression-speed ability drill. Continue buffing until the etch mark disappears and the marble surface shines. Contact your stone dealer or call a professional stone restorer for refinishing or re-polishing etched areas that you cannot remove.

EFFLORESCENCE
Efflorescence is a white pulverisation that may appear on the surface of the stone. Information technology is acquired by h2o conveying mineral salts from below the surface of the stone rise through the stone and evaporating. When the h2o evaporates, it leaves the powdery substance. If the installation is new, dust mop or vacuum the pulverisation. You lot may have to do this several times every bit the stone dries out. Practice not utilize water to remove the powder; it will just temporarily disappear. If the trouble persists, contact your installer to assistance place and remove the cause of the moisture.

SCRATCHES AND NICKS
Slight surface scratches may be buffed with dry 0000 steel wool. Deeper scratches and nicks in the surface of the stone should be repaired and re-polished past a professional.

Poultices

Making and Using a Poultice
A poultice is a liquid cleaner or chemical mixed with a white absorptive textile to form a paste about the consistency of peanut butter. The poultice is spread over the stained area to a thickness of about 1/four to 1/2 inch with a wood or plastic spatula, covered with plastic and left to work for 24 to 48 hours. The liquid cleaner or chemical volition draw out the stain into the absorbent cloth. Poultice procedures may take to be repeated to thoroughly remove a stain, merely some stains may never be completely removed.

Poultice Materials
Poultice materials include kaolin, fuller's earth, whiting, diatomaceous earth, powdered chalk, white molding plaster or talc. Approximately 1 pound of prepared poultice material will encompass one square foot. Do not employ whiting or fe-blazon clays such as fuller's earth with acid chemicals. The reaction volition cancel the effect of the poultice. A poultice can also be prepared using white cotton balls, whitepaper towels or gauze pads.

Cleaning Agents or Chemicals

OIL-BASED STAINS
Poultice with baking soda and water OR one of the powdered poultice materials and mineral spirits.

ORGANIC STAINS
Poultice with one of the powdered poultice materials and 12% hydrogen peroxide solution (hair bleaching strength) OR use acetone instead of the hydrogen peroxide.

Fe STAINS
Poultice with diatomaceous earth and a commercially available rust remover. Rust stains are particularly hard to remove. You may need to telephone call a professional.

COPPER STAINS
Poultice with one of the powdered poultice materials and ammonia. These stains are difficult to remove. You may demand to call a professional.

BIOLOGICAL STAINS
Poultice with dilute ammonia OR bleach OR hydrogen peroxide. DO Not MIX AMMONIA AND BLEACH! THIS COMBINATION CREATES A TOXIC AND LETHAL GAS!

Applying the Poultice

Set up the poultice. If using powder, mix the cleaning agent or chemic to a thick paste the consistency of peanut butter. If using newspaper, soak in the chemic and let drain. Don't allow the liquid drip.

Wet the stained area with distilled h2o.

Apply the poultice to the stained surface area about1/4 to i/2 inch thick and extend the poultice beyond the stained area by about one inch. Employ a wood or plastic scraper to spread the poultice evenly.

Embrace the poultice with plastic and tape the edges to seal information technology.

Let the poultice to dry thoroughly, usually about 24 to 48 hours. The drying process is what pulls the stain out of the rock and into the poultice material. After about 24 hours, remove the plastic and allow the poultice to dry.

Remove the poultice from the stain. Rinse with distilled water and buff dry with a soft cloth. Apply the forest or plastic scraper if necessary.

Repeat the poultice application if the stain is not removed. It may take up to v applications for difficult stains.

If the surface is etched by the chemical, use polishing powder and vitrify with burlap or felt buffing pad to restore the surface.

Source: https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/consumers/stains/

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