There are many people who are asking about how to clean limestone floors? The limestone floors we keep in our homes are some of the most beautiful things you’ll ever see. In fact, they can be so beautiful that they require care just like your living area furniture. The cleaning process is a pretty simple one and takes only a few minutes of your time.
It’s not exactly glamorous, but it keeps your home looking pristine and fresh while preventing the growth of mold and mildew on the surface from getting worse. This will be an easy and quick process that can have amazing results on your earth-tone floors.

Why need to clean limestone floors?
Your limestone floors may have been specially treated and sealed by a local company. If you are one of those lucky people, then you don’t need to worry about any sort of cleaning. The floors will keep looking as stunning as they were before, even after many years of use.
However, limestone is a type of rock that absorbs moisture easily. That means if your floor gets too damp, it can cause discoloration and algae growth over time. This can ruin the look of your floor completely and make it look dirty and old-looking. That’s why it’s important to keep your limestone floors clean, especially if they’re not water-resistant.
What is needed to clean limestone floors?
- Bucket: This is where you place the floor cleaner.
- Hard bristle brush: A good brush will be able to remove the grime, buildup, and other harmful substances that may be present on your floor.
- Mild household soap: A small amount of liquid soap is all you need to wash away the dirt and grime on your floor. Be sparing with the amount of soap you use because too much can damage your limestone floors.
- Microfiber mop: Here you’ll want to use a cleaning cloth and not an ordinary mop. The microfiber cloth is designed to pick up dust and dirt from your floor. You can use it for any kind of cleaning chores, including tile, laminate, and hardwood floors that have grime on them.
- Mineral spirits: This is the solution that will be applied to your floor in order to clean it. It works by penetrating the surface of the floor which then loosens all kinds of debris trapped underneath it. This includes dirt, grime, minerals, and even grease. Mineral spirits smell pretty pungent, so you may not want to use them. However, it’s one of the best cleaning solutions that you’ll ever find on the market today.
- Clean freshwater: This is needed for rinsing purposes only. The purpose of this step is to wash away all the mineral spirits from your floors after they’re cleaned. Failure to do so may cause your floors to discolor over time.
The best way to clean limestone floors:
It is very important that you don’t attempt this process on your own. Even though it’s a pretty simple one, there are many things about how to clean limestone floors that can go wrong, and the consequences are always disastrous. A professional will be able to help you out and make sure the job is done quickly and efficiently. The first thing the professional will do is to deep-clean your floor, usually with a steam cleaner.
The second step is to remove any residue left by the steam cleaner, which will be done using a machine with a dry chemical. The final step is the sealing, which prevents your white limestone from getting discolored. However, you can also choose not to seal your limestone floor and just clean it every now and then instead.
How to clean limestone floors in 7 steps?
- Mix the microfiber mop with water and soap in a bucket.
- Using the mop, spread the floor cleaner all over the floor.
- Let the floor cleaner sit for a moment to soften up any tough dirt, grime, or dust on your floors. You’ll be able to see it moving around on your floor when you first use it but don’t worry about it because you’ll get rid of that soon enough after a few washes with soap and water.
- Using the bristle brush, scrub away any dirt or grime that’s loosened up. Make sure you get into the cracks and crevices on your floors if there is some dirt or grime stuck in them.
- Rinse the floor cleaner out of your floors using fresh water. It’s important to remove all traces of the floor cleaner that you’ve used since it could damage your floor if left there for too long.
- Using a mop, wipe away the excess water from your floors.
- After the floors have dried, apply a limestone floor sealer to prevent any stains from appearing on your lovely limestone floors.
Note: If you have marble tiles in your home, then it’s probably best that you don’t use hydrochloric acid on them because the results could be disastrous.

