I would be more concerned over why the cult placed their symbol on my wall because removing it isn't going to change their intentions. Have you alowed strangers in your home latly or perhaps have an impressionable person in the household? Are you still living there?

Haha! No cult here. Just a misguided cleaning technique I’m looking to correct. Any tips?

I do not know what kind of material the stone is made of, however, that scratch was not made by accident. Who in your family or friends have a name that starts with a letter similar to the scratch!

Uh, oh, that's a tough one unless you can i.d. it. Is it on the counters, too? Have you tried something like Dawn mixed with warm water? That's where I'd start. Anything else, I'd try in an inconspicuous spot. I might search online for quartz that looks the same..."gray quartz with white flecks" or some such. It looks like it's honed and not shiny, is that correct? If it's on the counters, can you post a pic of those?

If no luck, I'd try posting this on the kitchen forum to see if anyone recognizes the material.

I uploaded the image into an app and it was identified as a Soothsayer gas mask with 95% certainty. I wouldn't stand within 10 feet of the thing much less touch it.

Thanks @olychick. The counters are marble. This stone is just behind the stove, and yes, has a matte finish. It is pretty smooth to the touch and may not be sealed, given how matte it is. I’ll try the soap you mentioned and let you know. I’ll also look up quartz. I thought granite at first given the “mixed/speckled” look, but I’ve seen a lot of granites that feature plenty of marbling, and this is just so solid and even in color. So then I thought of quartz too, as well as possibly slate. Then I thought experts like you at Houzz could help. thanks again :)

What are you guys talking about? Letter? what letter? Soothsayer gas mask? klem ...what? seriously.

That looks a lot like my limestone tiles. Maybe find out what material it is. I can probably use anything on my limestone tiles which are that color, but I wouldnt proceed without knowing the material first.

Mrs. S "What are you guys talking about? Letter? what letter? Soothsayer gas mask? klem ...what? seriously".

I don't have resources to gether details nationally sendicated news outlets should be investigating and reporting instead of barking after has been public figures but breifly this is what I'm talking about. Since covid,shipping and wearing breathing apperatuses has become common. Medical oxygen tanks and breating aperatuses are abundantly sold on Craigslist by Granny's family after she has passed. The cartel aquire's tanks then fill's them with drugs that people like to sniff. Being compressed,a tank can hold more drugs than conventional containers 100 times their size,dogs can't detect it and noone pays attention to tanks being shipped or worn thinking it is simply covid related. Guests intering the country carrying tanks supposedly for sick and older guests in the group don't raise suspecion plus unlike conventional smuggling containers, tanks can be dropped from planes without damage so they never have to go through airports. Soothsayers is the name of the orgination and their trademark is gas masks. The name and trademark origionated here.

So, klem, your proposition is that a smudge left on a kitchen backsplash is probably the result of a family member/roommate/smuggler/occult(?)/criminal associate of the OP, and that said smudge is more likely to be a symbol of a Gas-mask gang? But this gang of international gas-mask smugglers likes to advertise their services (or "mark" their territory) by smearing oil on innocent peoples' backsplashes.....

in order to what? To remind them that innocent cooking could lead to the smuggler lifestyle?

I have to say: it is more likely that a food splatter marked the backsplash.

Mrs S that's a fair assessment of what I'm saying and I'm glad you realize it's only a proposition and not being held out as fact. Like yourself I've never understood why gangs disfigure property with their tags and symbols but it is common to see in some neighborhoods. As for how outlandish all of it sounds,ask anyone and they will tell you they hear outlandish things stated as fact on tv every day. Case in point is the news debate on where Covid came from and who's responsible. Don't you aggree that one side of that sound's pretty baziar but still rates nunourous spots on national news every day? I have no firsthand knowledge about the inner workings of Soothsayers but like some other things I don't understand,I'm convinced they are out there and their numbers are growing. I don't like to drum on the news people but I'll give what I believe is an example of where news casters failed to call out Soothsayers and made innocent people look horrible. If you look close at old images of peaceful protests you will see Soothsayers with their gas masks mingled with the crowd. It was those Soothsays high on illicit drugs causing problems that were blamed on innocent bystanders simply there to show support for a cause.

Since the OP stated he knows the marks come from an attempted cleaning gone wrong, I find this other premise laughable. I thought klem was making a joke; I guess not.

I thought it was a joke also. Now, it seems like he was being pretty darn rude.