There are many disinfecting products on the market and one of the very popular ones out there is the Clorox wipes. While Clorox wipes can be very effective on many surfaces, can you use them on marbles? In this article, I will share with you the result of my research and experiment on whether using Clorox wipes on your marble is a good practice.
So can you use Clorox wipes on marbles? You can use Clorox wipes on marbles when you want to remove the sealants on the marble to be able to get rid of a stain. However, if you want to clean or disinfect your marbles from time to time, using Clorox wipes is not the best option to go for as it contains acids that can etch, stain, and remove the protective sealant on the surface of your marbles.
To learn more about this topic, keep reading this article.
Here Are The Details On Why You Shouldn’t Use Clorox Wipes On Marbles
1. Clorox Wipes Are Acidic
One of the common facts about marbles is that they are very sensitive and will require the use of pH neutral substances like water. Clorox wipes on the other hand, although great for cleaning and fighting bacteria & virus throughout the home, one spot you wouldn’t want to use it on is your marble.
You wouldn’t want to use Clorox wipes on your marbles because Clorox wipes are mildly acidic and marbles are highly sensitive to anything acidic.
This is why ordinary tap water is the most safest alternative to cleaning your marbles. Water is pH neutral 7 and wouldn’t hurt your marble surfaces. Clorox wipes on the other hand will usually fall between a scale of 5 to 6 which makes it somewhat acidic.
But hey, this doesn’t give a clear pass for all sorts of water. There is a reason I specifically mentioned tap water and not any other type of water like rain water. On a pH scale rain water will be as acidic as the Clorox wipes.
Clorox wipes just like rain water dissolves marbles and limestone and although this will not usually happen immediately, it will dissolve them over a period of time.
There are some tricks a couple of my friends say they use to prevent the effects Clorox wipes has on their marbles. One recounts using Clorox wipes on her marbles but makes sure she rinses the marble immediately with clean tap water to avoid damaging the marble surface.
However, the long-term effect of this on the marble is still inevitable. Your marble will be better of using marble or natural stone-specific products to clean and disinfect them.
It is important to add that there are certain instances where you would want to use Clorox wipes on your marble to intentionally dissolve a very thin layer of the marble surface to get rid of a stain. However, after you get rid of the stain, you would need to re-polish it.
2. Clorox Wipes Will Etch The Marble Surface
You may usually only see etches on marbles at certain angles or in some lights and because of this most people will claim Clorox wipes hasn’t done any damage on their marbles. But sooner or later, these marks becomes more obvious a lot more profound.
If you do not know what etch marks are when it comes to marbles, they’re like water spots and sometimes dull marks that occurs on marbles when the wrong substance is applied on the marble.
Generally, Clorox wipes contain bleach in all sorts of concentrations that are particularly high for marble surfaces.
While these bleach among other ingredients make Clorox wipes very efficient when it comes to fighting and killing up to 99% of viruses and bacteria, Clorox wipes are extremely harmful to marbles, granite, and other natural stones and will etch and dull their surfaces.
If you’re interested in the little science of how the bleach in Clorox wipes causes damage to marbles it goes like this.
The primary compound present in marble is calcium carbonate and when it comes into contact with them consistently over time the marble will end up etched and even sometimes discolored.
3. Clorox Wipes Can Wear Down Marble Sealants
Marbles are made from natural stones and because of this they are very sensitive and can get stained or etched very easily. This is why most marbles are sealed to help minimize the amount of wear on it.
Because of this, you would want the sealants applied to your marble to remain active on your marble. When marbles or granites are sealed, the sealant goes just underneath the surface to form a very important protective barrier that can help to ensure your marble is protected from stains or etch marks.
Acidic ingredients like bleach and sometimes citric acids present in Clorox wipes, makes it one of the worse cleaning options for natural stones like marble, granite, etc.
These ingredients in the Chlorox wipes will quickly wear out the protective sealants on the marble and can cause your marble countertops, bathroom backsplash, floors, walls to sustain damages.
How To Safely Disinfect Or Clean Your Marbles Without Using Clorox Wipes
One of the most effective ways to disinfect your marbles against all sorts of viruses like COVID-19, germs, bacteria, mold, or mildew, you can use rubbing alcohol or isopropyl and your favorite dish soap.
Water is pH appropriate and safe for marble, while dish soap is mild and offers a safe alternative to cleaning marbles. Rubbing alcohol on the other hand is an excellent disinfecting agent and is great for natural stones that will not etch, stain, or cause any form of damage to your marbles – plus it’s cheap and easily accessible.
All these ingredients put together and you will have one of the best disinfectants for your marbles. Here’s how to go about it.
Things Needed:
Step 1: Brush off, sweep, or remove any dust, dirt, or debris on the surface of your marble if its a countertop or bathroom seat using a dry rag
Step 2: Put 1-2 drops of your dish soap into a spray bottle.
Step 3: Measure 4 tablespoons full of rubbing alcohol into your spray bottle.
Step 4: Fill up the spray bottle with 8 ounce of warm tap water. (Maintain these ratios for every 8 ounces of warm water for optimal results).
Step 5: Gently swirl or shake the spray bottle for the solution to mix nicely.
Step 6: Now all you do now is to put a few squirts on your marble surface and leave eave the solution to sit on the surface of your marble for about a minute and wipe clean using a clean lint-free towel or a microfibre cloth.
Step 7: After thoroughly cleaning your marble or granite with the solution, use a microfiber cloth dampened with warm water and clean the surface of your marble to remove any soap, alcohol, or water streak marks after drying.
Step 8: You a dry clean cloth to dry the surface of your marble.
Step 9: Leave the marble surface to air-dry. Voila!
This method is budget-friendly and much better for your marble or granite surfaces than using cleaners that are filled with harmful abrasive chemicals.
Tips
- You can also use only dish soap and warm water for your day-to-day marble disinfection. This is also known to be one of the best ways to safely disinfect your marble countertops and other surfaces of any form of bacteria or viruses is by using warm tap water (due to its pH neutral level) and your preferred dish soap to wipe your marble surface.
- You can put dish soap and warm water mixture in a spray bottle and then spray and wipe your marble surfaces at least twice a day. This is not only effective but also very safe for your marble, cheap, and safe for the environment.
- You can use antibacterial soaps to safely disinfect your marble surfaces without causing any damage to them.
Conclusion
So if your thinking of an effective way to kill bacteria, viruses, or even control mold or mildew from the surface of your marble using Clorox wipes, you would want to reconsider your decision and use the method discussed above or a natural stone-specific disinfectant like this one from Amazon!
