Mildew in limestone countertop and bathroom

Hi- We have honed limestone countertops in our kitchen that seem to have mold/mildew stains that will not come out with Tilex. Also, we have a similar tile in our bathroom that is having the same problem. Bleach has not worked. Do you have any product that would work in this instance? Thanks a lot. jon

 

Dear Jon:

While Tilex may not be the appropriate product for natural stone (and most of the times it is not, as also indicated by their directions), it doesn't mean that it won't work at doing what it was formulated to do: removing mildew stains. Not being appropriate makes only reference to the fact that it will probably damage the stone by corroding it. But I can assure you that if Tilex does not remove your mildew, then nothing else will and, perhaps, it might not be mildew at all.

Unless the mildew is deep inside the stone, in which case it would have to be poultice out.

But while that could be conceivable inside a shower stalls if water finds its way behind and under the stone tiles, what really baffles me is your report of mildew on your countertop. I never even heard of mildew forming on or in a countertop – no matter which stone!

 

Do I have a product that would work to solve your problem?

 

I highly doubt it. If Tilex did not remove the mildew, my MB-9 will not, either. What makes my MB-9 “better” than Tilex is not its effectiveness, but the fact that's been formulated to be, and intensively tested as, safe on natural stone.

 

I tend to believe that you have problems that are much deeper that meet the eyes.

 

For starters, by saying limestone you're saying very little – if anything at all. There are many different (and I do mean different) kinds of limestone that span from dense and acceptable rocks, to limestone that will actually fall apart under running water or “powder” or “bleach” (all problems with no solution), and everything in between.

So which limestone do you have? And please, don't tell me some fancy name and country of origin: I need a technical sheet of your particular stone (which most likely doesn't even exist) with its mineralogy analysis, and all that kind of goodies.

Second, once again: Why do you have mildew in your countertop and where is it coming from (assuming that's mildew)?

Third: why do you have mildew in your bathroom? Is the mildew only in the grout lines (which could be even poor housekeeping – but Tilex would have taken care of that), or is it within the stone in the middle of the tile? If the latter is the case, that would possibly the consequence of an installation failure. (Grout missing or damaged, tiles installed butt-joint, etc.)

No matter what, due to the strange nature of your problem (especially the countertop) only a physical inspection of your installation by a knowledgeable stone restoration contractor could get to the bottom of it.

Sorry that I could not be any more help.   

One thing is for sure: if marblecleaning.org could have its ways, these situations would not exist.

 

May I ask you now to please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

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