Marble Damage from Natural Lemon Cleaner

by Bev
(Calgary Alberta)

QUESTION:

I have been using a natural product that uses lemon and now my countertops are blotchy and rough. What do you suggest I use to clean my countertops.

Also, I have granite in my kitchen. parts of it are starting to look dull, any ideas? Thanks

ANSWER:

Lemon is acidic. Marble is sensitive to acids. Acids will corrode marble eating into the surface leaving the rough and blotchy spots you describe.

This is a known issue with marble called "etching" that too often doesn't get explained properly to consumers.

If you've used this cleaner several times then the damage may be so severe that you'll need to call a marble maintenance professional to grind away the damaged marble and re-finish the surface.

However, most often etch marks can be effectively repaired using ETCH REMOVER / Marble Polishing Paste which is made specially for etching so you can do it yourself.

So, I'd recommend using that first since it is easy to use and far cheaper than a pro and maybe it isn't damaged as bad as it sounds from your description.

If you don't get satisfactory results from the paste, then you'll have to call a pro. The paste works very well, but only on mild to moderate etching. Only a pro can fix severe etching.

Granite is very hard and doesn't really get dull. It does not etch either. You may have a build up of soap if that is used a lot.

I'd suggest cleaning the granite with acetone one time to remove any grime, etc.

Then only use products safe for cleaning marble & granite.

Topical Polish/Shine Enhancer is also effective for enhancing the shine, but it won't repair any damage.