tumbled marble in shower - mildew problem

our shower has tumbled marble on the floor with tile going up the sides..... there was some black mildew/mold spots where the wall meets the floor in a few areas (also in the grout)... I tried a natural stone cleaner but it didn't remove it so I used bleach to kill the mold. My husband says it took some of the color out and took away a sheen.... What can I do for this and what should I have used? thanks

 

Dear Jennifer:

First off, things are not always what they appear to be on the surface. Therefore we have to first determine why you have mildew in that particular areas of your stall. Do you have grout damaged or missing? If that's the case, the mildew would be the indication that you have water under your tiles and that the weep holes by the drain are clogged. It would not certainly do any good to clean the grout under the circumstances, because the problem would be structural and not a mere housekeeping matter.

That said to cover any possible angle, while a neutral stone cleaner (whatever that means…) is understandably totally useless at cleaning mildew stains, using bleach was not a really good idea. However, I don't understand your mention of some sheen having come off.

Why would you have any sheen if the marble tiles are tumble-finished??... I really can't think of any finish as dull as tumbled!

Did someone ever apply some sort of wax or something to your tiles that they have now some sheen? If that's the case, then obviously the bleach partially stripped whatever it is that's sitting on the surface of your stone and that has no business being there to begin with.

So, whatever it is, strip it all out and then you're going to have to learn something about the proper maintenance of your stone. The issue of what you'll be doing day in and day out to your stone is – as it should be intuitive – vastly more important than its sealing (if and when possible and/or advisable) and it's all too often neglected. As you can tell by reading many of this site's postings, you're not likely to get good information about routine care from your dealer or installer. Don't become another statistic! By logging into the Helpful Hints section of our website at:   http://www.mbstone.com/HH_promo/helpful_hints.htm , you will be able to get the short version of our maintenance guidelines at no charge. The full version of it – a 10-page document considered by many as an industry benchmark – is available in pay-per-download format in our Educational Literature section at:   http://www.mbstone.com/literature/literature.htm .   Among a well of valuable information, in there you will also find priceless tips on how to properly install stone in a bathroom.

And remember, every single penny of the cost of the literature will be used to support this site and its cause: your cause.

While you are in the “Helpful Hints” section, do spend some time reading all of the interesting FREE articles you'll find in there!

Finally, keep in mind that we need your support to help us helping you!

Will you please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?    

By spreading the word about this valuable site among your friend & family and the stone trades' people you've been dealing with, you will be rendering everybody a valuable service!

Thank you  

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri zio Bertoli

 

www.marblecleaning.org – The only Consumers' Portal to the Stone Industry Establishment!