It’s common knowledge that hydrogen peroxide can be used to clean various surfaces in your home, but what about marble? Is it safe to use hydrogen peroxide on marble?
Hydrogen peroxide can be used to cleaning, remove stubborn stains, kill germs and bacteria on the surface of the marble. The best part about hydrogen peroxide is that it leaves no streaks or residue when it is used to clean marble surfaces. But it definitely comes with some drawbacks with the most common ones being making marble susceptible to UV damage and etching.
Keep reading this article to find out more.
The Pros Of Using Hydrogen Peroxide
1. Hydrogen Peroxide Kills Germs And Bacteria On Marble
One of the first reasons why you can use hydrogen peroxide can be used on marble is its potency against germs. Hydrogen peroxide kills germs and bacteria on marble, which will help to keep your bathroom clean without the use of too many chemicals or bleach.
Hydrogen Peroxide is able to kill germs due to its chemical makeup. When hydrogen peroxide breaks down, it creates oxygen and water – both of which have the ability to kill bacteria on contact.
This is awesome because it’s not just the bacteria you want to kill, but any other nasties that are living on your marble. Find use of hydrogen peroxide’s use for germs very handy.
Chances are you might have one sitting on your shelves and if you’ve got some germ or bacteria problem you would want to deal with, you can do so using hydrogen peroxide.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide Cleans
The water component of hydrogen peroxide can create a reaction with dirt and grime. This can be helpful for those who have really dirty or grimy marble floors that need some attention.
Hydrogen Peroxide is an effective cleaner for marble if used properly. It can clean dirt, oil, and grease from marble surfaces without the use of additional chemicals like bleach.
One of the best ways to use hydrogen peroxide to clean your marble is by mixing the hydrogen peroxide with water in a spray bottle. Fill up the bottle with 30 percent hydrogen peroxide and 70% distilled water.
Then spray all surfaces you want to get rid of dirt and germs and wipe with a soft microfiber cloth.
You can also pour some hydrogen peroxide onto a cloth and rub it on the marble surface to remove dirt, grease, or oil. Hydrogen peroxide has the chemical muscle to invade the dirt and greasy film on the marble.
Hydrogen peroxide is not acidic, so it will not damage the surfaces of your marble like some other cleaning products might do.
It is important to add that while there are many advantages of including hydrogen peroxide in your cleaning toolkit for marble surfaces, its use should also be approached carefully because of its ability to emit UV radiation.
3. Leaves No Streaks And Residue
Another important benefit of using hydrogen peroxide on marble is that it will not leave any residues behind, which means you won’t have to worry about streaks or a soapy feeling over the surface of your marble.
This property makes hydrogen peroxide an effective surface cleaner for your marble surfaces. We all hate having streaks on a freshly cleaned surface, and that is something you will never have to worry about when using hydrogen peroxide.
This is just one example of why more people are considering adding hydrogen peroxide into their toolkit for marble surfaces. The next time the need arises use this product on your precious stones!
4. Can Be Used To Target Stains
Another benefit of using hydrogen peroxide as part of your cleaning routine for marble surfaces is its ability to remove stains from natural stones like wine, coffee spills, etc.
Hydrogen peroxide has the power to break up oils and dissolve proteins in these substances, making them easier to wipe off with just water or another cloth without scrubbing too hard.
It is such a simple yet very potent method of dealing with stains on marble surfaces. To remove tough stains from the surface of your marble surfaces, you need to use hydrogen peroxide in a diluted solution of water. After the solution has been mixed, you need to apply it to the stain and then leave it for a few minutes.
Then, simply wipe off with water or another cloth without scrubbing too hard. Just be sure not to mix hydrogen peroxide with ammonia because they will react violently and produce toxic fumes. So if you are looking for an efficient way of removing stains, from quartz countertops this is it
5. Hydrogen Peroxide Lightens Dark Patches On Marble
Kitchen marbles especially face a lot of wear and tear and tend to accumulate a lot of stains that cannot be removed by any cleaning products on the surface of this planet without resurfacing the marble.
“This will particularly happen with regular use. With frequent use, hydrogen peroxide can gradually lighten up dark patches that are caused by stains or blood spills.”
What the hydrogen peroxide is absolutely great at is lightening dark patches on marble. It is not just for removing stains, it can also be used to lighten the color of your marbles.
These are some ways you could use hydrogen peroxide in case you want to lighten the color of a specific spot:
Apply liquid hydrogen peroxide with a sponge or cotton cloth and leave it untouched as long as possible (preferably overnight).
