Dry Treat Cleaning Tips

Dry Treat in New Zealand Mob: 021 930 066 E-mail: drytreat@lustre.co.nz

Why your marble natural stone or tile is so prone to staining:

Most surfaces materials are porous. Some very dense stones such granite are often thought to be impervious to liquids, but leaving a tablespoon of oil on a granite benchtop or paver for a couple of hours will almost certainly leave a very deep oil stain. The oil is literally sucked into the material through millions of microscopic pores or capillaries.

Sealing with Dry Treat STAIN-PROOF Original, our breathe-able, impregnating sealer will make a deep water and oil-repellent barrier within the surface which will permanently solve this problem and make it easier to clean and maintain the surface.

Tips for removing stains:

Most stains can be removed using standard household products. If the stain is particularly difficult to handle, a commercial stain remover can be used. Stains of every kind can affect tiles and grout joints. The lists that follows provides some of the most common staining problems and potential solutions. Removers should never be mixed together as harmful by-products may result.

Precautions:

With any harsh cleaning product (acidic or alkaline), test the product on a small area of the surface, at least 24 hours beforehand, to ensure it won't discolour or adversely affect the surface. Avoid using acidic substances on calcite based stone, including marble, limestone and travertine - these will be damaged immediately on contact with acids. After using an acidic cleaner, the surface should be neutralised with a mild alkaline solution - some baking soda or detergent dissolved in water should do the trick, then rinsed thoroughly with clean water and left to dry before attempting to seal., our invisible, breathe-able impregnating sealer will make a deep water and oil-repellent barrier within the surface which will permanently solve this problem and make it easier to clean and maintain the surface.

Poultice cleaning method for marble surface:

Oxy-Klenza™ can be mixed into a paste with a little water and used to make a poultice to remove deep stains from benchtop..

A Poultice is a cleaning method used to remove spot stains which are too deep, too old or too tough for normal cleaning with a heavy duty cleaner. A poultice is usually effective for stains from fat, oil, coffee, tea, cola or organically based dyes. For the poultice to work correctly it must be left on the surface for at least 24 hours as the cleaning agent needs this time to break down and draw out the stain. Poultices are generally used for small stained areas - up to approximately eight inches in diameter. Larger areas require a different method.

You will need the following equipment:

A container of Oxy-Klenza™, some paper towel, plastic wrap and some high quality removable builder’s masking tape (3M blue removable builders masking tape is recommended).

The method:

Make a thick paste with Oxy-Klenza and a little water. The paste should be quite stodgy - if you use too much water, the poultice will not work.

Next, cover the stained area with a generous dollop of paste and cover with damp (not wet) paper towel. Then cover the paper towel completely with some plastic wrap and tape it down on all four sides using the removable builder’s masking tape. It is crucial to use the right tape so you don't leave a glue stain!

Leave the poultice to work for 24 hours. The liquid from the poultice, with the dissolved Oxy-Klenza™ will be drawn into the stone, where it will have plenty of time to work on the stain, and then it will be drawn back up into the poultice. After 24 hours, remove the plastic and paper towel, gently scrape off the agent using a rubber or plastic scraper, then clean the remaining residue off with water and polish dry with a soft cloth or paper towel. If the stain is not perfectly removed, it may be necessary to apply another poultice.

Always remember to perform a test with some dissolved Oxy-Klenza™ on a small inconspicuous are of the stone before applying the poultice, to ensure there are no adverse effects. Testing the surface beforehand is important as discolouration may occur in rare cases, particularly if the 'natural' stone has been artificially coloured or darkened with made colorants.

For further reference, you can print a copy of our Poultice Cleaning Method care sheet.

Surface Care

For natural stone, quartz and concrete countertops

With correct care, your countertop will look beautiful for many, many years. Simply refer to our Countertop Care Sheet for more details.