Cast Stone Cleaning

After installation, we recommend cleaning the cast stone with a solution of muriatic acid and water (75% water), or with CERTOL’s Acid Magic® product, or with one of the cleaners from PROSOCO mentioned below. When using the muriatic acid solution, cover areas that can be damaged. Wear rubber gloves and safety goggles. Work on a small area at a time. Wet the cast stone with clear water first. This is very important so you do not etch the surface of the stone. Apply acid solution and let sit for a minute. Rub stubborn stains with a soft brush. CERTOL’s Acid Magic® is designed not to damage stone and other materials in the way standard muriatic acid can, but we always recommend testing the product first and taking precautions.
Rinse cast stone with clear water. This should get rid of stains, smudges and some mortar splashes. Repeat application for stubborn stains. Cast stone will take several days to dry evenly.
Do Not Use a Metal Brush!
Based on test results, PROSOCO's Sure Klean® Vana Trol® and Sure Klean® Burnished Custom Masonry Cleaner performed well at removing excess mortar smears on the submitted tiles. The cleaners performed well at removing the mortar soils even after the mortar remained on the surface of the tiles for 21 days under ideal curing conditions. Sure Klean® Vana Trol® performed slightly better than Sure Klean® Burnished Custom Masonry Cleaner in terms of total mortar removal. It is also recommended that the selected cleaners be used in the lowest possible concentration, typically a 1:3 dilution for Sure Klean® Burnished Custom Masonry Cleaner and 1:8 dilution for Sure Klean® Vana Trol®.
They should be rinsed with the lowest pressure of water as practical, garden hose strength preferred. To facilitate easier removal of excess mortar and construction dirt while minimizing any potential adverse affect on the stone, clean within seven days of construction.
Other Cleaning Recommendations
Paint Use either a methylene chloride or non-methylene chloride masonry paint stripper such as PROSOCO Safety Peel Food / Beverage Use a ph neutral non-acidic cleaner such as PROSOCO - Rinse-less Cleaner Copper / Metallic Stains Use a phosphoric acid based cleaner such as PROSOCO Light Duty Concrete Cleaner. Mold / Mildew / Algae Use a product containing a biocide to kill the mold spore such as PROSOCO - BioKlean® Household bleach is effective, but difficult to remove from the stone.		Oil / Tar / Grease Using a non-acidic cleaner / degreaser such as PROSOCO Asphalt & Tar Remover, Fast Acting Stripper, EK Degreaser. Remove heavy build up by scraping prior to application of chemical cleanser. For best results in all cleaning, follow the directions on the label and use a hot or warm water rinse with pressure not exceeding 1000 lbs. For the PROSOCO products, follow label directions. Mortar Use acid based proprietary cleaners, such as Sure Klean® Vana Trol®. Wear rubber gloves to protect your skin from the cleaners!