The 6 Do's To Keep Your Stone Coffee Table Clean
Everyday Maintenance
The best way to ensure your stone coffee table remains crystal clear and sparkly clean is to implement a simple, quick routine for everyday maintenance.
What does that entail? Good question! Nothing difficult or complicated. Just take a warm, soapy cloth and wipe down the entire surface of your stone table and the sides as well. If you’re going to buff it, make sure you use a soft, clean and dry cloth.
Wipe Up Spills Straight Away
Life happens and spills are a part of life. If something spills on your stone coffee table the best thing to do is to soak it up immediately with paper towel and wipe it away. Then grab a clean, damp cloth and wipe the same spot to ensure that no residue is leftover.
Wiping up any spill as soon as possible will ensure than there is no ‘etching’ and no long-term, unsightly stains left.
Use The Right Soaps
You need to be very careful with what sort of cleaning soaps and detergents you use on your coffee tables. Generally, we recommend a neutral soap with a mild PH level. Gumption can also be used for great results, and a moderate usage of methylated spirits can keep your top streak free.
There’s a ton of things we highly recommend you DON’T use for cleaning your stone coffee table, but we’ll save them for the next section.
Use A Plastic Utensil
If you missed a stain and only found it once it’s hardened, or simply didn’t get there in time, it’s important you don’t scratch your stone trying to clean it. You could end up doing more damage that way.
The best way to remove a hard stain is to get a plastic knife, spoon or spatula to gently—and we repeat, gently—remove the stain. Be patient: it’s worth being safe rather than sorry.
Use A Poultice
So, you’ve got a stain that won’t come off with a warm, soapy cloth, and can’t be removed with a plastic utensil. Our next suggestion for deeper, stronger stains is to use a poultice.
A poultice is a liquid cleaner that is mixed to produce a white paste and can be applied to stubborn stains. Make sure you use an appropriate poultice by reading the label and following the instructions carefully.
Get It Professionally Cleaned
If it’s time to bring out the big guns to clean your stone coffee table, make sure you get it done by a real professional. (We’ve got a bunch of them waiting to help you!)
Whether your stone needs to be repolished, resealed or resurfaced, don’t try and save a few bucks by going the cheaper, unprofessional route. It’ll cost you big time down the track!
THE 6 DON’TS TO KEEP YOUR STONE BENCHTOP CLEAN
Don’t Panic
Of course, the saying goes, “don’t cry over spilt milk”. At Elsa Home & Beauty, we like to say, “don’t panic over spilt ANYTHING!” We certainly understand how heart-stopping it is to see something spill across your stunning stone coffee table.
But panicking isn’t going to help anyone and will possibly even cause you to damage the coffee table more by making a silly mistake trying to clean it up.
Don’t Leave Spills
Yes, panicking is no good. But neither is being Mr Loosey Goosey. Don’t leave spills! Grab some paper towel and a cloth to get rid of the stain as soon as possible.
The sooner you get rid of the spill, the less likely it is your stone marble coffee table will stain. Be especially vigilant with wine, pasta sauce, coffee, citrus juices etc.
Don’t Wipe Before Blotting
Your glass just spilled. But you know what to do: you don’t panic and grab some paper towel and…. If your first instinct was to wipe, you’re not alone. It’s a common mistake. But wiping the spill first might achieve nothing more than spreading it across your stone coffee table.
It’s vital that you get rid of as much of the spill as possible before wiping the surface down. Grab paper towel and use it to soak up the liquid by blotting as much as possible. Once you’ve done this, then you can grab the clean, wet cloth and wipe the rest away.
Don’t Use The Wrong Cleaners
This one is super important! Stone coffee tables look exquisite and need to be treated exceptionally, so making sure you use the right cleaners and avoid the wrong ones cannot be overstated!
Avoid silicone-based spray & wipes, oil soaps, harsh chemicals, highly acidic cleaners, bleach, and abrasive cleaners. Using the wrong detergents can cause extensive damage. Always check the label of any cleaning product to ensure it’s the right one. And of course, it goes without saying that you should never use paint removers, nail polish remover or furniture stripers on your stone coffee table. Ever.
Don’t Use Harsh Scrubbers
It’s not just the chemicals you use that’s important: it’s also the cleaning cloths. If you use a harsh cleaning cloth or pad, you could scratch the stone of your coffee table.
So, no scouring pads or steel wool or anything like it. Instead, you can use clean, soft and damp clothes or soft sponges.
Don’t Forget Your Fat/Oil Stains
If you want to keep your stone marble coffee table clean, you should keep an eye out for all the different stains that don’t immediately come to mind. A common one is the fat or oil stains often found around stoves, hot plates, or surfaces over which you carry your food.
Keeping an eye out for these sorts of stains and wiping them down quickly, and as part of a thorough wipe down at the end of every day, will ensure a completely clean marble table!
Want To Know More?
If you want to know more about stone benchtops, read our articles about the Pros and Cons of a Marble Dining Table or find out about the best way to decorate a marble console like a pro
And, as always, if you want to get in touch with our expert team of stone-pros email us at hello@elsahomeandbeauty.com.au