Slate Cleaning

Slate stones have been in use traditionally for many years for roofing and landscaping. Slowly slate stones entered the interiors of homes as a flooring and wall tile material. Slate stones are available in the form of slabs, tiles, chips, which are used for various purposes like as roofing, flooring, wall cladding, paving, backsplash, landscaping, including making of slate stone furniture and stone crafts. For the proper look and appearance, for durability, for retaining the natural look, it is very essential to keep the stone clean and dust free. Cleaning slate stone is not a difficult task provided you have the necessary stone cleaning products with you. We give below few essential tips for cleaning slate.

Cleaning Slate Stones

The first thing that you should know what kind of dirt or contaminant you are trying to remove before starting the cleaning program. This way you can choose the best suitable stone cleaning product. In many cases you can yourself do the cleaning task but for cleaning hard stains and grout resotoration or sealing, it is better to hire a professional slate stone cleaner. Slate comes in many different finishes, textures and colors. One main advantage of slate stone is that it has good resistance to mild acids, as a result of which it gives a much wider choice of cleaning products compared to more acid-sensitive stones like limestone or marble.

Slate Cleaning Tips

For everyday slate cleaning

Immediately use a dry cloth to wipe up spills and messes. For daily cleaning, use mild detergents like dishwashing liquid. They work quite well on stone surface. To remove grout joints, to loosen debris use a soft bristled brush. Thoroughly rinse the area to remove any remaining cleaning and wipe dry. You can also use pH balanced cleaners for everyday cleaning.

Heavy duty slate cleaning

You can use pH balanced cleaners for heavy duty slate cleaning needs. These can include scouring cleaners and poultices manufactured for this purpose. First off all test a small portion of the slate stone tile or slate stone floor with any abrasive powder to check if it will adversely affect the finish of the stone. If it works fine then you can use the cleaner for the entire area. First of allow the cleaner to stay upon the surface to gain the full use of the cleaner. If it does not work, opt for more aggressive high alkaline "heavy duty" or "deep clean" type stone cleaning products available in the market. Commercial floor buffers or cleaning machines are perfectly suited to large areas of slate stone tile and grout. It is very essential to rinse the slate stone thoroughly to remove any remaining cleaner.

Stone Cleaning Tips from the Experts

• Always make sure that you are protecting your slate stone tiles, slate floors, slate backsplashes etc. with a high quality sealer. A sealer will help retaining the original finish of the stone and also make it stain free.
• You must remove all grit and dirt from slate stone on a regular basis.
• Sweep and vacuum the slate floor regularly. This will also help remove grit from the surface of the floor.
• Soak up immediately accidental spillages on the floors or slate tiles or backsplashes. You shouldn't leave strong contaminants like coffee or wine to stay on the stone for a lonmg time.
• Wash the slate using a mild, neutral cleaner at regular intervals.
• Carry out deep cleaning using a high alkaline content cleaner less frequently.

Cleaning Slate Stone Floor

Fpr slate stone floor cleaning, you should first check whether the contaminant is mineral based like as grout staining, cement, rust or general dirt. In such a case, use a mild acid cleaner such as Phosphoric Acid Cleaner. In most other situations like general dirt and grime, oil, wax or a general build up of old polishes etc. use a strong alkaline cleaner for periodic intensive cleaning.

Slate Tile Cleaning

It is important to test the slate tile surface and also to know what type of sealers are used on the slate before any tile cleaning process is done. The slate tile cleaning process can vary depending on the type of slate tile being cleaned. Alkaline cleaning products are usually safe for cleaning slate tiles but cleaning slate tiles with acidic based cleaning products can damage the tile surface. If the tile has a topical sealer on it then the sealer needs to be removed before any cleaning process can begin. There are different methods of removing slate sealers depending on the sealer that is been used. You can determine the type of topical sealer used on the slate tile by putting some acetone on the sealer. If the topical sealer begins to emulsify then there is every chance of that a water based wax topical sealer was used. If the acetone does not emulsify, it is better to contact a tile cleaning professional. If no sealer is used, then cleaning slate stone tile is very easy. Juct follow the expert tips given above to clean slate stone. Use an alkaline cleaning product and apply on the tiles. Allow the cleaning solution to get deep inside the pores of the slate tiles and emulsify any dirt and contaminates. Use a soft brush or scrub gently to agitate the tile. Then you can rinse clean the slate tile surface with a mop or towel. Always make sure that there is no remaining dirt or cleaning residue on the slate tiles.
Check out more slate stone cleaning and maintenance tips in our article How to Clean Slate Stone Tiles?- Slate Care Tips


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