How to remove rust stains from marble

Marble is one of the nicest materials to have in a home, whether it be on a kitchen countertop, the backsplash of a wall or used as flooring in a hallway. However, it does come with some problems if it isn’t cared for correctly, and any sort of stain can completely ruin the pristine look of a marble surface, diminishing the appearance of the glamorous natural stone. Rust stains are quite common with marble as it is a calcareous material, and can appear in almost any place it has been installed. The particularly common areas for rust to appear with marble are around taps and the general sink area. 

This may seem concerning, and may even put you off of adding any marble surfaces to your home, but don’t worry, many common stains you find on marble, including rust, can be quite easily removed if you’re using the right products. This blog post is going to show you how to get rid of those rust stains, give you a step-by-step guide, and show you exactly which products you need to get to do the perfect job.

Remove Any Oil Or Grease

The first step is always to clean your marble before doing any sort of rust removal, which means firstly getting a bowl of hot soapy water and a clean cloth, and cleaning the marble. The next step is to use a suitable degreaser to remove any traces of oil or grease, as these can interfere when it comes to the removal of rust stains, so before we do anything, we need a nice, clean marble surface.

In this process, you will be working with some powerful rust removing chemicals, and therefore need to keep yourself and your skin protected. Make sure to apply some rubber gloves and protective glasses, as you don’t want to come in contact with these chemicals. Once you are suitably protected, you are ready to start removing rust from your marble.

How To Get Rust Stains Out Of A Marble Countertop

The next step in removing rust stains from a marble countertop is to spray some of Jenolite’s rust stain remover directly onto the stain. Make sure to shake the bottle of stain remover well, and twist the nozzle to open the spray applicator. Apply an even coverage of the spray to the rust stain, ensuring all surfaces affected by the rust stain are in contact with the liquid. 

Give the remover sufficient time to soak in, depending on the surface you are using it on. This is important as it needs time to start the reaction with the rust. Once you have waited, wipe the surface clean with a dry cloth, and if the stain is still present, reapply and repeat the process as necessary. 

How To Remove Rust From Marble Floor

The process for removing rust from a marble floor is similar to the countertop method, but as you will be generally covering a larger area of thicker marble, there are some slight differences.

The preparation remains the same, using the rust remover spray to cover any area of the marble floor affected by rust stains. However this time you will need to leave it at least 24 hours to fully affect the rust, and allow you to easily remove it. After you have waited 24 hours, you can wipe the spray away with a clean cloth, and remove all of the rust. This should completely remove any rust stains you may have had, but if not, simply repeat the process again until they have disappeared.

Prevent Marble From Rusting

The last key step involves rust prevention, and how you can prevent your marble surfaces from encountering rust in the future. Here are our two key tips to avoid rust on marble surfaces:

1. Make sure to purchase some sealer, and seal your marble surface every few months to stop cracks from appearing and developing rust.
2. Water and air are the perfect combination for rust to appear, so if any water if spilled near marble, make sure to clean it quickly and effectively to prevent rust from developing.

Now that this guide has shown you exactly how to remove rust stains from marble, take a deeper dive into our full “how-to” library.