How do I clean my travertine shower?

Are you asking yourself, “How do I clean my travertine shower?” Well for starters, and the number one most important thing, DO NOT use an acidic cleaner. That means no vinegar, no CLR, and basically no shower cleaning products sold to you at Target, Walmart, Grocery Stores etc… So what can you use? You can use any neutral PH balanced cleaner. What is that you ask? Well,  first, you need a little chemistry lesson. All cleaning solutions are given a number on the PH scale. The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14 and is a measure of a solution’s acidity or alkalinity. A pH of 7 is neutral; a pH less than 7 is acidic; and a pH greater than 7 is alkaline, or basic.

Now that we know what a pH scale is and that you must use a NEUTRAL pH cleaner (7) I will give you some examples of cleaners that you CAN use for cleaning your natural stone shower. If you are looking to go the more natural route then dish soap may be an option for you. Dish soap comes very close to 7 on the scale.  You can also use a little baking soda and water mixture to scrub down the walls. The baking soda has a bit of a gritty texture making it a bit easier to clean off rust buildup and mold. If you want something a bit more powerful your local home improvement store will have a neutral pH cleaner in their tile section. Here is a link to a neutral cleaner at Home Depot. Neutral Cleaner.

It is important to keep in mind that travertine and marble showers are really hard to clean and maintain because they are so susceptible to etching. You really need to use a professional stone cleaning service, like ours, to get your natural stone walls cleaned up.