What is the easy way to remove stains from limestone floor tiles?
- Rinse off the dirt and grime on your limestone floor, but don’t use any hard brushes. This could scratch and damage your beautiful limestone floors.
- Wet a mild detergent in a bucket filled with water, then put the microfiber mop inside it.
- Using the mop, spread the clean water over your limestone floor to remove any stains that have appeared.
- Rinse the mop out in a bucket of clean water, then dry your floors using a soft cloth and microfiber pads.
- Finally, seal the grime with an outdoor sealer or a professional-quality sealing wax to prevent any discoloration of your floor’s surface.
How to clean indoor limestone floors?
- Using a vacuum cleaner with a hard surface attachment, clean your limestone floor to remove any dust, dirt, and grime.
- Using a microfiber mop, apply some window cleaner over your limestone floor. Do not use alcohol-based cleaners as they can damage the stone’s finish.
- Let the windows cleaner sit for about 30 seconds to loosen up any tough dirt on your floors.
- Using the mop, wipe away all dirt and grime that’s loosened up.
- If your floors are still dirty, you can repeat steps 2 to 4 until you’re satisfied with the results.
How do clean unsealed limestone floors?
- You don’t need to seal your floors before you clean them. However, wasting time on this step will only result in your floor becoming dirty all over again.
- Mix a solution of water, vinegar, and lemon juice in a bucket.
- The acidity of the lemon juice and the acidic nature of the vinegar helps to effectively cut through any dirt, grime, or grime buildup on your limestone floors.
- Pour the solution over your floor and let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes. Scrub away any grime with a scrub brush.
- Rinse the floor with clean water and dry it off with a soft cloth to remove any trace of the acid solution.
- Finally, apply an outdoor sealer to prevent moisture from damaging your limestone floors again, leaving them looking dirty again in no time at all!
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How can you steam clean limestone floors?
- Fill the cleaning machine with clean water and add a bit of vinegar to it. Set it to one of its highest steam settings.
- Do not use any abrasive brushes to scrub your floor as they can scratch and damage the limestone’s surface finish.
- Scrub away any dirt, grime, and grime on your floor using a soft-bristled brush with plenty of elbow grease!
- Do not use any detergents, chemicals, or scrubbing pads in the process. Thoroughly rinse the floor with plenty of clean water and dry it off with a soft cloth.
- Finally, apply an outdoor sealer to seal the grime and stains on your limestone floors and prevent it from happening again!
How to remove lime stains from limestone floors?
- Mix 3 cups of vinegar with 2 cups of baking soda in a bowl or container.
- Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray the floor with it. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, and then wipe it away using a rag or soft brush.
- Alternatively, you can pour the mixture over your problem area, let it sit for a couple of minutes to let it do its job, and then scrub away any dirt with a dry brush.
- Scrub away any remaining dirt with a dry brush, then wipe the area clean with a damp cloth.
- Finally, rinse the floor with clean water, then dry it off using a soft cloth to get rid of any leftover residue from the vinegar.
How to use natural limestone cleaner?
- Mix equal amounts of washing-up liquid and white vinegar in a bucket filled with water.
- Apply the cleaner over your limestone floor using a microfiber mop and let it sit for about 30 minutes to soften up any tough dirt or grime on your floors.
- Rinse the mixture off your limestone floor using fresh water. Make sure you remove all traces of the mixture since it could damage your floors if left there for too long.
- Using a soft-bristled brush, scrub away any dirt that’s loosened up.
- Apply an outdoor sealer or a professional-quality sealing wax to prevent any future stains from appearing on your floors.
How to use limestone floor cleaning machines?
- Fill in your cleaning machine with either hot water or hot vinegar solution.
- Add a few drops of essential oil in the water or vinegar to help remove any tough stains on your limestone floors.
- Attach the special hard floor nozzle to the vacuum cleaner and turn it on. Make sure you have a microfiber mop attached to your vacuum’s attachment if you want to use it, although this is not necessary as you can also use a regular mop or even just a bucket filled with hot water and vinegar.
- Spray the floor with the hot water or vinegar solution and let it sit for a few minutes or so to soften up the grime on your floor.
- Scrub away any dirt or grime with a specialized hard floor cleaning pad. Rinse it off using clean water, then dry your floors off using a soft cloth to get rid of any leftover residue from the cleaning solution.
- Using a microfiber mop, apply some window cleaner to your floor. Do not use alcohol-based cleaners as they can damage the stone’s surface finish. Let the cleaner sit for about 30 seconds to loosen up any tough dirt on your floors.
- Using a soft-bristled brush, scrub away any dirt or grime that’s loosened up using the Window Cleaner.
- After scrubbing away all dirt or grime using the Window Cleaner, rinse your floors off using fresh water and wipe them clean using a soft cloth.
- Finally, let your floor dry and apply an outdoor sealer or a professionally-quality sealing wax to help prevent any stains from appearing on your floor in the future.

How do you clean limestone floors without a machine?
- Mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 cup of hot water in a bucket or container.
- Attach a soft cloth to your mop and wring it out to get rid of any excess moisture from the cloth.
- Using your soft-bristle sponge, scrub away all dirt and grime from your floors using strong upward strokes caused by the upward motion of the sponge’s bristles.
- Rinse the floor with clean water and dry it off with a clean, soft cloth.
- Finally, apply an outdoor sealer to prevent moisture from damaging your limestone floors.
Frequently asked some questions about how to clean limestone floors.
What is the best cleaner for limestone?
The best cleaner for limestone floors is an outdoor-grade sealer. The sealer will help to protect your limestone floor from the harmful effects of water. The sealer should be applied after you have cleaned the floor thoroughly.
Can you steam clean a limestone floor?
Yes, you can steam clean a limestone floor. You should use hot water and vinegar solution on a high steam setting or you should try to use an automatic carpet cleaning machine. You should let the floor dry before applying any sealant or wax.
How do you clean natural limestone?
Natural limestone is as hard to clean as natural marble. You can use that works to clean most surfaces, but some care is needed. If you are going to get a natural look for your floor, you should consider using a wet mopping system. This will help to remove all stains and grime without scratching the surface finish.
Watch the full video to know how to clean limestone floors properly.
video credit: Fam pearson
Conclusion of how to clean limestone floors:
Limestone floors are beautiful floors. They are easy to clean when they are sealed and laid correctly, but you must be sure that you use the right sealer for them. There are both oiled and un-oiled limestone floor finishes.
You should use an outdoor grade sealer on un-oiled limestone while an oiled finish will only need a light sealing every couple of years to protect it from staining.