Material
Travertine
Calcareous stone with natural voids that are either filled with a softer grout or left open, and either way the holes are where a spill goes.
- SurfacePorous
- WashingSpot only
- Colour run riskLow
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What travertine 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 travertine
Travertine behaves like limestone with an extra complication: the holes.
A spill on filled travertine sits on the filler as well as the stone, and the filler is softer and more porous than the stone around it. On unfilled travertine, liquid goes straight into the voids where nothing reaches it.
So blot fast, poultice over the holes as well as the surface, and expect the pitted areas to hold the mark longest.
Check the label
Travertine is calcareous like limestone, and it has natural holes running through it. Filled travertine has those holes grouted at the factory, and the filler is where a spill goes and where it stays. Unfilled travertine is worse again.
Stains on travertine
- Baby sick Blot rather than wipe, then wash with mild detergent and warm water. The holes are the problem: filled traver...
- 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 travertine, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent solution and a so...
- 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 travertine before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care la...
- Coffee Wipe coffee off travertine promptly with a soft cloth. Identify stone, sealer and adjacent grout before choos...
- Concealer Lift the concealer from Travertine, clean with neutral stone cleaner or very dilute washing-up liquid, rinse...
- Cooking grease Blot cooking grease from Travertine, absorb surface oil, wash gently with mild detergent and judge when dry....
- Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from travertine with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with cool water and...
- Hair dye Blot Travertine, clean with a tested non-acidic stone product, rinse and dry. Refer absorbed colour rather th...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Travertine, clean with neutral stone cleaner or very dilute washing-up liquid, rinse and d...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Travertine, absorb surface oil, wash gently with mild detergent and judge when dry. A rem...
- 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 travertine can tolerate. Use a labelled pet urin...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Travertine, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove re...
Travertine is a limestone formed at hot springs, which is why it is full of holes.
The holes are the difference
Filled travertine has them grouted at the factory with a resin or cement filler that is softer and more absorbent than the stone. Unfilled travertine leaves them open. Either way, liquid collects in them.
The chemistry is limestone's
Calcium carbonate, so acid etches it and the ban on vinegar and limescale removers is absolute.
Filler comes out
Aggressive cleaning, and particularly acid, dissolves the filler and leaves the holes open, which is a visible and expensive change.
It is common in bathrooms
Where acidic limescale removers live, which is the most frequent way travertine gets etched.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
-
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
-
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
-
Cleaning grout, Tile Council of North America
trade body
Tile trade body guidance that grout manufacturers do not advocate the use of acids because acids attack the cement in the grout, that grout is alkaline based and is dissolved by acids, that mildly alkaline cleaners are preferred over acidic ones, that oil and wax based cleaners leave a film that attracts dirt, that alkaline cleaner not properly rinsed leaves a sticky residue, and that cementitious grout should be sealed to prevent staining.
Checked 7 September 2026