Asked on Jun 02, 2017

How can I repair/cover up a stain on granite made from CLR?

Dan7720394
by Dan7720394
My bathroom granite counter top has several stains caused by CLR any ideas of how to fix or cover up these stains?
  13 answers
  • Carol Carol on Jun 02, 2017

    CLR is pretty acidic and all care should be taken to never expose CLR to natural stone.


    What you have is not a "stain". It's physical damage to the stone.


    Acids can corrode stone leaving dull and/or cloudy spots called "etching".


    Typically granite will hold up better and is not always damaged by CLR, however, when it is there isn't much you can do except call in a stone pro to grind down and re-finish the granite countertop.


    Granite is too hard and repairing etching would require skilled use of special abrasives and tools.

  • William William on Jun 03, 2017

    While you can have a professional out to do it, the removal can be costly... And if it isn't the right professional, they may recommend replacing a damaged piece (it can be done and made to look normal) prematurely. In the vast majority of cases, you can handle this yourself. It will require some patience, but if you have that, I think you will be OK. Of course, the priority is to not damage the granite in the process. I will give you a list of processes for granite stain removal in the order that I would perform them, giving each plenty of time to work before moving on to the next. With any one procedure, if you see any improvement, keep using that procedure until it is either gone, or no longer improves.


    Baking Soda Poultice:

    First blot the spot to lift as much of the substance as possible.

    Next, spray it with water.

    Now slather it completely with a paste made from baking soda and water (to the consistency of sour cream). Cover with plastic wrap.

    Leave covered for at least 24 hours, the baking soda will dry and pull up much of the stain.

    After 24 hours, remove the poultice and wash area with mild soap and water. Apply a fresh poultice if needed.


    Flour & Liquid Soap Poultice:

    1 cup unbleached flour

    3 TBS liquid dishwashing detergent (no bleach, use a gentle soap like Ivory or Dawn)

    Water

    Mix the flour and soap together then add water until you have the consistency of sour cream.

    Cover the spot with the poultice so it’s about 1/4″ inch thick and overlaps it by about 1/4″.

    Cover with plastic wrap for 24 hours.

    Wash off poultice and surrounding area with soap and water. If spot is still there, reapply poultice.


    Rubbing Alcohol Spray:

    Pour 1/8 cup of rubbing alcohol into a 16 oz. spray bottle. Add a couple drops of liquid dish detergent then fill the bottle with water. Shake before use. Spray area then wash.


    Hydrogen Peroxide Pad:

    *Careful with this on dark colored stone, it “may” lighten the color a bit. Test a small area first.

    Fold a wad of cotton gauze to approximately the size of the troublesome spot, saturate it with hydrogen peroxide and squeeze out excess (you want the wad to be wet but not dripping wet).

    Apply the pad to the problem area then cover it with plastic wrap, tape around all edges of the plastic to seal the wad. Put a saucer or some object on top of the pad to add some weight/pressure to the area.

    Leave this on for 24 hours, check then reapply as needed.


    If none of these solutions work there isn't much you can do except call in a stone pro to grind down and re-finish the granite countertop. Granite is too hard and repairing etching would require skilled use of special abrasives and tools.

    • Dan7720394 Dan7720394 on Jun 03, 2017

      Thanks I am trying your first suggestion now and will keep trying and hope one will work

  • Anjum Anjum on Jun 03, 2017

    Very easy to remove the stains, any type, use daulated Hcl acid, and clean them, as they remove make dry, use slight car polishing wax, rub and comes bright.

