There are fewer areas of a home more difficult to keep clean than the floors. It seems like the moment after you vacuum, sweep, or mop, someone walks through with dirty shoes (or paws) or spills a drink or food on the floor. While nothing can be done to completely stop your home’s floors from ever getting dirty, if you follow a few easy steps, there are ways to keep your floors clean and prevent dirt from building up as quickly between cleanings. This is especially true for keeping tiles clean.
Are Tiles Easier to Keep Clean Than Other Types of Flooring?
Depending on the type of tile you have, it can be easy to clean. In many cases, easier to clean than other types of flooring, such as carpet or hardwood. Tiles that are considered easy to clean, include glass, vinyl, laminate, porcelain, and natural stone.
How to Clean Tile Floors
Cleaning tiles can vary depending on the type of tiles you’re cleaning:
- Natural Stone – If you’re dealing with floors made from marble, granite or slate, you should avoid using certain cleaning products, because the chemicals in some traditional cleaning products can damage natural stone tiles. Your best bet is to use cleaners that are made for that specific type of stone flooring (usually some sort of mild detergent). For granite, you should use a pH-neutral cleaner. For marble, make sure not to use anything acidic, like something with vinegar or lemon in it for instance. Also, do not use any sort of brush or cleaning instrument that is rough on marble, because it could leave scratches. For slate, also avoid using cleaning products containing lemon or vinegar. In addition, you should dry slate with a towel (soft) immediately after cleaning it to avoid leaving water spots.
- Linoleum and Vinyl – This type of material is easy to clean. For vinyl, just sweep up debris (or vacuum) and mop the floor with water and vinegar or a specialized vinyl cleaning solution. Just make sure to avoid using anything with a rough surface to clean vinyl, because it can scratch easily. For linoleum, you can still sweep and/or vacuum, but when you mop, use borax and water or a specialized linoleum cleaning solution. Also, you will need to wax and buff a linoleum floor every few months.
- Porcelain and Ceramic – This type of tile flooring is very durable, which can make it hard to keep clean. Sweep or vacuum ceramic and porcelain tiles regularly. Debris can wear away the glaze on the surface of the tiles, which can leave them looking dull if they’re not swept or vacuumed regularly. Don’t use a sponge mop to clean these types of floors, because sponge mops will push dirt into the grout lines around the tiles, which makes them harder to clean. It’s best to use a rag or chamois mop to clean porcelain or ceramic tiles. If you notice a soapy residue, try using a non-abrasive cleaner to remove it, such as lemon juice. Always dry your ceramic and porcelain tiles with a clean cloth right after you clean them. If you allow them to air dry, it can lead to water spots.
How to Keep Tile Floors Clean
Once you have gotten your tiles clean as a whistle, the last thing you want is for them to get dirtied up right away. Here are some tips that can help you prevent dirt and other substances from dirtying up your tiles as quickly between cleanings:
- Deep Clean – It’s important to give your tile floors an occasional deep cleaning to restore them to their original luster. While regular cleanings are enough to keep your tiles looking good, deep cleanings can help remove harmful debris that regular cleanings can miss. Most local hardware stores have deep cleaning equipment and supplies you can use that is made specifically for your type of flooring. In addition, you can hire a professional deep cleaning service to come to your home periodically to clean your floors.
- Doormat/Rugs – Make it a habit to keep doormats at every door to your home and lay down a few area rugs around your home if possible. This will help prevent dirt from being tracked onto your tiles, which can leave an immediate mess as well as result in long-term damage due to debris leaving behind scratches.
To Learn More About Tile Care and Maintenance, Call or Visit Austin’s Floor Store Today
Here at Austin’s Floor Store, we have been providing our neighbors in Austin and Cedar Park with excellent service since 2010. We offer flooring options, including carpet, tile, laminate, vinyl, and hardwood. In addition, we provide services such as free estimates, in-home measurements, financing, installation, and warranties. If you need flooring for your home, come by one of our three locations in Austin, Cedar Park, and Pflugerville or take advantage of our shop at home services and let us bring flooring samples to you. For more information about keeping tiles clean or anything else flooring related, give us a call or check out our Facebook page today.
It helped when you mentioned that avoiding chemical cleaning products can help prevent damage to natural stone tiles. My uncle mentioned to me last night that he is planning to replace the floor tiles in their living room and asked if I have any idea what is the best option to replace them. Thanks to this informative article and I’ll be sure to tell him that he can consult a trusted floor tiles company as they have a large selection of wall and floor tiles.
