Dear Mary:
Do you really think that whoever suggested you to use only water to clean your countertop only use water to shower or to do their dishes?
Since you mentioned them, MB-5 is an excellent product that will actually clean your stone; while MB-13 is more of a “vanity” product. Used sparingly (and I do mean sparingly) once a week or so, it will give some extra sheen to your stone and make the cleaning easier and less frequent by effectively keeping finger marks at bay.
As far as your Venetian Gold (probably) Orthogneiss, the grittiness is the indication of a low-quality slab and there's nothing that you can do about it.
MB-5 and MB-13 will work and do what they are supposed to do, but they will certainly not perform the miracle of upgrading your stone.
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
Article ID: 1274
Created On: Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 5:58 PM
Last Updated On: Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Authored by: Maurizio Bertoli [mail@mbstone.com]
Online URL: https://marblecleaning.org/knowledgebase/article.php?id=1274