Tomato Stain on Marble Window Sill


How do I remove white stains from tomatoes on the marble kitchen window sill?

How do I remove rain water spots from my mom's marble window sills?


The rain water spots may take some diagnosing, but the white stains from the tomatoes are actually etch marks and not "stains."

A stain occurs when a substance is absorbed into the pores of the marble below the surface. Marble stains are always darker than the marble color.

Etch marks are marks of corrosion where a substance (either too acidic like tomatoes or too alkaline like most common cleaning products) has eaten into the marble and essentially destroyed a little bit of the marble.

Etching will remove the polished layer creating a dull spot and sometimes lighter or white spot.

Both and etch marks can be removed in most cases, but they require completely different methods.

To remove etch marks on polished marble use a good compound like ETCH REMOVER / Marble Polishing product, which we find to be the most effective... specifically made for removing etch marks on polished surfaces (honed marble requires a different technique to remove etching).

The rain drop spots could be due to rust or something in the water or etching (acid rain).

So, you need to determine if the spots are darker (a stain) or lighter(etching) than the marble.

If the rain drops appear to be etching, then use the polishing product to remove.

If they are stains, then you'll need to follow the procedure outlined in Removing Marble Stains Manual.

Unfortunately, there isn't a product that you can just spray on and scrub to clean a tomato stain or any type of stain in marble or stone.

Why? Well, stains are by their very nature below the surface, so no cleaner or scrubbing device can get to them.

But the step-by-step guide above will provide the most effective and cheap method to get out these and any other type of stain.

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Polished vs. Honed
by: Ryan

A "polished" marble is shiny and reflective. A "honed" surface is a smooth, but non-reflective matte finish.

Now, the marble could have been polished at one time, but has now become non-reflective or dull because of etching or from the shiny surface layer just being worn away with use.

If you are unsure if it was ever polished, but it is now somewhat dull you'll just have to experiment. The Marble Polishing Paste may bring back the shine.

If it is really dull and even slightly rough, then it's unlikely the Marble Polishing Paste will work to make it shiny. At this point the surface is effectively a rough "honed" surface and you'll have to use the appropriate remedy for a honed surface to remove etch marks.

Thank you
by: Anonymous

Excellent reply and I thank you. But it did raise one more do I know if I have polished or honed marble? The house (grey marble window sills to go with stainless steel windows) was built in 1950. The white marble bath vanity top was probably remodeled in the 70s.

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