How to Maintain Stone in Humid Weather Conditions?

Southern girls are often said to be as gentle and delicate as water, yet the land shapes the people. As the saying goes, "The Jiangnan region, with its abundance of water, is a land of the south." To the locals, the dampness that occurs several times a year is nothing new.

Directly exposed to the immense energy of the sun, abundant moisture evaporates into the air, reaching saturation, creating a "sweaty weather" sensation. As a result, not only is the air humid, but the indoor walls and floors also develop a layer of moisture, which can lead to mold in severe cases.

For many homeowners who choose stone for their interior decor, how should they maintain the stone during this humid weather?

Natural stone has a porous structure, featuring both surface pores, cracks, and micro-fissures, as well as invisible internal micro-pores. It is precisely these microscopic channels that differentiate the stone's relationship with water. Through these channels, stone can directly absorb water or harbor dirt, and can also cause moisture absorption, meaning it can take in moisture from the environment and air through condensation and capillary action, including all forms of water, both visible and invisible.

Once stone absorbs water, a host of issues arise: such as rust spots, yellowing, water stains, efflorescence, color variation, powdering, spalling, cracking, and breaking.

Therefore, the prerequisite for stone maintenance is cleanliness and dryness. It is crucial to ensure that the stone is completely dry before proceeding with the next step of construction, otherwise, issues may arise later in the project.

The maintenance process always begins with "cleaning the stone until it is clean and dry." Therefore, in humid climates, maintaining stone is essentially about keeping it dry. How can one maintain a dry environment for stone use?

1. Utilizing high-power vacuum pumps. The more powerful the water and dust extractor, the better. Its strong suction can remove water that has seeped into stone.

2. The adoption of automatic floor washers. These machines can heat water for cleaning, remove dirt effectively, and most importantly, feature a suction function that can remove water and pollutants all at once.

3. Utilize air conditioning for dehumidification. In the humid climates of the south, environmental humidity is often high, and opening windows for ventilation may not be effective, sometimes even exacerbating the humidity. By using the dehumidifying feature of the air conditioner, the humidity can be adjusted to around 50%, which has a profound effect on the indoor environment.

At the same time, there are also two suggestions for the selection of southern maintenance materials:

Select materials with lower moisture content; it is not recommended to use powders or granules as maintenance materials.

2. Utilize a Clean Pad. No matter how superior the steel wool is, it will still produce fine particles during polishing, which are ferrous substances. In a humid environment, these particles can lead to oxidation of the stone, causing rust-like yellow stains. Particularly for white marble, it is recommended to use a clean pad made of polyester fiber.