Anyone? Maybe even a bar soap if necessary?

I was looking for an answer on this, and I found this martha stewart product:

http://www.marthastewartclean.com/howtobuy.html

From what I've read it needs to be neither basic nor acidic; so ph neutral. I found Kiss My Face liquid hand soap and shower gel at our local health food store and the labels say ph balanced. I intended to get some litmus paper and test them, but I haven't. I've used both the hand soap and the shower gel and I don't notice any etching so far with this product, but I am careful. Looking forward to seeing what others may contribute. I'd like to find a ph balanced bar soap because I've heard they leave less residue than shower gels in general... My marble is all well sealed, but I noticed the KMF shower gel does have olive oil in the contents which doesn't sound like it would "mix" well with marble. Doing internet searches on this question has yeilded me little info (other than a few expensive webmail order items). I've run across info that Dove bar soap may be ph balanced, but I'm not sure whether that is true or not. I guess I'd better go find the litmus paper!

I'm thinking of using carrera marble for the vanity top in my bathroom. I believe this is what my mother had. I don't remember it being an issue. Can it be sealed or something so it doesn't require being babied?

Thank you very much for sharing, grobruno and kimkitchy. I know a grocery store near my home carries the Kiss My Face products, so I will give that a try. Kimkitchy, do you happen to know exactly which Kiss My Face hand soap you're using? I looked on their site and it appears they have quite an array of products! Some appear to have olive oil (moisturizing I believe) and others have an orange extract (acidic?). I don't see any that specifically say pH balanced, but maybe the products themselves state that.

In general we are fairly careful in the house. We don't have any children, though we do occasionally have visitors with children. My hope is if I can select a product that has minimal impact on the marble, then we can keep the countertop mostly pristine (I have no delusions about the marble staying perfect forever).

Anyone else have marble and liquid hand soap that they've found to be safe?

I think the one I have has the orange extract. It may not be on the website, but the label on the back of the product reads ph balanced.

Thanks so much kimkitchy! Your "pH balanced" comment was a great inspiration for me doing some different searches on the web, and I see that there are a few other manufacturers (like Ecover) that also make some pH balanced hand soaps. I will have to head to my local health food grocery store and see what is available.

I got ph balanced meyers soap and it still stained my sealed Carrara marble vanity

Joseph..i always love your quirky sense of humor😂

Folks, "pH Balanced" is NOT the same as "pH Neutral". PH Balanced means it closely matches your skin's natural oH level [5.5]. PH Neutral means it closely matches the midpoint between avid and alkaline [7.0].

Do not use pH Balanced on your POLISHED marble -- use pH Neutral products.

PH Neutral is a bit more alkaline than your skin may like, but your skin will recover its slightly more acidic balance soon after cleansing. You could apply a moisturizer after washing, if desired or if you have higly sensitive skin. Hair is different [because it is technically dead]; it will not restore its pH on its own. So, using a product that is too alkaline could permanently damage your hair: frizzies, breakage, etc. Plus, you face is more sensitive [or at least more noticeable] to drying, so applying moisturizers if using a non-pH BALANCED [using a pH Neutral] product on your face.

If you have a POLISHED marble shower, make sure to run the water until all soap residue and splashes are washed away.

Oh, pH isn't much of an issue if you have HONED marble [think, the streets and fountains of Italy, which still look beautiful in the eyes of many, even after hundreds of years]. The blotching on polished marble is more noticeable because the etching contrasts with the polished areas; if the wold surface was etched [i.e., akin to honed] it would still be beautiful like Florence.

There are marble-safe handsoaps (e.g., MB Blue Skies, or any others with pH between 6 to 8). Likewise, there are marble-safe body washes (e.g., MB Champagne Indulgence, or other 6-8 pH products). Regardkess, using a 6-8 pH shampoo is not good for your hair shafts.

By the way, there are products [involving buffing] that will remove etch marks and restore the polished appearance. In addition, sealers only slow the possibility of staining; they buy you more time to clean up spills. Sealers do NOT prevent etching; they are only protect [buy time] from staining -- which is different from etching. Etching is not a stain; it is akin to an acid or alkaline 'burnining' away the polish.

Either learn to appreciate the timeless beauty of HONED marble, or do all diligence and effort to keep your POLISHED marble uniformly gleaming.

" Sealers do NOT prevent etching..."

Depends upon the sealer. MORE Anti Etch prevents marble etching.

Marble will etch if you stare at it long enough.

Yep. This thread is 14 years old, and people are still installing this high-maintenance, bossy material.