How do I bring the shine back on a marble or granite table?

Hello Connie. Begin by wiping the marble top with a soft, dry cloth to remove any surface dirt and debris. Then wet a non-abrasive sponge with warm water, wring it out and wipe the top again. Spray the marble surface with commercial stone cleaner and wipe it off with a clean, soft rag. Then dry it with a chamois cloth. I have used a commercial stone cleaner named Rejuvenate and was happy with results. I used it on my counter tops. You can purchase it at Wal Mart for $8.97 and you can order it on line too. Good luck Connie.

Marble, granite, and stone do NOT like having acidic (ie: citrus-based) cleaners used on them. Citrus or vinegar will actually cause “etching” on granite countertops. Not a good thing. Granite countertops also don’t like it when you use something like Windex on them because it strips the “seal” off of the stone.

If you are trying to remove an old stain, create a dense paste of more baking soda and less water. Then place the paste over the stain, allowing it to function for a few minutes. After that wipe off the baking soda paste. If it is needed you can repeat the procedure until the stain vanishes.

Apparently there are some very nice countertop/granite cleaners out there that do a great job…but $7.00 for a 12-ounce bottle? YOU can do better than that! :-)

After researching several homemade options out there…I discovered they all had the same basic ingredients…just in varying amounts. Some had a LOT of alcohol in them…some very little. I think the following “recipe” has a good balance of the ingredients, based on the information I read.

Homemade Granite Cleaner, 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol (or cheap vodka), 3 drops of Dawn or other dish soap (Castile soap would also be a good alternative if you prefer), Water, 5-10 drops essential oil (optional – to help mask the alcohol smell).

Put the rubbing alcohol or vodka into a 16 oz spray bottle. Add the dish soap, essential oil and fill up the rest of the bottle with water.

Now give it a few shakes….THEN give it a try! It should give your countertops a nice, clean shine. Works on appliances too! All at a FRACTION of the price of the store-bought stuff.

Marble is basically compressed limestone. Any acidic cleaners will etch, dull and stain the surface, including vinegar, citrus cleaners, lime/calcium cleaners, and bleach.

Clean and brighten your grout with this easy homemade grout cleaner. Simply mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide into a runny paste and scrub with a toothbrush. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes and then rinse it off.

If you are trying to remove an old stain, create a dense paste of more baking soda and less water. Then place the paste over the stain, allowing it to function for a few minutes. After that wipe off the baking soda paste. If it is needed you can repeat the procedure until the stain vanishes.

If the stain is persistent and is still there you can try removing it with ammonia solution. Make the area of the stain damp with 10% ammonia, diluted in water. Ammonia is knows as a base solution, so it is suitable for removing stains from marble.

The final stage of the stain removal us rinsing. Rinse the solution from your marble well to eliminate any residue, left from the cleaning ingredients on it.

I advise to use gloves when removing the stain with ammonia. They will protect your hands. Ventilate the room, in which you use ammonia for removing stains, because it is toxic.