In this article, we will tell you how to remove water stains from marble.

Water stains on marble are a common occurrence, that the majority of household owners have experienced. There are a couple of ways to prevent them which we will cover in the latter part of the article. What we would like to focus on, is how to remove those water stains.

Since marble is a stone, that’s widely used for countertops, floors, or showers hard water stains can be an everyday event. That being said, this material can stand the test of time, therefore, we still find it to be a perfectly good choice.

The first thing you should do is verify, whether those are actually water stains. This is because often you may mistake etch marks for water stains. The procedure differs in those cases, making the whole process ineffective. Below, we will list a couple of ways in which you can completely remove water stains while not buying any professional cleaners.

Without further ado, let’s get into the proper part of the article.

How to remove water stains from marble?

The first thing, that we would like to address, is that etch marks are often mistaken for hard water stains. This is a major problem, as removing etch marks is different from removing hard water stains. 

That’s because etch mark is an altercation of the stone’s surface, caused by an acidic agent. Hard water stains, on the other hand, are caused by minerals from “hard water”, that stick to your floors, marble tables, or showers. To determine the type of stain, you can rub your hand over the stone’s surface – If the stained area is raised, there’s a good chance, that you have a water stain.

There are many ways to remove hard water stains, and in this article, we will cover the most convenient ones. We also no one likes to spend extra money, therefore, we highly recommend sticking to home remedies – Most of the time, they are as good as professional ways of cleaning.

Dish soap

Dish soap, or any kind of soap, in fact, is one of the most popular ways of removing stubborn stains. This also saves you from spending extra money on professional cleaning agents, as most of the people have dish soap in their house.

1. Create a cleaning formula – Combine water with dish soap and put it inside a spray bottle. This will make the cleaning process easier, as you can evenly distribute cleaning formula around the dirty area.
2. Spray and clean the dirty area – Apply the cleaning formula and use a sponge to gently tap the stains. You don’t want to scrub or use too much pressure, as it can damage the marble. Repeat this process, until the stain is completely gone.
3. Dry the marble – For this, it’s best to use a soft white cloth or an old towel.

Most of the time this cleaning formula should be sufficient, however, feel free to try out other options if you can’t remove the stain so easily.

Baking soda

Baking soda is another common home remedy for stains. It was tested multiple times by many of us, and almost everyone will tell you how effective, and safe this ingredient is. For this purpose, it’s best to create a paste-like detergent and apply this to the marble.

1. Create a cleaning formula – You should mix some baking soda with water, in order to create a thick paste, that you will apply later on. 
2. Apply the formula and wait – Try to spread the paste evenly onto the dirty spots. After that, you will have to cover the paste with plastic wrap and let it sit for approximately 24 hours.
3. Clean the paste – After 24 hours, you can wipe the dried paste with a clean, wet cloth. The stains should be gone by now, in other cases, you can try using dish soap.

Hydrogen peroxide

You shouldn’t use bleach when cleaning marble countertops, however, hydrogen peroxide is a safe alternative. While it has some bleaching properties, your marble should stay safe. Regular use can be, in fact, quite beneficial, as it prevents calcium buildup.

1. Create a cleaning formula – Mixing cream of tartar with hydrogen peroxide usually works pretty well. Just like with baking soda, try to create a thick paste.
2. Apply the formula and wait – Put the paste on a hard water stain, and cover them with plastic wrap for 24 hours.
3. Clean the paste – After 24 hours, you can wipe the dried paste with a clean, wet cloth. The stains should be gone by now, in other cases, you can try using dish soap.

How to prevent marble water stains?

If you don’t want to spend extra time cleaning hard water stains, it’s best to clean up spills as soon as you see them. This will take you only a couple of seconds, however, you won’t need to spend extra time scrubbing those stubborn stains.

Try to form a habit of wiping dry any countertops, floors, or tables right after you spill something on them. This will prevent hard water stains from forming, leaving you with more spare time.

Frequently asked questions

Does baking soda remove etching from marble?

Baking soda will neither remove, nor create etching on your marble. That being said, you can scratch the surface, if you aren’t too careful when removing the baking soda. For removing etching, the polishing powder should work pretty well.

How do you get stains out of white marble?

This can be done with any of the methods, that we described above. For removing stains out of white marble, we would recommend using dish soap, or baking soda. Those home remedies should be completely sufficient, in most scenarios.

Can you use Comet on honed marble?

Comet shouldn’t be used on real marble (both honed and polished), and it should never be mixed with chlorine bleach. Comet can damage the marble, leaving etching on the surface. If you want to use the cleaner on cultured marble, be sure to test it on an inconspicuous area first.

Conclusion

In conclusion, removing hard water stains from marble isn’t too difficult. Most of the time, you can simply rely on home remedies such as dishwashing soap, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide. If all of those don’t make any difference, try reaching for a professional cleaning agent.

You also have to remember, that there’s a huge difference between hard water stain and etching. Those two often get mixed up, leaving people to believe, that presented methods don’t work. In reality, etching can’t be removed with the methods above.

We hope, that after reading this article, you won’t have any more problems with hard water stains.