How to Clean With Pumice Stones

The Ask a House Cleaner Show and Podcast with Angela Brown

Pumice stones are the craze of house cleaners. How do you clean with a pumie scouring stick? We Ask a House Cleaner what are pumice stones? And do you clean with a dry or a wet pumice stone? Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says all maid service training should cover this. House cleaner education shows you have to pay to replace pumice stone damage. Her cleaning advice is the use of pumice stones requires more common sense than the average maid. This is an in-depth look at the nitty gritty on pumice stones. Today's sponsors are Savvy Cleaner (House Cleaner Training.) My Cleaning Connection (Hub for all things cleaning.) And HouseCleaning360.com - (Referral Hub connecting house cleaners with homeowners.)

Pumice stones are the craze of house cleaners. We Ask a House Cleaner what are pumice stones? And do you clean with a dry or a wet pumice stone?

Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says all maid service training should cover this. House cleaner education shows you have to pay to replace pumice stone damage. Her cleaning advice is the use of pumice stones requires more common sense than the average maid.

This is an in-depth look at the nitty-gritty on pumice stones.

Today’s sponsors are Savvy Cleaner (House Cleaner Training.) My Cleaning Connection (Hub for all things cleaning.) And HouseCleaning360.com – (Referral Hub connecting house cleaners with homeowners.)

Listen: How to Clean With Pumice Stones

Watch: How to Clean With Pumice Stones

Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.

Question: How to Clean With Pumice Stones

How do you clean with a pumice stone? It’s an excellent question and we’re going to talk about that today.

Answer: What is a Pumice Stone?

Now, a pumice stone is hot lava mixed with water and then it hardens. It’s actually a chunk of stone. And so, because it’s lava, it’s all different kinds of consistencies. Some pumice stones are fine, and some have a thick grit. But in the end, a pumice stone is a gritty stone.

And some people like to clean with it. And lots of people who don’t know what they are doing have done a lot of damage with pumice stones.

What Do You Use a Pumice Stone For?

Okay, so now that we know what a pumice stone is, let’s talk about how you use a pumice stone. A pumice stone is not used for cleaning.

You use it to scrape dead skin off of your hands and your feet when you are in the shower.

Only use a pumice stone when you are wet, and your pumice stone is wet. And then you can rub it on your dry hands and the heels of your feet. The friction of the stone allows you to brush off that dead skin.

A Pumice Stone Can Act as a Razor

Now, another thing about pumice stones is you can also rub it along the sides of your legs and acts as a razor. So instead of yanking the hair out, it brushes it off. So, it’s an easy way, instead of just using a razor, to shave your legs.

Should a House Cleaner Use a Pumice Stone?

Okay, so about pumice stones for house cleaners. I’m not a fan. I’ve never been a fan of pumice stones. If there’s one thing you will never find in my cleaning kit, it is a pumice stone. Here’s the reason why.

A pumice stone is a stone. And there are few surfaces in any house that you can scrape stones on and not damage them.

Now, there are house cleaners that swear by cleaning with pumice stones. And they’re like, “Oh, I use them all the time and I’m an expert at it.”

Cleaning with Pumice Stones is Like Running with Scissors

When you’re small your mother will warn you, “Don’t run with scissors.”

Because in the back her mind, she knows that you could fall and the scissors can go through the bottom of your chin. Or something horrible will happen like you poke your eye out. And then she has to pay for you to go to the emergency room. And it will be her responsibility to nurse you back to health with one eye.

Some Experts Can Run with Scissors, But Not Most

Now, having said that, is it impossible to run with scissors? No, it is possible. And if you have a leather sheath to put those scissors in and you are trained to run with scissors, okay that’s a different story. But for the most part, the general population, most people, it’s not a good idea to run with scissors. So, the general population, most people, not a good idea to use pumice stones.

Use Your Common Sense

People argue: “The ring is so bad in the toilet, I can use this pumice stone and it will scrape the ring off.” That is true. If your pumice stone is wet and you use it inside a wet toilet bowl, you will scrape the ring off the toilet bowl. You will also scrape off the porcelain on the inside of the toilet bowl.

And then from here through infinity, you can only use pumice stones to get rid of the next ring inside the toilet. And rings will settle there because you’ve scraped off the porcelain veneer. You’ve scraped it off. So now that ring is going to be more susceptible to stains in the future.

How Do You Get the Rings Out of the Toilet?

How do you get a ring out of the toilet? Hydrochloric acid will burn off the ring around the inside of the toilet bowl without harming the porcelain. It is a strong and toxic chemical but it will remove the ring inside your toilet.

Once the ring is gone, you can use non-toxic products to maintain the toilet. So, for that one-time cleaning, you may have to use an abrasive chemical.

House Cleaners Sold Hype

There are house cleaners that have bought the hype of pumice stone magic. And because they see magical results on one thing – they think they can use pumice stones on all things. WRONG.

Can’t tell you how many house cleaners I know personally who have damaged glass table tops. Or they’ve ruined shower doors. They use them on stovetops scratching the glass finish. And they’ve lost jobs for scratching stainless steel appliances with pumice stones.

So, it’s like the running with scissors concept. The general population does not know how to use pumice stones.

Pumice Stone Damage – Who Pays?

And so, if you send your employees out into the field and they have pumice stones, you’re counting on their common sense.

You are assuming they have been trained to run with scissors, and as a business owner, you are responsible if they trip and fall.

So, what that means is if your employees go to client’s homes and they do damage with a pumice stone – you are responsible to replace the appliance.

Don’t laugh at me because this happens all the time, and then they’re like, “Ah! Oh my gosh, I scratched it! What do I do now?”

You Do Carry Insurance Right?

Pumice stone damage is another reason we carry insurance. If you or your employees damage the property of a client, you must replace the item damaged.

And if the client lets you off the hook and doesn’t make you pay – every time they use that appliance and they see the scratches, they think of you.

In the back of their mind, they are like “What a boneheaded house cleaner to think they could use a pumice stone on my $2,500. stainless steel refrigerator. Who does that?”

Pumice Stones Are Not Scrub Brushes

Pumice stones are stones. Rough stones. They are not scrub brushes. And even if you have a really fine grit, there are so many things that can go awry. And to say it’s okay to run with little scissors versus big scissors is foolish. Foolish too to assume you can outsmart a pumice stone.

So, for the most part, not a good idea. It’s not scalable, it’s not duplicatable, and it’s just not wise.

My vote is against the pumice stone unless it’s for personal use in your shower. For a person and your feet, yes. For house cleaning, no.

Final Words of Wisdom – Pumice Stones for Use on:

Toilets – NO

Sinks & Basins – NO

Granite Countertops – NO

Wood Cabinets – NO

Glass Tabletops – NO

Glass Shower Doors – NO

Ceramic Tile – NO

Stainless Steel Appliances – NO

Fiberglass Bathtubs – NO

Plastic Drawers in Refrigerators – NO

All righty, that’s my two cents. And until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.

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