Cleaning Slate – Expert Advice on Cleaning Slate and Slate Floors – Part 1
By Ian Taylor on Mar 1, 2008 in Cleaning, Problem Solving, Slate, Stain Removal
Cleaning slate isn’t too difficult. It’s vital, however,to know what kind of dirt or contaminant you are trying to remove before you can make a decision as to which cleaning product is best suitable.
Slate comes in many different colours and finishes. Some of these are smooth whereas others have a textured surface. Undoubtedly, slate is a very popular material for flooring right now.
Slate generally has good resistance to mild acids so this gives you a much wider choice of cleaning materials than you would have with more acid-sensitive stones like limestone or marble.
So, how do we go about cleaning our slate floor?
First, you need to check whether the contaminant is mineral based? e.g. grout staining, cement, rust or general dirt. If it is, you would be advised to use a mild acid cleaner such as Phosphoric Acid Cleaner.
In most other situations where you have, for example, general dirt and grime, wax, oil or a general build up of old polishes etc. I would recommend using a strong alkaline cleaner for periodic intensive cleaning. For everyday cleaning I’d recommend using a mild, neutral cleaner.
Here’s an Expert’s 6 – Step Guide to Cleaning Slate:
1. Ensure your slate is protected with a high quality sealer such as Sealer’s Choice 15 Gold. This product will give you a natural look with a matt finish and below surface stain protection. Alternatively you can use something like Seal & Finish Low Sheen for a pleasant low sheen gloss which really helps any ongoing cleaning.
2. You must eliminate all grit – this is the major cause of all wear to slate floors. Ideally, place a dust mat both inside and outside the room which will help remove grit from shoes and prevent it from spreading to the slate floor.
3. Sweep and vacuum the slate floor regularly. This will also help remove grit from the surface of the floor.
4. Mop up and soak up isolated spillages as they happen. You shouldn’t leave strong contaminants such as coffee or wine to dwell on a slate floor.
5. Wash the slate regularly intervals using a mild, neutral cleaner. This will clean the slate but it won’t damage the stone, grout or the sealer used.
6. Less frequently, carry out a deep clean. For this, I’d we recommend using a high alkaline content cleaner. More in Part 2.
Glyn | Aug 21, 2009 | Reply
I have a grey / white stains appearing on a number of my slate floor tiles (textured grey/blue/black mix). Some were appearing before I stripped it & more have appeared afterwards. Mainly around the edges but also some in the middle of tiles. I have recently stripped it with Plasplugs tile polish remover(which I had used succesfully before) & then impregnated & sealed with HG products – again used before. Any ideas on what I need to do to remove the stains? I have a patch of the floor that I have not impregnated & sealed which also shows this marking.
Your help would be appreciated as I love my floor but am concerned I have done something bad to it!!!!
gwyneth | Mar 11, 2010 | Reply
I have slate hearth that came off a snooker table it has brown streaks that wont come off could it be rust and how can i remove them
Ian Taylor | Mar 11, 2010 | Reply
Hi Gwyneth,
It is hard to advise without seeing the slate. Some slates do have other minerals in them, including sources of iron, so it is not impossible for slate to have rusty veins within it. If this is the case it may be impossible to remove as it is part of the stone. However, if it is a rusty deposit (perhaps the slate was stored somewhere for a while and something metal was lying against it for example) then it should be removable.
Acidic cleaners are frequently used to remove rust, you could try Extreme by Aqua Mix – just pre-wet the stone, pour some neat Extreme onto the stain, leave it to dwell for a minute and scrub. Remove and rinse. – Do you have any pictures you could send me? – Might give me a better idea of the problem.
Ian