Material
Terrazzo
Stone chips in a cement or resin matrix, where the matrix decides everything. Neutral cleaners only, and acids attack a cement based floor.
- SurfaceSemi porous
- WashingSpot only
- Colour run riskLow
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What terrazzo can and cannot take
- Heat Use with care
- Water and soaking Use with care
- Acids, including vinegar Avoid
- Strong alkalis Use with care
- Solvents Use with care
- Chlorine bleach Use with care
- Abrasives Avoid
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for terrazzo
Terrazzo is two materials at once and the matrix is the weaker of them.
Cement based terrazzo is attacked by acid, which etches the matrix and loosens the chips. Resin based terrazzo is non porous and much more forgiving, and you can usually tell by whether the floor is old and cement grey between the chips or modern and uniformly coloured.
Either way: neutral cleaner, no scouring, and immediate cleanup because the trade body warns that terrazzo stains.
Check the label
Terrazzo is stone chips set in a cement or resin matrix. The terrazzo trade body specifies a neutral cleaner between pH 7 and 10 and warns that harmful acids and alkalis damage it, that soaps containing crystallising salts should be avoided, and that sand based compounds abrade the floor.
Stains on terrazzo
- Baby sick Blot it up immediately, because the terrazzo trade body warns that spills need immediate cleanup since terraz...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Lift free oil from terrazzo, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent solution and a soft...
- Breast milk Blot the spill, identify the finish and use a controlled cold clean only where permitted. Where the maker per...
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from terrazzo before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care labe...
- Coffee Wipe coffee off terrazzo promptly with a soft cloth. Identify stone, sealer and adjacent grout before choosin...
- Concealer Lift the concealer from Terrazzo, clean with neutral stone cleaner or very dilute washing-up liquid, rinse an...
- Cooking grease Blot cooking grease from Terrazzo, absorb surface oil, wash gently with mild detergent and judge when dry. A...
- Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from terrazzo with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with cool water and o...
- Hair dye Blot Terrazzo, clean with a tested non-acidic stone product, rinse and dry. Refer absorbed colour rather than...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Terrazzo, clean with neutral stone cleaner or very dilute washing-up liquid, rinse and dry...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Terrazzo, absorb surface oil, wash gently with mild detergent and judge when dry. A remai...
- Nail polish Lift free polish gently if the face permits contact. A maker-approved mild damp wipe can clear loose residue,...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity terrazzo can tolerate. Use a labelled pet urine...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Terrazzo, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove resi...
Terrazzo is a composite: marble or glass chips set into a binder and ground flat.
The matrix is the vulnerable part
Cement based terrazzo has a calcareous binder that acid attacks, etching the surface between the chips and eventually loosening them. Resin based terrazzo is effectively non porous and much tougher.
Neutral means neutral
The trade body gives a range of pH 7 to 10 and warns against both acids and harmful alkalis. That is narrower than most flooring advice and it is worth respecting.
Salts leave a bloom
All purpose cleaners containing crystallising salts leave a haze on terrazzo as they dry, which is why the trade body names them specifically.
It is polished
So abrasives show immediately as a dull patch, and sand based sweeping compounds are excluded for the same reason.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
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Terrazzo maintenance, National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association
trade body
Terrazzo trade body guidance to clean with a neutral product between pH 7 and 10, that harmful acids and alkalis damage terrazzo, that all purpose cleaners and soaps containing water soluble or crystallising salts should be avoided, that sand based compounds abrade the floor, that solvent based sealers discolour with age, and that spills need immediate cleanup because terrazzo stains.
Checked 7 September 2026
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Care and cleaning of natural stone, Natural Stone Institute
trade body
Stone trade body guidance that calcareous stone such as limestone and travertine is sensitive to acid so only mild non acidic cleaners are used, that acidic cleaners are still not advised on granite, slate or sandstone because they can hold acid sensitive minerals, that scouring powders scratch stone, that the routine clean is a neutral cleaner or mild washing up liquid in warm water, that organic stains are treated with hydrogen peroxide, and that ammonia and bleach are never mixed.
Checked 7 September 2026
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Guide to cleaning marble stains with poultices, Olson Marble and Stone Care
specialist
Stone restoration specialist describing a poultice as an absorbent powder mixed with a cleaning agent, bicarbonate of soda with hydrogen peroxide for an organic stain, spread about a quarter of an inch thick, covered with plastic wrap taped down and left for 24 to 48 hours, that stubborn stains need more than one application, and that a stone that is deeply etched or discoloured beyond surface penetration needs professional restoration rather than a poultice.
Checked 7 September 2026