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This article started with a genuine customer question. A customer had just finished their living room and had a new slate hearth fitted. Before the gas fire had even been connected, their cat was sick on the hearth and a couple of drops of water also landed on it. Both left pale marks on the slate. The hearth hadn’t been sealed, and the customer had already tried white vinegar. Unfortunately, that only made the marks look worse. They got in touch to ask what we would suggest.
When this customer contacted us, we hadn’t come across this particular problem before. The original article recommended a homemade mixture containing vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. We wouldn’t recommend that now. Slate is hard-wearing, but it’s still natural stone. We wouldn’t keep applying household acids or experimenting with different cleaners once a mark appears. In this case, that was particularly relevant because the customer had already found that vinegar made the staining worse.
We’d treat the area as a spillage rather than trying to use a stronger household cleaner on it. Remove any residue, let the slate dry and then clean the affected area with a product suitable for natural stone. The same applies to the pale water marks. Because this particular hearth was unsealed, liquid had more opportunity to soak into the surface and leave a visible difference as it dried.
Our advice today would be much simpler. Stop using vinegar and other household remedies, let the slate dry properly and clean it using a suitable natural-stone cleaner. If the mark remains after cleaning and drying, we’d look at the condition of the slate before doing anything more aggressive.
For the full method, including the products we use and how we’d clean the hearth step by step, read our guide on how to clean a slate hearth.
Unfortunately, the original article ended with us saying we’d let everyone know how the customer got on, but we never added the follow-up. So we can’t honestly say whether that particular stain disappeared or whether the hearth needed further treatment. What we can say is that we wouldn’t give the same cleaning advice today. That’s one of the reasons we’ve updated this old article rather than leaving the original vinegar and lemon-juice method online.
The main lesson is not to assume that a household cleaner is suitable just because slate feels tough. If something unusual has stained your hearth, we’d start gently and use a cleaner intended for natural stone rather than trying several different products. And if you’re unsure, send us a photo before you start. Sometimes seeing the type of mark and the finish of the slate makes it much easier for us to point you in the right direction.
Phone
01773 718718
Email
sales@castfireplaces.co.uk
