How to clean travertine tiles without etching them

Step by step: how to clean travertine tiles without etching them

Safety first. Never mix bleach and ammonia, which the Natural Stone Institute warns creates a toxic gas. Ventilate when using either, and keep acids, including vinegar and lime removers, off travertine entirely.

1. 1

   Remove grit before any water

   Dust mop or vacuum the floor with the beater bar turned off. Sand and grit act like sandpaper under your feet and a wet mop, and they are the main cause of dull traffic lanes on travertine. In a shower, rinse loose hair and debris down the drain.

2. 2

   Mix a neutral cleaning solution

   Add a pH-neutral stone cleaner to warm water at the label strength, or a few drops of mild dish soap to a gallon of warm water. More soap is not better: it leaves a film that dulls the stone. Fill a second bucket with plain water for rinsing.

3. 3

   Damp mop or wipe in sections

   Wring the mop until it is damp, not dripping, and clean a few tiles at a time. Travertine is porous, and puddles soak into unfilled holes and grout. For textured or tumbled tile, go over it with a soft nylon brush to lift dirt from the pits.

4. 4

   Rinse with clean water

   Go over each section with a mop or cloth rinsed in the plain water bucket to remove any cleaner residue. Change the rinse water when it turns cloudy. Residue left behind attracts dirt and looks like a haze when it dries.

5. 5

   Dry the tile

   Buff the tiles dry with a towel or dry microfiber mop. This stops water spots, which show up readily on polished and honed travertine. In a shower, squeegee the walls and towel the floor.

6. 6

   Handle soap scum without acid

   For soap scum in a travertine shower, use a non-acidic soap scum remover made for stone. The Natural Stone Institute also suggests a solution of about 1/2 cup of ammonia per gallon of water, followed by a rinse. Do not use this on the same day as any bleach product.

7. 7

   Treat mildew with a dilute solution

   For mildew on travertine, use 1/2 cup of ammonia, or bleach, or hydrogen peroxide in a gallon of water, never two together. Apply it, scrub gently with a soft brush, then rinse well and dry. Test in a corner, since bleach and peroxide can lighten some stone.

8. 8

   Check whether it needs sealing

   Drip a little water on a tile and a grout line and wait 10 minutes. If the stone darkens, it is absorbing water and is due for an impregnating sealer. Clean it, let it dry for at least a day, and apply the sealer as the label directs.

What not to use on travertine

Do not use anything acidic or abrasive on travertine: no vinegar, lemon, lime removers, tub and tile sprays, or scouring powders. Travertine is a calcareous stone, and acids react with it and leave dull etch marks.

• The Natural Stone Institute says products containing lemon, vinegar or other acids may dull or etch calcareous stones, and recommends a neutral cleaner, stone soap or mild dish soap with warm water.
• CLR’s label directions list natural stone, including marble and granite, as surfaces not to use it on; most calcium and lime removers are acids.
• Many bathroom sprays for soap scum and toilet bowl cleaners are acidic. Read labels, and keep toilet cleaner from dripping onto a travertine floor.
• Scouring powders and stiff abrasive pads scratch honed and polished finishes.

How to clean travertine by finish

All travertine finishes use the same neutral cleaner; the difference is how easily they show marks and how much brushing the texture needs.

Many travertine tiles have natural holes filled with grout or resin at the factory. If fills crack or pop out, have them refilled so water and dirt do not collect in the voids.

How to remove stains, water spots and etch marks

Stains sit in the stone and need a poultice; water spots sit on top and buff off; etch marks are damage to the surface and need polishing.

The Natural Stone Institute’s stain guide describes a poultice spread about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick over the stain, covered with plastic and left for 24 to 48 hours to draw the stain out, repeated if needed. Hard water spots can be buffed with dry 0000 steel wool. Etch marks, caused by acids left on the stone, can sometimes be improved with marble polishing powder on polished stone, but deeper etching needs a professional stone restorer. Our guide on removing hard water stains covers other surfaces in the bathroom.

How to keep a travertine shower clean

Squeegee after every shower and keep the stone sealed. A travertine shower gets into trouble when soap scum and moisture sit on it for days.

The Natural Stone Institute recommends a squeegee after each use to minimize soap scum. Run the bath fan to dry the room; the EPA notes that moisture control is the key to mold control. Use liquid body wash rather than bar soap, and store bottles on a caddy, since some products and metal cans leave rings and rust marks on stone. For the grout between tiles, follow the stone-safe steps in our guide on how to clean grout.

Mistakes to avoid

• Cleaning travertine with vinegar, which etches dull spots that cleaning cannot remove.
• Using a regular tub and tile spray or toilet cleaner near travertine without reading the label.
• Mopping a gritty floor before vacuuming, so the mop grinds sand into the surface.
• Using too much soap and never rinsing, leaving a dull, sticky film.
• Mixing ammonia and bleach to tackle mildew.
• Skipping the sealer, so the stone absorbs oils, dyes and hard water.