This was a large private residence in Kaanapali Hillside, Lahaina, Maui. The red dirt in the area is infamous for staining everything and wreaking havoc on homes, floors, and furnishings. In fact, if you've visited Maui, you might be familiar with Red Dirt Shirts, a tshirt line developed using red dirt as the pigment to dye Tshirts. It stains most anything porous, and this travertine floor had some heavy traffic throughout the dining, kitchen, hallway and living areas. These pictures show opposite ends of the same hallway before cleaning and after. They were not altered in any way, but the lighting was at different times of day. The cleaning made such a drastic difference, that the clients were very happy with the service.
The Eurotech Marble & Stone Care technicians used professional strength cleaning agents and prescrubbed all the grout and stone. Then the floor was rinsed and pressure extracted to get it ready for sealing. It was then resealed with the selected top grade penetrating stone sealer.
The reason sealing flooring, or any natural stone surface, is so important is that it helps to make the stone more resistant to oil and water-based stains. In an area like Lahaina, where red dirt is such an issue, we recommend bi-annual deep cleaning and resealing, and annual light professional cleanings.
Understanding the levels of service is key when hiring a professional to clean your floors. A light cleaning, such as that a janitorial company could do (even with machines) would still be considered a light professional cleaning. Be sure to ask what kinds of cleaning agents will be used in the cleaning (see the following paragraph) and what kind of process will be used. Stone is such a big investment, the last thing you would want is someone treating it like ceramic tile and putting bleach or acids on it. That could potentially marr the stone, and would definitely reduce the effectiveness of whatever sealer is on the flooring.
Most natural stone owners know that they shouldn't use anything except stone specific PH neutral cleaners on their stone countertops, showers and floors for daily cleaning and maintenance. This is to not only prevent damage to the stone itself, but also to protect and preserve the penetrating sealer that protects the marble, granite, or travertine.
Remember: Preserve your sealer, protect your stone.
If you have stone surfaces in Maui that you'd like a consultation on, call the Eurotech Marble & Stone Care Maui Office at 808.877.0222.
