How to Clean Tile Floors

If you have tile floors, I’ll bet you dread the thought of cleaning it.

If you love having a very clean and shining floor, I’m sure both your hands and your knees are probably suffering because of it.

Hopefully we can make a few changes and save your aches and pains.

Tile Floors Cleaning Tips

The proper care of your tile floor will prevent damage, keep it looking beautiful and extend its life. Dirt and grime is your floors enemy #1. Invest in good floor mats and always remove your shoes. This will go very far at keeping out dirt, dust, sand and debris.

Your should always vacuum, sweep and dust mop your tile floors prior to mopping, otherwise the dirt will mix with the water and end up in the cracks and crevasses.

Remove Dirt

Use the canister vacuum and vacuum up the dirt and dust. That’s right, a vacuum!. Nothing works easier. If you do not have a canister vacuum, use your upright if it has the proper attachments, or resort to the good old broom and dust pan.

Cleaning Solutions

First, you need to assemble the cleaning solutions you will use. You’ll need 2 large buckets 1 for the cleaning solution, and 1 for the rinse water, you’ll also need a small portable canister vacuum, or a broom and a dust pan, and then finally get some old towels, rags, or sh-mop to dry the floor.

Wash the Floor

Fill the bucket with plain warm water to wash the floor. If the floor is really dirty, add a drop or two of vinegar, or dish soap to 1 gallon of warm water to help cut the grease, or a combination.

Use the mop and scrub the floor, rinsing frequently. Be sure to change both the cleaning and rinse water if it gets too dirty.

Dry the Floor

After you have cleaned the entire floor, go over the still damp floor with dry towels, rags, or use a sh-mop.

You’ll be surprised at how much dirt the towels will pick up even after you were certain not a speck of dirt remained. Drying the floor with the towels has the added benefit of removing any water spots that may have left any unsightly spots behind. The floor will shine.

Cleaning Stone Floors

You should generally only use warm water on your marble floors. Never, ever use vinegar on marble.

The acid in vinegar damages, actually etches and removes the surface of the marble. After mopping, dry the floor with a cotton towel or use a sh-mop to remove the moisture and prevent water spots. Always dry your marble floors, they spot very easily.

Clean Ceramic Tile and Slate Floors

Clean tile floors and slate tile floors with warm water only. Cleanliness and keeping the dirt off them is essential with these types of floor surfaces as they become scratched and dull easily.

You should also apply a liquid sealant found in hardware stores to slate and ceramic tile floors and also to the grout. Clean up spills promptly to avoid staining.

Cleaning Stained Grout

Cleaning the stains out of grout is very much a no-win situation. Grout is very porous, which means that the cleaning solutions used (and their color) means that the liquid cleaners will seep right through.

First of all you need to thoroughly spray a solution of 50/50 of 3%hydrogen peroxide with water onto the stained grout. Let it sit for about 30 minutes and then repeat. Do not try this on colored grout. Hydrogen peroxide is actually a bleach, it is safe but do not use this on colored grout as it will fade the color.

If the stain will not budge, you should soak a white paper towel with straight 3% hydrogen peroxide, and lay the paper towel on top of the stained grout. Then cover the paper towel with plastic wrap to stop the hydrogen peroxide from drying out. The paper towel will keep the 3% hydrogen peroxide on the stain surface which will give it time to dissolve the grout stain.