Stone showers are amazing. They exude power, style, elegance, and beauty — all at the same time. They’re the kind of investment that you know is going to bring many returns, and you’ll be able to enjoy your work of art for many years. Out of your appreciation for the stone shower comes a desire to take great care of it, and that means knowing the right way to clean the mold that will inevitably try to grow. This guide will simplify the process and arm you with the knowledge needed to safely and effectively get rid of mold.
Tips for Cleaning
Considering the value of your beautiful stone shower, you want to make sure your efforts to clean it aren’t secretly causing harm. The good news is that natural stone is pretty tough. You don’t need a long list of special tools and techniques to keep it clean. Instead, a pair of tips should be enough to take care of the mold.
The Regular Schedule
It’s easier to clean mold when there’s a small amount, right? To keep it that way, a weekly cleaning routine is the best bet. That prevents any substantial buildup, and it makes the chore manageable.
To clean your stone, you want a standard cleaning solution. For granite, there are granite cleaning solutions. You get the idea. Always ensure that your solution is nonacidic, as acids will degrade the stone over time.
The technique is nothing special. Spray your stone and wipe it down. If something requires a little scrubbing, use a brush. Now, brushes can be hard and stiff enough to scratch or disfigure the stone, so you want your brush to be comparable to a toothbrush. You can literally use a toothbrush if you like, or you can get a larger brush with comparable bristles.
The gentle scrubbing will help you get any stubborn spots of mold (or whatever else plagues your shower).
Bleach It
Let’s start with the disclaimer. Bleach can damage stone. It’s important to always remember that. You don’t want to mercilessly bleach your stone shower into submission. Instead, you want to specifically target mold and mildew with the bleach when those problems appear.
To safely use bleach, you start by watering it down. A one-to-one mixture of bleach and water in a spray bottle will work perfectly. Spray the affected area; scrub it with your gentle brush, and wipe it clean. Using bleach against mold spots is often better than only using your stone cleaner. The bleach will kill spores and help prevent any resurgence of mold.
An Ounce of Prevention
The above tips are sufficient to safely and effectively clean your stone shower every week. Still, it doesn’t hurt to take some of the work out of that job. As the saying goes, a little bit of prevention is a good thing. These maintenance tips will make it harder for mold to grow in, on, or around your stone in the first place.
Dry Is Good
You want to minimize persistent moisture in your shower. One of the easiest ways to do that is to keep a squeegee handy and use it after every shower. This prevents water buildup and will help the stone dry completely between uses. The lack of moisture stymies the growth of any mold, mildew, or other living organisms that you don’t want in your stone shower.
Ventilation also goes a long way. If your shower completely closes, leave it open so the steam and moisture can escape. In some cases, leaving a bathroom window or door open is necessary. As long as your shower is completely dry each time you use it, you’re doing this part correctly.
Seal the Stone Regularly
Even though you let your shower dry, the stone needs to be sealed. Stone is porous, and the pores can become places where water gets trapped, and mold can grow from that trapped water. The seal on your stone stops that problem in its tracks by keeping water out of the pores.
Typically, you want to seal your stone once a year. If the stone is subject to excessive humidity (maybe it gets used throughout the day), you can increase that rate to every few months. This will go a long way.
That’s how you take care of a stone shower. The maintenance isn’t much. Let the stone dry, and it will take care of itself. Of course, you need a stone shower for any of this to matter. If you’re looking at upgrading your home, there is amazing help available. Wholesale Granite Direct can show you the selection of stone to get you exactly what you want.