I found it interesting that there are different difficulties when it comes to tile cleaning. After moving to our current area, my wife and I are having difficulties with cleaning our tiles. I appreciate you helping me learn more about how we can maintain our tile clean and we will consider hiring a tile cleaning service to make sure that our tiles will be cleaned perfectly.
Tile is a popular flooring choice because it is durable and easy to clean. However, if not cleaned properly, tile can become stained and dirty. Here are some tips for keeping your tile clean:
– Sweep or vacuum regularly to remove dust and dirt.
– Wipe up spills as soon as they happen.
– Use a damp mop to clean the tile floors. Be sure to wring out the mop well before using it on the floor.
I appreciate that you explained that deep cleaning is necessary because it could remove harmful debris. Yesterday, my cousin who is a gym teacher told me that she was looking for cleaning kits that could provide a clean environment for their gymnasium, and she asked if I had any idea how they could find one. Thanks to this instructive article, I’ll be sure to tell her that consulting a trusted mop cleaning kit for the school shop can help her with her inquiries.
My tiles are already filthy, and that is why I’ve decided to start looking for a cleaning service. Well, you made a pretty good point that the flooring must be scrubbed. I also agree with you that the right chemicals should be used.
I appreciate you helping me to understand how I can keep tile floors clean. It seems like it would be a good idea for me to find a new mop that I can use for regular tile cleaning.
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.
I never knew that you should have a solution not to get your tiles dirty after the cleaning process. My best friend told me a couple of days ago that his wife was planning to have their wood floor polished to enhance its appearance and durability, and he asked if I had any idea what would be the best option to do. I’m thankful for this valuable article, I’ll tell him that he should consult a trusted wood floor polishing service as they can help them preserve the floor’s durability.
I totally agree when you said that deep cleaning the floors will restore their original luster. I would love to have that kind of service from a company that has all the necessary tools, and I will hire them once every quarter. Since I have dogs, I can probably benefit from this kind of service, especially when they have the best floor machine sales items to be used for the task.
I concur with your statement that some cleaning agents should not be used on floors composed of marble, granite, or slate. At my home, I want to host a party. To ensure that my stone and marble flooring look beautiful for the party, I will get in touch with a stone cleaning service.
Hi! I just finished cooking some dishes this morning, and as a result, my kitchen floor looks quite messy. I have to thank you for showing us that we can simply use a mixture of vinegar and water to keep vinyl tiles spotless. I’ll try to use this tip so the result will be fantastic.
I’m grateful you informed us that our tiles require a deep cleaning occasionally if we want to restore them to their original shine by removing harmful debris we might have missed with regular cleanings. My relatives are visiting the house next week to celebrate New Year’s Eve with us, so I was thinking of giving the house a good cleaning before they arrive. I’ll have to consider calling cleaning services to help me out with the tiles in the kitchen.
We’re replacing the old flooring with tiles this coming summer, so I find this article very helpful. You mentioned placing rugs and doormats around the house to prevent dirt from being tracked onto the floor tiles. We’ll remember this advice because we share a border with the local woods and dust is very common around the property.
Thank you for pointing out the importance of deep cleaning. As you said, it helps remove debris that normal cleaning misses. My boss wants a mural made out of tiles in the lobby of the office. I know the lobby is often clean, but it’s best to get it deep cleaned every once in a while since it’s still an investment.
Hi austinfloorstore.com administrator, Thanks for the detailed post!
It’s good to know that to bring back your tile flooring’s natural brilliance, it’s crucial to deep clean them sometimes. As someone who has no idea or equipment to do a proper deep cleaning, it might be wise to leave it to the pros. I’ll look into a tile cleaning service in my area to see if they can come in my house as soon as they can. I’ll have visitors coming over so I want my house to be spot-free.
It stood out to me when you explained that it is best to avoid vinegar and lemon products when you are cleaning slate floors. Is bleach a safe chemical that can be used to clean slate floors? It seems like it would be important to find a safe chemical to use when trying to remove tough stains and spills.
Hello, all this information was very helpful. Thank you very much! Keep posting such kind of info on your blog. I’m really impressed by it.
I’m glad you mentioned the importance of deep cleaning our tiles occasionally to help restore them to their original luster and remove harmful debris. I’m doing some spring cleaning in the house next week, so I was thinking of leaving the tiled floors in our kitchen and bathroom to professionals instead. I’ll make sure to contact a trusted cleaning company to handle the deep cleaning of our tiles soon.
The best part of your blog for me is when you said that you can restore your tiles to their original luster when you give them an occasional deep cleaning. This is something that my husband and I will consider because we are interested in having porcelain tiles installed when we renovate our two-story house next month. We surely want to keep our porcelain tiles properly maintained for a long time, so your tips are helpful.