How to Clean a Mandir at Home: Marble, Wooden and Corian

Before you start

Many families begin with a short prayer, asking permission to move the deities. Wash your hands, spread a clean cloth or plate to hold murtis and pooja items, and open a window.

• Two soft microfiber cloths: one damp, one dry
• A soft paintbrush or makeup brush for carvings and jali
• A gentle, water-based cleaner such as ANAGHA Shuddhi, or a drop of mild soap in water
• Cotton buds for corners, wax and kumkum

Step by step

1. 1Clear the mandir. Move murtis, photos, diyas and the pooja thali onto a clean cloth. Shake out the asan and chunri outside.
2. 2Dust from top to bottom. Use a dry cloth and a soft brush on the shikhar, carvings and jali before anything gets wet, so dust doesn't turn into smears.
3. 3Wipe the surfaces. Spray two or three mists onto a damp microfiber cloth, not onto the mandir, and wipe shelves, pillars and the base.
4. 4Clean the corners. A cotton bud lifts wax, kumkum and incense ash from grooves.
5. 5Dry straight away with the second cloth. Water left on wood or in the pores of marble leaves marks.
6. 6Wipe the floor around the mandir, return the deities with a short prayer, and light a diya or agarbatti.

Cleaning a marble mandir

Marble is soft and reacts with acid. Vinegar, lemon juice and bathroom or kitchen cleaners can etch the polish and leave dull patches, so use only pH-neutral cleaners on it.

• Everyday dust: a damp cloth with a gentle water-based cleaner, then dry.
• Oil and ghee stains: a paste of baking soda and water left for 10 minutes, then wiped off with a damp cloth. Test on a hidden spot first.
• Kumkum and haldi: wipe while fresh. Older marks may need the baking soda paste.
• Never use vinegar, lemon, bleach, scouring powder or steel wool on marble.

Cleaning a wooden mandir

Wood swells and spots when it stays wet, so use as little water as possible and always dry it immediately.

• Dust with a dry microfiber cloth every few days.
• Wipe with a cloth that is barely damp, with a little gentle cleaner on it.
• Keep diyas on a brass plate or tile so oil and heat don't mark the wood.
• Once or twice a year, a polish suited to your wood's finish brings back the shine.

Corian, acrylic and glass mandirs

Corian and other solid-surface mandirs take mild soap and water well; avoid abrasive scrubbers, which scratch. Wipe glass doors with a damp cloth and buff with a lint-free one. Acrylic scratches easily, so use only soft cloths on it.

How often should you clean your mandir?

A quick dust and wipe every day or two stops ash and soot building up. Do a deeper clean every week or two, and a full clean before festivals such as Diwali, Navratri and Janmashtami. Some families avoid deep cleaning on particular days of the week by custom, so follow your family's tradition.

What about the murtis and photos?

Clean murtis the way your family does: many bathe metal and stone murtis with water or panchamrit and dry them with a soft cloth. Don't use household cleaners or sprays on murtis, photos or sacred texts.

ANAGHA is for the mandir surfaces and the space around them, never for the deities themselves. For brass and silver pooja items, see our guide to cleaning brass diyas and silver.