How to Clean Outdoor Marble Pavers? (9 Quick Tips!)
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Table of Contents
1. How Do You Clean Outdoor Marble Pavers?
Marble is a beautiful & pristine natural stone. Marble countertops and floors can elevate your home to a high level of cool luxury. Marble pavers on pool decks, patios and driveways can accentuate the classic grandeur. But how do you clean outdoor marble pavers to maintain the look?
To clean outdoor marble pavers
- Sweep them when they are dry to remove dust & light debris
- Wash them with pH neutral cleaner and garden hose to remove grime
- Use Hydrogen Peroxide based stain removers or poultice to get rid of stubborn stains
- Power wash once a year and reseal the marble pavers
Marble is a durable stone but it is soft and gets scratched easily. It is therefore very important to protect it from sharp objects. Marble is also rich in calcite (calcium carbonate) which gets corroded, even by mild acids.
Marble is quite porous. Red wine, ketchup, oil & grease can permeate & stain it permanently. Be very careful and remove stains immediately.
A good quality impregnating sealer helps protect marble pavers. Make sure that they are well sealed at all times. Use carpets, rugs or mats in high traffic areas.
2. How to Sweep Outdoor Marble Pavers?
Choose a day when it is not too windy or hot for sweeping your outdoor marble pavers. Make sure that pavers are dry and not wet from rain or overnight dew. Dry dust will be easy to sweep.
Pick out any large or sharp debris such as broken tree branches or metallic objects by hand, to avoid any scratches. Use a broom or a soft bristled brush.
Sweep the marble pool deck, patio or driveway in sections. Sweep around 40-50 square feet and collect the dust before moving on. Do not drag the dust all over.
3. What Cleaning Products Are Safe to Use on Marble?
Marble is a metamorphic rock with porosity and calcite (calcium carbonate). Both, acids & alkalis, can permeate into the marble paver and corrode it from within.
So you must always use pH neutral cleaners on outdoor marble pavers.
Black Diamond’s Stone Wash is formulated specifically to clean porous natural stone surfaces such as limestone & travertine. Stone Wash is pH neutral and biodegradable. Stone Wash lifts dirt effortlessly from natural stone without damaging the surface or diminishing the natural stone color.
Mix 4 oz of Black Diamond Stone Wash with 1 Gallon water. Use the solution to mop the marble pavers. Change water when it becomes dirty. DO NOT rinse the marble pavers with clean water. Black Diamond Stone Wash forms a protective and shine enhancing layer on the marble pavers.
4. Is Dawn Dish Soap Safe for Marble?
Dawn dish soap is mild and non-acidic. A dilute solution in clean water can be used to clean outdoor marble pavers.
Dawn dish soap can be used as an alternative to Black Diamond Stone Wash.
Rinse the pavers first with a garden hose such that the entire area is wet. Pour the dish soap solution at several spots on the marble deck, patio or driveway. Use a soft bristled brush to spread the soap solution.
You can also scrub the spots that appear particularly dirty. Wait for 10 – 15 minutes for the soap solution to lift the dirt & grime off the pavers. Rinse clean with a garden hose.
5. Can You Clean Outdoor Marble Pavers with Bleach?
No, you should never use bleach to clean outdoor marble pavers.
Bleach is basically a diluted form of liquid chlorine, used for sanitizing the pool. Liquid chlorine is around 12.5% sodium hypochlorite in water. Household bleach is around 6% sodium hypochlorite in water.
When sodium hypochlorite (just like calcium hypochlorite) is mixed with water it forms hypochlorous acid, which is the active sanitizing agent. The mild acid kills the germs & pathogens in the pool water.
Marble is a metamorphic rock that is rich in calcite (calcium carbonate). Any acid, including hypochlorous acid will attack calcium carbonate and break it down. The process is slow but it is there.
If you use bleach to clean outdoor marble pavers frequently you may end up damaging them because of acidic corrosion.
6. Can You Clean Outdoor Marble Pavers with Vinegar?
Do not clean outdoor marble pavers with vinegar. Vinegar is acidic and will discolor marble.
Vinegar is about 4-6% acetic acid in water. Vinegar reacts with the calcite in marble and eats it away. When it comes to natural stones such as marble that are rich in calcite (calcium carbonate), it is best not to use cleaning solutions that are acidic.
When you place a drop of weak acid, such as vinegar, on calcite, it will bubble. This happens because a reaction causes a little bit of the calcite to break down, releasing carbon dioxide gas, making the bubbles.
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7. How Do You Remove Stains from Outdoor Marble?
Most stains on outdoor marble can be removed by using a 12% solution of hydrogen peroxide with a few drops of ammonia. You can also use Oxiclean to remove stains and kill off mold & mildew on marble pavers.
Oxiclean is pH neutral and based on hydrogen peroxide.
To get rid of stubborn stains it is best to use Miracle Sealants Poultice Plus. It is an easy to use, fine, non-acidic absorbent powder. The bleach free formula works, when mixed with distilled water, to draw stains out from travertine pavers & tiles.
8. Can Marble Be Pressure Washed?
You can power wash outdoor marble pavers but you must do it occasionally, gently and reseal the pavers after the power wash.
With the right pressure you can clean outdoor marble pavers without damaging them. A pressure washer is like a fun toy and don’t we love blasting the dirt & stains off the pavers. To avoid damage we must have a tool to control the pressure, jet angle and duration.
Use a surface cleaner attachment. The attachment ensures that the water jet is at a softer angle and at a safe distance from the deck surface. The water jet also rotates so the same spot is not getting the blast continuously.
Karcher K1700 Electric Pressure Washer 1700 PSI with 11″ Surface Cleaner is budget friendly and good enough for occasional use on pavers.
9. Do You Have to Seal Marble Pavers?
The sealer coat prevents stains & scratches and makes the marble pavers weather resistant. The effectiveness of the sealer coat does decline over time. The power wash also depletes some, if not all, of the sealer.
Resealing after a power wash will be required in most cases. It is quite easy to check if the sealer on the paver is still effective, after a pressure wash.
Just place a few drops of water on the paver surface. If the water drops bead up then the sealer is still intact. But, if the water gets absorbed then the sealer is no longer effective.
Impregnating Stone Sealers are effective as they penetrate into the pores of the natural stone pavers, solidify and block them. The natural texture & appearance remains unchanged. Water, stains or harmful chemicals can not enter the pores.
A good impregnating sealer such as Miracle Sealants 511QT6 511 Impregnator Sealer will last 1-3 years.
Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and helpful.
