The issue regarding etching (which is different from staining) is for POLISHED stone, NOT HONED. If you appreciate the timeless beauty of honed marble (like the streets and fountains across Italy and much of Europe) then etching isn't an issue. For the person with green goop on honed marble left on overnight by kids, it may be a remnant stain that is bring noticed -- not etching.

Etching is a dulling [honing] of the polished surface of stone. Acids (lemon, tomato, vinegsr, bleach, many toothpastes, acidic oils including olive, Lysol, Drayno, etc.) will etch [create an unpolished spot] on certain stones. Marble is very susceptible to this. Some granites. A few Quarzite (those many are practically impervious -- at least for a longer period of time begore cleaning up the spill). Note: Quartzite is a natural stone -- which is different from the "Quartz" the industry has named for the man-made product [also, not to be confused with real gem-stone quartz -- citrine, amethyst, smokey].

Sealing your stone prevents neither staining nor etching -- it only buys you time [slows absorbtion]. The best quality sealers such as 511-PorousPlus buys you more time than lesser-quslity sealers.

Some marbles are more resistant than others; some granites more than others. For those who haven't yet installed their desired choice of stone, ask to test a sample of the slab-group you desire. Do the water, lemon-juice, olive-oil test. That will tell you if [A] a sealer will buy you an acceptable amount if time for spill clean-up; and [B] if the room in which you envision the install will make sense. If your stone is quickly stained or etched, a kitchen or kids bathroom may mean an unacceptable amountbof effort despite the beauty.

All that said, staining is more the bear than etching. If one wants to retain a uniform, mirror-like sheen on their polished stone, removing etch marks can be done with etch-removal products that are used to repolish the etched area.

Staining is more of a challenge [permanent-wise]. Many [but not all] stains are less noticeable on dark, multi-shaded stones. Poultice products [used to draw out to stain over time and repeated applications] can have mixed outcomes. The best, granted vigilant, approach is to clean up the spill ASAP, while the sealer is still preventing the stone from absorbing the stain. Note: if the poultice result is unacceptable, the stain can be removed [excised] by grinding it out IF IT IS A VERY SHALLOW SURFACE STAIN. Doing such requires several stages of increasingly fine griding pads used in an increadinly wide circle until finally the finest buffing pad is used to polish the area to match the complete stone.

I use dawn too. Also be careful with watermelon. Had no idea it was acidic and it etched my marble.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm considering marble for a kitchen, but could someone tell me what you use to disinfect the counter top after, say, raw chicken or meat? I know how careful you have to be with marble and I would imagine the usual disinfectants would be terrible for it? [/quote]

Curious: do people prep food directly on counters? I've always only used chopping boards for this. And would never consider putting raw chicken on my counters. I guess that it would be ok, so long as you sanitized appropriately but wouldn't it be easier to just use cutting boards that you can clean? [/quote]

Hi, I'm the PP. I don't actually put raw meat directly on the counter tops (in fact, never), but often there is residual splatter or mess from prepping dinner that needs to be cleaned up. Just wondering if Clorox wipes, etc. would eat away at the marble when cleaning that kind of thing up.[/quote]

OP here. Personally, I would make my own solution with disinfecting ingredients, alcohol, tea tree, and thyme are what I'm using. Then very hot water to wipe it down. Though it seems that people use Disinfecting sprays and wipes, such as a PP using Clorox anywhere spray. Also, many people seem to use mats under their cutting boards, I got that idea on gardenweb.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm considering marble for a kitchen, but could someone tell me what you use to disinfect the counter top after, say, raw chicken or meat? I know how careful you have to be with marble and I would imagine the usual disinfectants would be terrible for it?

Curious: do people prep food directly on counters? I've always only used chopping boards for this. And would never consider putting raw chicken on my counters. I guess that it would be ok, so long as you sanitized appropriately but wouldn't it be easier to just use cutting boards that you can clean?

Hi, I'm the PP. I don't actually put raw meat directly on the counter tops (in fact, never), but often there is residual splatter or mess from prepping dinner that needs to be cleaned up. Just wondering if Clorox wipes, etc. would eat away at the marble when cleaning that kind of thing up.

OP here. I bought a silpat, actually a larger version called something else but same company, to put under my cutting boards, especially for meats and citrus.

Everything I've read says soap and water is best for cleaning, but there are a lot of other products that will work. I plan to make a mild soap mixture with tea tree and thyme and wipe with hot water from our dispenser. I also got honed countertops and will be fine with etching, but cautious in how I use it. My big stumbling point is the dishsoap, not the stuff I will use on the counter but just the dishes. Everything I'm interested in has citric acid in it, and the regular brands don't even list their ingredients. I think I'm just going to go for it, but will test it out on our sink piece to see if it damages it. Does anyone else use a natural line of dishsoap with their marble tops?