Use diluted mixture by using one part water and two parts liquid hydrogen peroxide to cover an entire surface area that needs to be cleaned.
You can also mix equal amounts of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together into a bowl before dipping a cotton pad in this mixture. After going through these easy steps, you should be able to see all those ugly accumulated black patches from blood, etc lightening.
6. Hydrogen Peroxide Is Inexpensive
Finally, hydrogen peroxide is an inexpensive and accessible option for cleaning. It’s also safe to use on marble, so it can be one of your first choices if you want a product that will not damage the surface of marbles.
You could have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide sitting on your kitchen counter. Simply grab it and use it to clean your marble after spills or other types of dirt with no problem.
When it comes down it hydrogen peroxide is a safe liquid that can be used throughout the house, including on marble surfaces, what’s more, It’s also inexpensive.
The Cons Of Using Hydrogen Peroxide On Marble
Although there are some great advantages to using hydrogen peroxide on marble, there are substantial drawbacks on their use.
1. Hydrogen Peroxide Has A Strong Smell
Hydrogen peroxide has a strong odor that may deter people from using it as it could be a huge inconvenience for people who are sensitive to smells. The smell can be so bad it can also be quite embarrassing if it’s in the house of somebody who has visitors.
This makes the use of hydrogen peroxide a double-edged sword. On one hand, the smell is a deterrent for most people and on the other, it may be too strong to use in certain spaces (especially around kids).
2. Hydrogen Peroxide Can Leave Etch Marks On Marble
Hydrogen peroxide can leave etch marks on marble. It is a mild acid that can etch the marble and ruin its natural finish. The mild acidity of the hydrogen peroxide can therefore damage marble, especially delicate marble that may not be able to withstand even the slightest acid
Hydrogen peroxide also has an exfoliating quality that can result in scratches on your marble making it more porous over time. This will ultimately lead to etching of the surface, which is a negative side effect.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide Cannot Kill All Bacteria
Another potential downside to using hydrogen peroxide is that it can’t remove certain bacteria from the surface which means it could make matters worse depending on what type of bacterial issues are present.
This makes its use a bit tricky as it is hard to tell which type of bacteria the marble has before using hydrogen peroxide.
There are other ways to eliminate surface-level bacteria from your marble without risking it being etched or having scratches appear on its surfaces, such as wiping it down with a disinfectant cloth that is free of alcohol and chemicals.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide Cannot Kill Or Stop Mold Growth
Hydrogen peroxide also cannot kill certain types of mold that can grow on marble surfaces although this is not necessarily a negative side effect because if you knew for sure there was an issue with mold, then it would be better to use something stronger or another type of cleaner rather than hydrogen peroxide.
The only downside here is that by using hydrogen peroxide first you could actually make matters worse and increase the spread of spores once they start growing again.
You are really going to need some sort of solution that will remove all traces from the surface without leaving any pesky marks in its wake (or fumes lingering around your home).
5. Hydrogen Peroxide Can Corrode Marble Colors
Another downside of hydrogen peroxide is that it can fade or lighten dark-colored marble surfaces. It will particularly do so if it is not properly diluted with water.
For example, it can remove the natural pink hue of certain marbles and turn them white or grey in color. You can dilute the potency of the hydrogen peroxide by mixing it.
This is a great way to minimize the effect it will have on your marble or natural stone surfaces. If this is not done, it may also cause black-colored marble surfaces to become more opaque after being treated with this powerful cleaner that has high pH levels.
6. Hydrogen Peroxides Will Corrode Other Materials Around The Marble
Most items made of marble will also have the incorporation of other materials like wood, metal, etc. If you are going to use hydrogen peroxide in your home, it is important that you know this.
For example, if there is a wood countertop close by where the marble surface will be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide, over time the wood may become stained and discolored from the chemical ingredients of this powerful cleaner.
This can happen with metal as well – for example, brass fixtures or gold-colored pieces paired with marble surfaces could also suffer a similar effect to what we discussed previously when using other cleaners on those kinds of materials.
7. Hydrogen Peroxide Can Dull Up Marble
One common downside of using hydrogen peroxide on marble is that it can cause fogginess if too much of it is left without being cleaned off. This effect will lessen over time but still needs caution taken when cleaning up after usage.
This causes the marble to lose its attractive look and natural appearance as it becomes dull or cloudy.
8. Hydrogen Peroxide Make Marble Susceptible To UV Damage
Another downside to using hydrogen peroxide on marble is that it can lead to an increased sensitivity to UV damage.
When the surface becomes dull or cloudy, this means there’s less protection from sunlight and other sources of light which could make the surface susceptible to staining as well as color fading.