Will Hydrogen Peroxide Damage My Travertine Floors:

Recently I received a call from a woman who just wanted information regarding her travertine floors. Apparently she had heard, read, or saw something that lead her to believe that she could clean and sanitize her floors using hydrogen peroxide, but she was uncertain as to the effects hydrogen peroxide could have on travertine.

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) has been around for over 100 years and has been used as an antiseptic, bleaching agent, and cleaning agent. You can find a 3% solution (meaning that only 3% of the bottle is actually H2O2 and the remaining 97% is water) in every pharmacy, drugstore, and grocery store. Mixed with baking soda and a small amount of soap it is a very effective at removing skunk odor. Hydrogen Peroxide should be stored in a cool dark place away from light or it will degrade and lose it potency in a relative short period of time.

Hydrogen Peroxide is safe for many uses but I personally would not recommend it as cleaning product for a travertine floor or any surface that is a natural stone. Hydrogen Peroxide has a pH level of 6.0 which makes it an acid. If you have read our other blogs you then know that acid should NEVER be used on natural stones. Because hydrogen peroxide is considered an acid it will literally EAT the stone. If a sealer has been applied to the stone the hydrogen peroxide will first eat the sealer then it will eat the stone. It could potentially etch the stone leaving it dull and lifeless. Used enough times it could permanently damage the stone.

Travertine, like other natural stones, should be cleaned with a pH neutral cleaning solution, in other words a pH level of 7.0. A pH neutral cleaning solution will not etch the stone nor will it break down the sealer. I hope this article has been helpful to you. If you have questions please email me at paddle@frontiernet.net.

Michael Hull