How Do You Get Calcium Out of Natural Stone?
Natural stone adds beauty and charm to any home, yet can be challenging to clean properly. To prevent damaging your stones, it is crucial that the appropriate cleaning products are used when caring for it.
Some individuals believe that cutting out all foods containing oxalate or calcium will help prevent kidney stones, but this approach is not healthy. Speak with your health care provider about finding out the most suitable way for you to maintain a balanced diet.
1. Baking soda
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), also commonly referred to as baking soda, is an extremely versatile household product with multiple applications. Safe for natural stone surfaces and great alternatives to more aggressive cleaners, sodium bicarbonate should be explored further before its use on natural stones. But before doing so, be aware of its characteristics before proceeding.
Slate is a type of rock formed from compressed seafloor sediment and river bed sediment from seas and river beds that collided millions of years ago, to form continents. Slate has an irregular surface with pores; as a result, calcium deposits and stains often form over time and may be difficult to remove.
To effectively prevent deposits on natural stone surfaces, the best approach is to use a neutral daily cleaner such as Granite Gold or Akemi Crystal Clean. Both cleaners are safe for all natural stones as they do not contain acids that could etch or damage its surface.
Regular cleaning with these products is also beneficial in maintaining the color and lasting appearance of slate tiles, but in cases of heavy and stubborn calcium build-up these solutions may not be sufficient to remove. In these instances, professional removal services should be sought out.
If you’re uncertain which natural stone type you possess, try applying a small drop of water directly onto its surface and waiting 10 minutes. If it quickly absorbs into the stone’s pores and sinks beneath its surface, that indicates Granite or Quartz while if it remains on top suggests marble or Travertine as options.
Understand that both types of stones can have hard water stains, yet their cleaning processes vary significantly. Aggressive acid cleaners like CLR can dissolve these stains but may leave behind deep micro-channels where mineral deposits will begin settling over time. Therefore, natural stone surfaces should only ever be cleaned using non-abrasive cleaners.
2. Ammonia
Ammonia, a colorless gas with an unpleasant odor, can be produced naturally by plants as well as through anaerobic breakdown of organic matter and certain soil bacteria (rhizobia). Ammonia has also been detected in outer space! Ammonia can be highly toxic when inhaled in large doses and has even been linked to death; yet due to being water soluble it’s used widely as part of household cleaners and many industrial products.
Diluted ammonia can be an effective way to remove calcium deposits from stone surfaces when applied correctly, though some precautions must be taken as too much could damage natural stones’ surfaces. Before applying any cleaning solution to all areas, always perform a test patch of your stone first and ensure it works before doing the entire surface.
If the stains continue, more aggressive measures may be necessary to rid yourself of calcification on natural stone surfaces. One such approach would be using mild acids like hydrofluoric acid (HF). You can find such products specifically designed to remove rust from metal surfaces.
Powdered efflorescence cleaners such as CLR are another great way to combat calcium build-up on surfaces. Although generally safe and effective, aggressive acids like those contained within CLR may damage natural stone like marble and travertine which is soft. Prolonged contact can actually result in deep scratches which allow further calcium deposits.
surfaces exposed to minimal water exposure, such as entryway walls or fireplace surrounds, rarely develop calcium stains. On the other hand, surfaces that undergo regular use, like countertops and showers, may develop cloudy areas due to hard water deposits made up of calcium carbonate that will stain natural stone surfaces with chalky white residue when they evaporate away.
Keep your natural stone clean to protect your investment, using stone-safe, pH neutral cleaners on a regular basis. With some care and consideration, your natural stone will continue looking beautiful for years. For extra assistance in maintaining its condition over time, contact a stone restoration specialist who can offer professional cleaning and maintenance services that ensure it remains in great shape over time.
3. Hydrogen peroxide
Natural stone adds elegance and style to any home, adding luxurious looks with its luxurious aesthetic while being long-term durable. In order to protect and keep its beauty intact, proper care of natural stones must be performed regularly – efflorescence removal and calcium deposits must also be regularly addressed as excessive usage or concentration could potentially damage or dull their surface. There are various products on the market designed specifically to remove them; however excessive usage could result in permanent staining.
As part of a regular cleaning regime, we suggest using a pH neutral cleaner or stone soap. This will ensure that the solution doesn’t fall below acidic (acidic) or high on alkaline (alkaline: bleach, ammonia) ranges – two extremes which could potentially damage stones when exposed to these chemicals; additionally too much concentrated solution may cause streaking issues.
If your stone has hard water stains, a more aggressive product is often necessary to break down and remove these mineral deposits. While stone-safe products like Granite Gold Daily Cleaner may help, if stains remain stubborn you could try employing other means, such as using a single-edge razor blade or green non-scratch scrubbing pad; alternatively Amaz is safe to use on most natural stones other than Calcite and Travertine which have calcium instead of silicate-based deposits.
Hydrogen peroxide is a colourless liquid produced commercially as aqueous solutions of various strengths, and widely used for bleaching cellulose pulp, textiles and cotton; making rocket propellant; cosmetic and medicinal use; rocket propulsion as well as rocket propulsion applications. Concentrations exceeding 8 percent hydrogen peroxide may cause skin corrosion.
Hydrogen peroxide is a nonplanar molecule with C2-symmetry. Its rotational barrier is relatively high at 386 cm-1 (4.62 kJ/mol via trans configuration and 2460 cm-1 (29.5 kJ/mol via cis configuration), in comparison with its smaller rotational barrier of 1040 cm-1 (12.4 kJ/mol for ethane. This high barrier may be due to strong polarity of oxygen atoms repelling each other while its high rotational barrier may result from strong polarity of oxygen acting against each other thereby decreasing rotational barriers for rotation.
4. Water
Natural stone surfaces can easily be damaged by water. Common problem spots for natural stone include countertops, showers and commercial bar tops where frequent wiping takes place – areas prone to calcium deposits which darken the appearance of your stone while hasten its degeneration. To protect it against this fateful fate, regularly clean natural stone with an acid-neutral cleaner like Akemi Crystal Clean to maintain a healthy look for longer.
This type of cleaner prevents mineral deposits while remaining gentle enough not to damage the stone surface. Harsher cleaners such as muriatic acid or chlorine bleach may damage natural stone surfaces that we commonly use; such products should be avoided in favor of more suitable cleaners like this one.
An effective way to avoid these unsightly deposits is preventing their occurrence from the start. Use mats or area rugs inside and outside your home to trap dirt, grit, and debris before it makes its way onto your natural stone floors or surfaces. Furthermore, avoid vacuum cleaners with metal attachments that could scratch the surface of some types of stone surfaces.
After each use, wipe down stone surfaces thoroughly to help avoid residue build-up and maintain a fresh look for longer. This will help extend its longevity.
For stubborn deposits, try a product designed specifically to remove efflorescence and calcium. You’ll find these at most home improvement and hardware stores; simply dilute with water before applying and scrubbing over affected area before rinsing afterwards.
If DIY efforts don’t seem to work, professional help may be required to remove calcium deposits. Stone restoration specialists use fine abrasives to carefully scrape away deposits without harming natural stone surfaces; additionally, these technicians understand its geological classification and composition; knowing which chemicals or cleaning products might harm it is an added advantage for removal.
