What did you use for soap?

Some sort of handsoap from Dial- and very little.

Too, how long ago was it sealed and with what? Aside from using the brush and mild soap, how did you clean it? For instance, after scrubbing it, did you mop or wipe it out or did you flush it with water first?

One thought on the splotchy grout, it may be possible that the sealer is wearing and some areas of grout absorbed more water than others, so some areas may have taken longer to dry and therefore looked darker. Possibly. Depends on how long the splotchy areas lasted before getting wet again.

Bill's absolutely right in asking what soap you used. But, then, we all knew he was right before he even responded!!

Yes, in Bill we trust! I'd say the tile was sealed probably in June or July. Not exactly sure of the name of the sealer, but I have seen it in this site. Something "Gold". The dark spots do not go away in 24 hours- about the frequency of when our showers happen. After I cleaned it, I just dumped a bunch of water on it to rinse, and I maybe wiped it a little. I should also mention that after I did all this, I got some sort of Granite/Marble cleaner from Lowe's (I think it's inteneded for countertops) and it had no effect at all.

Doesn't matter when it was sealed. Hand soap is the problem. It has oils in it that'll seep into the stone and grout. Your best bet is to do nothing (other than NOT using hand soap again). Give it a few months and the oils that got into the stone and grout will evaporate back out again. If it doesn't, or if you don't want to wait the time, it might be time to try a poultice on it to draw the oil out.

Thanks Bill. So can you recommend a good product to use? Also, how can I get rid of the grunge that seems to be embedded in the grooves, pores, etc of the marble? Is a scrub brush ok?

I wouldn't use a scrub brush too often on tumbled stone unless it's soft bristled. It tends to be soft, and can wear easily, especially if it's travertine. As for a soap, you can't beat oxyclean. You shouldn't need it all that often. Plain hot water should be all you usually need. But maybe once a month or so, it wouldn't hurt to use the Oxyclean on it.

We sometimes get a bit of mildew on the travertine tile in our shower. None of the regular tile cleaners are safe to use on stone, so we use a special stone cleaning product we get at Orchard Supply (CA regional chain). I would imagine that Lowe's or Home Depot would sell something similar.

As for soap, we use bar soap not liquid soap in the shower. We aren't doing it for the stone, we are doing it for our skin. Liquid soaps are actually detergents. So far (nine years) it has not stained the stone at all.

Rosefolly

We use Oxyclean.

These posts are making me nervous. We just ordered tumbled marble for our shower floor. We plan to seal the living daylights out of the marble and the grout. To clarify--is liquid body wash considered the same as liquid soap? Should we use only bar soap? Is oxyclean the only cleaner we should use? We're using honed marble for the walls. Will oxyclean or other cleaners have an effect on the sealed marble? Do cleaners "undo" any of the sealing? Any other tips are greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

Is oxyclean the only cleaner we should use?

Actually what you should be using is a ph neutral cleaner made for stone. The oxyclean is for when it gets to the point of discoloration from letting it go.

Do cleaners "undo" any of the sealing?

Yes, they do. Acidic cleaners will etch the stone, and basic cleaners will eat the sealer. That's why the recommendation for the ph neutral cleaner.

I just redid a bathroom in tumbled marble. How do I sanitize in the toliet area?

I have read conflicting post about whether to seal a tumbled marble shower floor. I don't believe ours was sealed by the contractor and I'm starting to see dark spots on the cream colored grout. The bathroom is only 6 months old and hardly ever used. I got the dark marks off scrubbing with a scrub brush (pretty vigorously) and a marble-safe cleaner, but it seems to me if the stone and grout had been sealed this probably wouldn't be happening so quickly. Should I seal the shower floor and grout?

Tumbled marble looks great, but needs special care. Yes, it should be sealed periodically with a good penetrating sealer. It should also be cleaned periodically with a neutral PH cleaner and a soft brush. It should also be dried, either with a fan or your towel after use. As to the soap, understand that bar soap contains animal fat as a filler and binder...with the possible exception of Dove. Use a neutral PH liquid soap and avoid the dreaded soap scum...you know what a glass door in the shower looks like? Put that on the floor and there you go....

I'm missing something here. Why is marble being used in a bathroom (or on a kitchen counter)?

From what's on this thread, it seems uniquely inappropriate for those uses. Pretty, but also pretty impractical if you can't live with discoloration. The day I use scummy bar soap because I need to 'spare' my shower... not happening.

I have tumbled marble ion my shower floor - it is gross - I can't seem to get it clean - I don't recall if it was eer seals. I've seen using OXYCLEAN on this type of stone - I'm gong to try it, --any particular type of OXYCLEAN - but then should I seal it? What type of sealant should I use. I also have to seal my grant counter top want to use the same sealant if possible. Thanks..

I have tumbled marble in my shower/tub combo. In the area where the shower water hits - the marble tile is discolored and the grout has turned from white to a rust color. It looks terrible. I’m wondering if I should try Oxyclean as mentioned, with a soft brush. I would greatly appreciate responses from professionals or people experienced with this type of problem.

Thank you,

I have the same issue as valerieedwards1... the tiles are tumbled and there are lots of decorative borders, which have nooks and crannies that the water gets into. It turns into a lovely shade of rust. Short of ripping out the tile and replacing it with something that is easier to care for and entirely smooth, would love to hear what others have done.

We use our shower every day (sometimes twice a day) & we have tumbled marble on floors & ceilings. Every time we shower & the floor dries, it turns white around the edges & always looks stained. How can I clean it to remove the white edges & clean it & then seal it again?