Cleaning

Quartz may sound like it’s a natural mineral – and it is. However, the engineered quartz that you see in modern kitchens and bathrooms comes from a man-made, manufactured process. It’s formed of a buffet of ‘ingredients,’ different pieces which include resin and more than 90 percent crushed natural stone We tend to connote man-made…

Dirty tile grout: The bane of every tiled-surface owner’s existence. It’s a little thing that can make an entire room feel grimy. As a result, the temptation is always there to take up a scouring pad and attack it with every fiber of your being. This might feel good. It might feel like you’re doing…

For centuries, families across the globe have upheld the tradition of spring cleaning. (The custom has its roots in many different cultures and religions; it’s traced back to a 13-day long cleaning celebration marking the Persian New Year). Every year, come warm weather, people around the world have opened their windows, aired out their homes,…

We think of the ancient baths, those that originated in early Roman times, as exotic, masterfully built pieces of art that served as luxurious centers of self-care. Now, thousands of years later, we live a faster-paced, less communal life. We tend to retreat to our own personal baths for our daily toiletries. We don’t have…

If you have a natural-stone shower, bath, countertop or other surface in your home, you need to be aware of what limescale is, how it forms and, most importantly, how to safely remove it without harmful chemicals that can damage your natural-stone surface even more.  Many homeowners don’t become aware of limescale until there is…

Wondering how to clean a stone fireplace? The good news is that you can easily care for your natural-stone fireplace in – or outside – your home, giving it a brilliant luster and making it a focal point in any setting. Without a proper three-step cleaning, sealing and polishing routine soot, ash and smoke can…

Did you know your typical, common household cleaner is doing more harm than good when it comes to cleaning your granite countertops? If you’re investing in natural-stone surfaces, then it is important to know the best way to clean granite countertops, the types of cleaners that work the best, the types of cleaners that should…

From St. Peter’s Basilica to the Roman Colosseum and even the lobby walls of Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), travertine has been used as a building material all over the world throughout history. Travertine is a sedimentary form of limestone that mostly forms in hot springs and caves in large deposits of calcium carbonate. In…

With the widespread popularity of granite and marble countertops, we’ve seen more and more people choose slate as stone countertop alternative. Not only does slate offer a unique look over other options, but there are practical benefits as well. Not only is slate usually less expensive than granite or marble, but it’s a tough material…

Some great ideas have come out of this trend of lifehack sites and brought with them a resurgence in DIY ingenuity that we love to see. Sites like Lifehacker share great guides and tips, but some other sites or blogs have fallen into the trap of quantity over quality as of late. With that has…

Having been used throughout history as a famously high end and luxurious building material, adorning everything from the Taj Mahal, to the ancient Egyptian pyramids and ubiquitous carved columns in Greece. To this day marble is prized for its high-class appearance, structural rigidity and unparalleled timelessness. However, all that beauty requires some rather specific maintenance…

Slate has been a staple building material for hundreds of years, from historical buildings in Pennsylvania sporting slate features, to now where it’s seeing a bit of a resurgence. With modern rustic design becoming huge over the last decade that seems to have risen hand-in-hand with the craft brewery boom. For a local example to…

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are reconsidering how we go about our cleaning routines. This and other recent health scares shed light on how paramount it is to maintain clean and safe food-prep surfaces especially. With that being said, there are special considerations to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning and…

Stone paved floors, walkways and roads have been an architectural staple for hundreds of years for good reason: they last. Now in an age of man-made concrete and pavement replacing stone for most of these tasks, a well done natural-stone patio has become quite the luxury for homeowners. A great place to cook, spend time…

In this continually changing landscape of health concerns, it’s more important than ever to stay informed on best health practices — especially when dealing with food-prep surfaces such as your countertops. When it comes to natural-stone surfaces in particular, there are more considerations in terms of cleaning, disinfecting and caring for than with other materials….

If it was good enough to make up the majority of the Colosseum’s structure, we think it’s a safe bet travertine is up to the task in your home. That’s not to say this tough stone is maintenance free, though. While it has mostly stood the test of time structurally in Rome, keeping this natural…

If there is one thing that we’ve learned from MTV Cribs, it’s that the bedroom is where all the magic happens (seriously, they all say that). If there are two things we’ve learned, the second would be that natural-stone showers are a staple feature of just about every celebrity mansion since at least the year…

The sodium bicarbonate powdered compound more commonly known as baking soda was first produced in the year 1791 by a French chemist, and one of its first applications outside of the laboratory was mentioned by the British author Rudyard Kipling in the early 1800s as a product used by fishermen to prevent early spoilage of…

Travertine is one of those natural stones that happen to be more popular than most people realize. In fact, some people think marble and limestone are synonymous with travertine, and this isn’t completely inaccurate. Both marble and travertine can be considered limestone because of the high concentration of calcite minerals, but their geological formation processes…

Granite flooring and countertops look great, particularly if the stone has been honed and polished to a glossy finish, but when a cloudy film forms on the surface, you get the opposite effect. With haziness and cloudiness on granite surfaces, there are various levels of causes and severity. In most situations, this is something you…

When it comes to proper maintenance of natural-stone or engineered flooring and countertops, selection of cleaning products is crucial. Unlike solid surface, laminate, and ceramic construction materials, quartz and natural stone are more sensitive to the chemicals found in common household cleaners. For this reason, Granite Gold® offers cleaning products specifically formulated for natural stone…