How to Clean Marble Countertops and Floors Safely

Step by step

1
Blot spills immediately
Blot with a paper towel as soon as something spills, especially wine, coffee, citrus juice, soda, tomato or vinegar dressings. Don't wipe.

Why: Acids start etching marble within a short time, and colored liquids soak into its pores. Wiping spreads both over more stone.
2
Wash with a neutral cleaner
Use a cleaner formulated for marble or stone, a stone soap, or a few drops of mild dish soap in warm water, with a soft cloth on counters or a clean rag or microfiber mop on floors.

Why: Neutral cleaners lift dirt without dissolving the calcium carbonate.
3
Rinse and change the water often
Wipe or mop again with clean water, and change the rinse water as soon as it looks cloudy.

Why: Soap film streaks and dulls a polished surface.
4
Dry with a soft cloth
Buff the surface dry rather than letting it air-dry.

Why: Standing water leaves rings and mineral spots.
5
Prevent etching and scratches
Put coasters under all glasses, especially alcohol and citrus drinks, trivets under hot dishes, and mats inside and outside entrances to marble floors.

Why: Coasters prevent etch rings. Grit tracked in on shoes scratches a polished floor like sandpaper.

What marble is, and why acids are off limits

Marble, like limestone, travertine and onyx, is a calcareous stone: mostly calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate reacts with acid the way baking soda fizzes in vinegar, so anything acidic (vinegar, lemon, wine, soda, tomato, many tub-and-tile, lime-scale and rust removers) dissolves a thin layer of the polish. That's an etch: a dull, lighter spot that looks like a water mark but won't wipe off. Marble is also porous, so colored and oily liquids soak in and leave a stain, which is darker.

The difference matters because the fixes are opposite. Sealer helps against stains but does nothing against etching. Stains are pulled out with a poultice; etches are polished out. Scrubbing helps neither and scratches the polish. Granite is a siliceous stone that tolerates more; see cleaning granite if you're not sure which you have.

How often: wipe spills immediately and clean counters regularly with a neutral cleaner. One expert on the Natural Stone Institute's consumer site suggests dust-mopping marble floors daily or every other day and washing them weekly. Iowa State's AnswerLine suggests testing the sealer every couple of months: if water darkens the stone instead of beading, reseal with an impregnating sealer.

How to get stains and etch marks out of marble

Stains need a poultice: an absorbent powder (kaolin, diatomaceous earth, whiting or baking soda) mixed with the right chemical to a peanut-butter paste, spread 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, covered with plastic and left 24 to 48 hours to dry and draw the stain out. Repeat if needed.

Organic stains (coffee, tea, wine, fruit) on light marble: 12% hydrogen peroxide, which is hair-bleaching strength, in the poultice. Test it in a hidden spot first.
Oil stains: mineral spirits or acetone in the poultice, or a baking soda poultice.
Rust stains: a stone rust-remover poultice. These are often permanent; call a professional.
Hard water rings: buff with dry #0000 steel wool.

Etch marks are damage to the polish. For a light etch on polished marble, the Natural Stone Institute describes rubbing a wet marble polishing powder on with a damp cloth or a low-speed buffer. Deeper or widespread etching needs a stone restorer to hone and repolish.

By situation

Marble floors

Dust-mop often with a clean, dry, untreated mop to remove grit, then damp-mop with a neutral stone cleaner and warm water, rinse, and dry. Use mats inside and outside entrances. For marble tile with grout, use a neutral cleaner on the grout too; acidic grout cleaners will etch the marble around it.

Marble showers and shower tile

Squeegee the walls after each shower to cut soap scum. Remove scum with a non-acidic soap scum remover or about 1/2 cup of ammonia per gallon of water, then rinse; frequent ammonia use can dull some stones. Never use acidic hard-water or tub-and-tile cleaners in a marble shower. For the grout lines, see tile grout, using only neutral or alkaline products.

Marble countertops in the kitchen

Kitchen marble etches easily because so many foods are acidic. Use cutting boards and coasters and wipe spills right away. When etch marks do build up, polishing powder or a stone restorer can refresh the surface.

White powder on marble floors

That's efflorescence: mineral salts carried up by moisture from below. Water only hides it temporarily. Dust-mop or vacuum it off and find and fix the moisture source.

What not to do

Don't use vinegar, lemon juice or any acidic cleaner. Acids react with calcium carbonate and etch and dull the surface. That includes many tub-and-tile, lime-scale and rust removers.
Don't use scouring powders, creams or abrasive pads. They scratch the polish, and scrubbing can't remove an etch anyway.
Don't wipe spills around. Wiping spreads acids and colored liquids over more stone. Blot instead.
Don't mix bleach with ammonia. Together they release toxic chloramine gas. See what never to mix.

Other methods that work

Marble polishing powder

For light etch marks on polished marble, rubbed on wet with a damp cloth or a low-speed buffer.

Caution: Not for honed (matte) marble or deep etches; follow the product directions and test in a hidden spot.

Professional stone restoration

Honing and repolishing removes widespread etching and scratches, and a restorer can deal with rust and old stains.

Caution: Ask what sealer they recommend afterward and how often to test it.

Stain still there?

A dull ring where a glass stood

That's an etch, not a stain. Try marble polishing powder on polished marble, or call a stone restorer.

A dark spot that won't wash off

Something soaked in. Identify it (oil, organic, rust) and use the matching poultice, then reseal once the stone is dry.

Streaks and a cloudy film

Soap residue. Rinse with clean water, changing it often, and buff dry.

Safety

Wear gloves and eye protection with 12% hydrogen peroxide, and ventilate when using acetone or mineral spirits.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

Can you use vinegar on marble?

No. Vinegar is an acid, and marble is calcium carbonate, which acid dissolves. It leaves dull etch marks that only polishing can remove.

How do you get stains out of marble?

With a poultice matched to the stain: 12% hydrogen peroxide for coffee, tea or wine on light marble, a solvent or baking soda for oil, and a stone rust remover for rust. Leave it covered 24 to 48 hours.

What is the difference between an etch and a stain on marble?

An etch is a dull, lighter spot where acid ate the polish. A stain is a darker color absorbed into the stone. Sealer helps against stains, not etches.

What is the best cleaner for marble floors?

A neutral (pH 7) stone cleaner or stone soap in warm water, after dust-mopping. Rinse and dry so no film builds up.

Does sealing marble stop etching?

No. An impregnating sealer slows stains from soaking in, but acids still react with the stone's surface.

More guides for this room

Sources

Care & Cleaning of Natural Stone, Natural Stone Institute
Stain Removal (natural stone) incl. Making and Using a Poultice, Natural Stone Institute
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Cleaning Natural Stone Surfaces, Use Natural Stone (Natural Stone Institute consumer site)
Caring for Stone Countertops, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - AnswerLine
Cleaning Hard Surfaces, American Cleaning Institute

Last updated October 26, 2026. Methods are drawn from the sources above; how we research and check our guides.