If the home you just purchased has limestone flooring, you'll need to spend some time learning how to care for it. Limestone requires a bit more care and maintenance than most other flooring materials. However, the beauty of the natural stone makes it well worth the additional effort. The information provided here will help you keep your limestone floor looking beautiful.

Clean Spills as Soon as They Happen

If you've got a limestone floor in your kitchen, you've got to keep on top of the spills, especially if you're not sure how well the limestone was sealed before you bought your home. Limestone absorbs liquid quickly, which means that stains can set in if you don't get things cleaned up. Keep a supply of soft paper towels on hand to make quick work of cleanup. It's also a good idea to keep a spray bottle filled with distilled water on hand. For water spills, simply use your paper towels to dry the spill. For spills involving colored liquid, blot the liquid and then spray the area with the distilled water. Use the paper towels to dry the area.

Don't Overlook the Sweeping and Dusting

With other types of flooring, you can go a day or two without sweeping or dusting. However, with limestone, it's crucial that you sweep or dust your floor on a daily basis. Crumbs, sand, and dirt can get embedded in the limestone and can cause small scratches to develop in the surface of your flooring. To avoid that, use a soft broom to sweep your floor at least once a day. You can also use a microfiber dust mop to clean your limestone floor.

Avoid Those Homemade Cleaning Solutions

If you've been thinking about trying homemade cleaning solutions on your limestone floor, it's best that you don't. Most homemade cleaning solutions include things like lemon juice, vinegar, or ammonia – three ingredients that can destroy your limestone flooring. To protect your floor, always use cleaning solutions that are designed specifically for limestone.

Give Your Floor a Steam Cleaning Once a Month

One of the great things about limestone is that it shouldn't need to be deep cleaned very often. However, you should give it a steam cleaning about once a month. Not only will a steam cleaner remove all traces of dirt, it will also restore the natural luster of your limestone floor. Be sure to allow your floor to dry thoroughly each time you use your steam cleaner.