Cleaning Travertine Do’s & Don’ts | How To Clean Travertine

SEO pFOkUS, June 8, 2021

Natural stone travertine has many takers when it comes to interior decoration. Some prefer to use this costly stone for their floors and counters, while some get a travertine shower. This stone is available in many natural textures and vivid hues that makes it a favorite of architects and designers. But for a home or a commercial complex owner, certain basic cleaning travertine guidelines are important to maintain it for long.

trvertine-floor-cleaner-imperia-deep-clean

Before we elaborate on cleaning travertine do’s and don’ts, you should first understand the basic characteristics of this stone and know why travertine is different from other natural stones.

Characteristics of Travertine:

  • This stone is formed by underground rivers, subterranean springs and other water sources that carry mineral elements. These elements, specifically calcium carbonate form multiple layers to result in a new stone that is smooth and hard. This stone is travertine.
  • It is a porous natural stone. The pores are formed because of the gases that escape the structure when it is being formed.
  • It has a uniform structure with a lesser degree of hardness than granite.
  • As it is not very hard in nature, it is easy to mine and process it.
  • Travertine has a low density that makes transportation easy.
  • The stone has naturally occurring pits and holes on its surface that give it an aged and weathered appearance.
  • It is available in various colors such as warm earthy tones, soft ivories, creams, vibrant gold and honey shades, silvery greens and even deep mocha browns. You may never find a single piece of this stone featuring the same shade throughout as it has several veins or band like lines in contrasting hues running across.
  • No two travertine stones are alike.
  • This stone is polished, honed, brushed or tumbled before you can use it for your interiors. Each of these processes give the stone a distinct look. The polished and honed procedures give the stone a smooth surface, while tumbling and brushing give the stone a textured and rough appearance.
  • People generally go for honed travertine as it appears to be flat, smooth and with a matte finish.

Characteristics of TravertinepFOKUS

These are some of the distinct characteristics of this stone, based on which, we will now understand certain important do’s and don’ts for cleaning travertine.

Travertine Care Do’s and Don’ts:

Do’s:

  • Always clean the stone with deep-penetrating cleaners that are capable of eliminating hidden stains and mold in the pores inside.
  • Also, ensure that you use an alkaline-based cleaner as this stone is not at all acid-friendly.
  • Always make it a point to clean spills immediately. If you ignore them or leave them as they are for some time, the spills may find time to enter the pores and lead to germs and mold breeding subsequently.
  • Never spread the spills while wiping, you should always use a blotting paper. This will prevent the spills from spreading on the entire surface and damaging it thereafter.
  • Always clean the surfaces with a soft cloth and hot water in case of denser stains. Use a stone maintenance cleaner once a week to ensure complete hygiene.
  • Keep a tray for soaps and lotions in your bathrooms. This will prevent the spills from corroding or etching the stone.
  • Use a doormat at the entrance of your house to absorb the superfluous dirt and dust from your footwear as you enter the house. This dirt and small grit are abrasive and might scratch your tile surface.
  • Seal the grout after deep-cleaning the surface as grout is also porous and tends to give birth to mold and germs if moisture is present in its pores. If you ignore grout sealing, it will impact the look of your travertine stone and make it look hazy beneath the tile sealant.
  • Seal travertine stone after sealing the grout separately as the stone is very vulnerable to acidic food spills, acidic soaps and lotions spills and acidic beverages spills. The acid content in these substances causes etching on the stone and may also damage its surface permanently.

travertine-restoration-- Grout sealer- Caponi copy

  • If possible, hire experts for cleaning and sealing travertine, especially when it is new. They can perform deep cleaning and sealing with high-quality products so that you can enhance the life of your stone.
  • Travertine etching can be removed by polishing the stone. It is better to hire experts to hone or polish the surface to restore it just like new.
  • If you find chips and cracks on the stone, it should be first sealed with pigmented flexible adhesives that give seamless repair results.

Don’ts:

  • Do not use abrasives for removing travertine stains or mold as you may end up forming scratches on the surface.
  • Also, do not use home remedies like vinegar, lemon and other acidic products for cleaning.
  • Do not use any kinds of generic home cleaning products for travertine cleaning as you do not know about their composition. These may cause etching on the stone.
  • Never sit or stand on travertine counters as they are not as strong as granite. Too much weight can cause the stone to crack at some points.
  • Sealing travertine should not be done with water-based sealers as these quickly wear off in some time, leaving the stone vulnerable to staining and mold formation again.
  • Do not place hot vessels directly on travertine stone, always use a coaster. Placing hot vessels directly on the surface may weaken the bonds of the stone and make it vulnerable to chips, cracks or etching.

These are essential travertine tips for care and maintenance. Now let us read some instructions on cleaning travertine.

How to Clean Travertine?

Cleaning Travertine Tile:

It is always best to use a high-quality, robust and alkaline cleaner to clean travertine stains, mold and other grime. Experts use only high-quality products that do not hamper the integrity of the surface. You can use Imperia Deep Clean from pFOkUS for cleaning travertine. This one is a deep-soaking liquid that is alkaline in nature and also removes all hidden traces of germs and mold.

pFOkUS-Travertine-Stone-floor cleaner

Here is how you can clean your travertine stone:

  • Imperia Deep Clean is an amazing cleaner to remove travertine stains, soap scum, mold and mildew.
  • First, fill the sprayer bottle with the concentrated solution of the cleaner.
  • After that, you need to fill the sprayer with hot water.
  • Fill hot water in another spray bottle.
  • Next, add 8 oz of neutralizer to the solution that helps to dry the liquid from the surfaces faster.
  • Spray on all the travertine surfaces from the extreme ends and allow to dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Again apply Imperia on the same surface but then do not let it dry again.
  • Scrub the grout lines and tile in back and forth motion using a grout brush.
  • Again apply Imperia on the surface
  • After that, use the neutralizer to let dry.
  • Lastly, retract the shower floor and the corners.

$39.95

If you clean your travertine stone this way, you will get a thoroughly sanitized and hygienic surface. The finest travertine cleaning professionals also use such high-quality products for their services.

How to Buy a Travertine Care Product?

If you plan to clean and restore your stone on your own, then you must rely only on the high-quality travertine care products from pFOkUS. You can get the best stone cleaner, repair tools, cracks adhesive, grout sealant and tile sealant. pFOkUS products are carefully designed after years of research in the laboratories. Using these products will definitely help you restore your travertine stone just like new.

How to Hire a Travertine Stone Contractor?

If you feel that all the procedures required for cleaning and maintenance of your stone are too overwhelming or you just do not have the time to do it yourself, you can hire professionals to do it for you. But, not every company who claims to restore your stone can be relied upon. To know that you have hired the best travertine stone contractor, you can ask them certain tips on travertine maintenance and care. You can also ask them what kind of products they use for cleaning and sealing the stone. If they use acidic cleaners or water-based sealers, you can bid them goodbye.

D'Sapone - Travertine Stone Contractor

We suggest you to hire experts from D’Sapone – a leading stone restoration service provider in the US. They only use pFOkUS products for their restoration services.

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