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How to Clean White Stone

Lisa Wampler

White stone, commonly used on fireplaces, will show dirt quickly simply because of its light color. Often, cleaning white stone is hard because it is easy to push the dirt around or compound the issue by making the dirt look muddy.

White stone is often used in fireplaces.

It is possible to clean white stone without leaving behind a sheen of dirt on the surface. Several kinds of white stone, such as finished stone and natural unfinished stone, may be used in construction and decorative detail, but with a simple process and the right cleaners you can make quick work of either type.

Finished Stone

  1. Sweep off the stone surface with a dust broom equipped with nylon bristles. Make sure the dust broom is dry and clean. Do not introduce additional dust or dirt onto the stone by using a dirty brush.

  2. Mix 1/2 cup of ammonia with every gallon of water in your bucket.

  3. Apply the solution to the surface of the stone with a mop, rag or sponge and wipe the surface clean. Focus on dirty areas to which the dirt sticks.

  4. Rinse the applicator as needed and apply fresh solution to the floor.

  5. Wipe the stone dry with a clean towel.

  6. Inspect the stone for any remaining dirt and repeat the process as needed.

Unfinished Stone

  1. Sweep off the stone surface with a dust broom equipped with nylon bristles. Make sure the dust broom is dry and clean. Do not introduce additional dust or dirt onto the stone by using a dirty brush.

  2. Apply a few drops of neutral cleaner such as stone soap to a rag.

  3. Wipe the surface of the stone with the dampened rag to remove surface dirt.

  4. Mix 1/2 cup of ammonia per 1 gallon of water into a bucket and soak a rag in the solution.

  5. Remove the soap residue from the stone surface with the rag. Rinse and repeat until all of the dirt is gone. Allow the stone to air-dry.

Tip

Depending on the amount of dirt on the white stone, it may take several buckets of water and several repetitions of cleaning to get the stone completely clean.