  • Pam Walker Pam Walker on Jun 03, 2017

    TURN your disadvantage into an advantage. Since you've already ""etched"" into the stone by mistake, you could attach a stencil & use the same CLR to ""etch"" a design on top of it to disguise it. A diamond-shaped pattern OR a giant flower directly over the existing ""etched mistake"". Something that you like & would look pretty on it. You could do it on both sides to be symmetrical or just on one side (where the mistake is) for an accent to your sink. You could put several of them all around the granite for a more pretty effect. You can also do an ""etching"" on your mirror too to make it look like it was done on purpose for decor. Also, you can glue (school glue) the same flowers just under the top molding of the room. Spread glue on the back of the cut out flower, place glued side on the wall, position it in place evening it out without bubbles & let it dry overnight. Go back & lightly spread some glue over each flower & slightly over the edges of each flower (as it will dry clear) to act as a sealant & it won't peel off with the humidity of the room. I've done this with apples before on someone's kitchen & butterflies in their bedroom & they loved it. Hope this helps. :)


    • See 1 previous
    • Pam Walker Pam Walker on Jun 04, 2017

      You're welcome. It's easy. Just lay down your stencil & tape it into place, then with a cotton ball, dab the CLR into the pattern. Gently remove the tape & lift the stencil. Let dry overnight. Use the stencil over & over again. It's simple. But, as you wish. Maybe you can find an alternative to your dilemma. GOOD LUCK! :)


  • Dia14947268 Dia14947268 on Jun 03, 2017

    I have the same granite in the house I just purchased (also the same stains!) I tried all of the above - nothing worked. I bought a gel pen (permanent black) at a craft store and dabbed at the stain til the pattern kind of matched the granite. At least the stain wasn't as glaring and it has held up well.


  • Marti Marti on Jun 03, 2017

    It's etched from the cleaners you have used. Not good. I found out the hard way too. It happens. Try some oil. Olive , or any cooking oil. WD 40 works the best. It will penitrate the granite. Be patient, you will have to repeat this a few times, and stay away from cleaners with acid or bleach in them. Oh, I don't use any cleaners at all. Buy yourself a Norwex cloth ,that product is amazing on granite counters.


    • See 2 previous
    • Dmitriy Dmitriy on Jul 11, 2020

      i used CLR to clean around the faucet in the bathroom, and it left white cloudy marks on the granite.

      Read your suggestion about WD-40, and it worked!!

      thank you 🙏

  • Yofrendonna Yofrendonna on Jun 03, 2017

    My daughter ruined her countertop by putting a bottle of toilet cleaner on it. There must have been some of the cleaner on the outside of the bottle. not very smart.

  • Sylvia Sylvia on Jun 03, 2017

    I have gray granite in my kitchen and bar area. In the bar, a bottle of red wine was broken in the corner and not discovered until the next day. Any suggestions how to clean This? In kitchen, there are stains I believe are oil splatter from stove. Suggestions, please. Thanking you in advance.

  • Daniel Roy Daniel Roy on Jun 04, 2017

    What the heck is CLR? What does each letter stand for?

  • Penny Pirog Mercadante Penny Pirog Mercadante on Jun 05, 2017

    Try to camouflage it with WD-40.....it worked for me on a laminate, and once in while I'd reapply it....rub it in...see if it works for you....you probably have some in the house somewhere.

    • See 1 previous
    • Jennie Jennie on Dec 15, 2018

      Tess, I used CLR to get these rust spots off my natural stone patio tile... bad idea I know! do you think WD40 on the lighter areas might work?

  • Stephanie Mitchell Stephanie Mitchell on Jun 05, 2017

    I sat some Lime Away on my marble top and about died when I saw what had happened. It was rough and scarred. I used some alcohol and rubbed it off with a dry cloth then a wet rag then after doing this awhile it was just fine.

  • Wes Wes on Aug 13, 2019

    I used a few different approaches . first I called www. lionstoneflorida waste of money and time, bad mistake ! second I used a granite spot remover found at homedepot . third I used a 0000 wool pad to apply shoe wax on the counter and sprayed it with wd-40, left it over the weekend then sprayed it one more time ,wiped it off the next day. it improved approximately 60 % , will repeat until there is no more improvement before sealing , P.S if your going to call a granite pro look out NOT to use anyone who wont make an appointment without a down payment or want to give you a estimate based on a photo .

  • Jake Jake on Jan 30, 2020

    something similar happened to me, but with brewing sanitizing solution, an acid based chemical. It left a white ring on my brand new, less then week old granite countertop. I’ll attach a pic. Do u think the wd40 method would work here?