Care & Cleaning Instructions from www.marble-institute.com/

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The natural stone your have purchased for your home or office is an investment that will give you many years of beautiful services. Stone is a natural product and simple care and maintenance will keep it looking beautiful. Here are some recommendations for routine care and cleaning.

Precautions

.  Use coasters under all glasses, particularly those containing alcohol or citrus juices. Many    common foods and drinks contain acids that will etch or dull the stone surface

.  Do not place hot items directly on the stone surface. Use trivets or mats under hot dishes and    placemats under china, ceramics, silver or other objects that can scratch the surface.

Cleaning Procedures & Recommendations

Floor Surfaces: Dust mop interior floors frequently using a clean non-treated dry dust mop. Sand, dirt and grit do the most damage to natural stone surfaces due to their abrasiveness. Mats or area rugs inside and outside an entrance will help to minimize the sand, dirt and grit that will scratch the stone floor. Be sure that the underside of the mat or rug is a non-slip surface. Normally, it will take a person about eight steps on a floor surface to remove sand or dirt from the bottom of their shoes. Do not use vacuum cleaners that are worn. The metal or plastic attachments or the wheels may scratch the surface.

Other Surfaces: Clean stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap (available at hardware stores or from your stone dealer) or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. Use a clean rag mop on floors and a soft cloth for other surfaces for best results. Too much cleaner or soap may leave a film and cause streaks. Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with the soap solution and dry with a soft cloth. Change the rinse water frequently. Do not use scouring powders or creams; these products contain abrasives that may scratch the surface.

Bath and Other Wet Areas: In the bath or other wet areas, soap scum can be minimized by using a squeegee after each use. To remove soap scum, use a non-acidic soap scum remover or a solution of ammonia and water (about 1/2 cup ammonia to a gallon of water). Frequent or over-use of an ammonia solution may eventually dull the surface of the stone.

Vanity Top Surfaces: Vanity tops may need to have a penetrating sealer applied. Check with your installer for recommendations. A good quality marble wax or non-yellowing automobile paste wax can be applied to minimize water spotting.

Food Preparation Areas: In food preparation areas, the stone may need to have a penetrating sealer applied. Check with your installer for recommendations. If a sealer is applied, be sure that it is non-toxic and safe for use on food preparation surfaces. If there are questions, check with the sealer manufacturer.

Outdoor Pool & Patio Areas: In outdoor pool, patio or hot tub areas, flush with clear water and use a mild bleach solution to remove algae or moss.

Do's and Don'ts

.  Do dust mop floors frequently

.  Do clean surfaces with mild detergent or stone soap

.  Do thoroughly rinse and dry the surface after washing

.  Do blot up spills immediately

.  Do protect floor surfaces with non-slip mats or area rugs and countertop surfaces with coasters, trivets or placemats

.  Don't use vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners containing acids on marble, limestone, travertine or onyx surfaces

.  Don't use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners or tub & tile cleaners

.  Don't use abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers

CaesarStone Care & Maintenance

This finish requires simple and routine care to maintain. Cleaning with a damp cloth and a liquid detergent will do the job. Because CaesarStone is impervious to stains, it will withstand daily exposure. Just wipe away and the surface is like new again.

Stubborn Stains or Dried Spills
Any multi-purpose cleaner or detergent can be used on these stains. For extra-stubborn spills use a white scouring pad to shift the dirt. It won't damage the tough surface. Cleaning liquids like bleach are also good for removing stains that seem to be hard to remove at first.

Spot Removal
To remove adhered materials, first scrape away the excess with a sharp blade. If there are any gray metal marks on the surface one of the regular cleaning agents will remove it. Finally, wash and rinse the surface in the normal way.

Polishing
CaesarStone is non-porous and will therefore keep its lustrous gloss and ultra-smooth surface without polishing or sealing.

Heat Resistance
CaesarStone can tolerate moderately hot temperatures for brief periods of time without being damaged. This makes our surfaces ideal for kitchens because an accidentally misplaced hot pot will not ruin the countertop. However, take care to avoid direct contact for a long time with very hot pots.

Honed Finish
Caesarstone's HONED FINISH will require more daily maintenance than our polished finishes. Since there is more exposed surface area with honed finishes, metal marks, finger prints and other signs of daily living will show on honed material. Most of these marks can be easily removed with little effort and cleaning products such as a white Scotch Bright pad, Windex and for tough stains, Softscrub with bleach.

Tough? Yes - Indestructible? No
As with any surface, CaesarStone can be permanently damaged by exposure to strong chemicals and solvents that undermine its physical properties. Do not use products that contain trichlorethane or methylene chloride, such as paint removers or strippers. Avoid any highly aggressive cleaning agents like oven/grill cleaner that have high alkaline/PH levels.

Should your surface accidentally be exposed to any of these damaging products, rinse immediately with water to neutralize the effect.

Call your professional stone supplier, installer or restoration specialist for problems that appear too difficult to treat.

The Marble Institute of America offers a brochure that includes information on treating spills and stains on natural stone surfaces. For a copy, please send $1.00US along with a self addressed, stamped business size envelope (37 cents). A CD containing the video shown on this page can be purchased for $5.00US along with a self addressed, stamped business size envelope (37 cents). Please remit to:Marble Institute of America, 28901 Clemens Road, Suite 100, Cleveland, Ohio 44145 USA.