Clean Tile Floors and Keep Them Clean

Tile floors are very popular.  Whether you have ceramic or stone, natural or engineered, sealed or unsealed, matte or shiny, tile floors will last for years with proper care.  Here are some tips for cleaning your tile floors:

Cleaning Spills – Immediately

Wipe up spills immediately.  Spills left to dry will just attract more dirt. Quick clean up also prevents stains before they start.  Wipe up the spill with a terry towel or paper towel and then follow up with a soapy towel.  Polish with another clean damp towel. 

I’ve been known to spray a particularly icky spill with glass cleaner and then wipe clean.

Sweep, Swiffer, or Vacuum – Every Few Days

It is important to remove the loose dirt regularly from your tile floors.  Small particles of dirt and sand particles can actually scratch the surface of your tile.  That is why it is important that you remove dirt and debris on a regular basis.  If you keep the floors swept, vacuumed, Swiffered or dust mopped, you should only need to mop on a weekly basis.

If you have vinyl tiles or flooring, the Swiffer or Cuban mop style cleaners work well.  However, if you have ceramic or stone tiles, the tiles are connected with grout. This grout seam does not present a smooth surface to your cleaning tool.  Swiffers and Cuban mops will not do a thorough job of lifting up all the soil; and much of it will fall back into the grout!  Why waste your time and energy on cleaning that doesn’t clean?

A broom will remove loose dirt from tile and grout surfaces, but they aren’t very effective.  In fact, sweeping may just throw the dirt around.  If you have loads of large pieces of debris, a quick sweep with a broom will do the trick.  For everyday cleaning, leave the broom in the broom closet.

A good vacuum cleaner or electric broom with a non-electric head is the best for cleaning tile floors.  Look for a cleaning head with soft bristles that will dislodge the debris without scratching your tile.  Most upright vacuum cleaners don’t do a good job with cleaning tile floors.  The motorized heads mostly kick the dust behind the vacuum and spread it out the sides.  Look for a canister vacuum with a hard floor tool of at least 12” wide. 

Clean Tile Floors Easily – Once a Week

Steam cleaners work great for tile floors.  They are safe to use on any sort of tile or stone and will gently lift soil up from the tile.  Steam cleaners have the bonus of being safe to the grout.

If you mop, a string mop is better than a sponge mop. Sponge mops will actually push the dirt further into your grout.

No matter what mop you use, rinse the mop head often. If the water looks dirty, empty the bucket. You can’t get floors clean with dirty water.

photo courtesy Keerati@freedigitalphotos

Vinegar and water is great for ceramic tile. Check with your installer before using vinegar and water on stone tile.  Add ½ cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water. Because vinegar is acidic, it kills bacteria but can harm some porous surfaces.  Vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean grout, but do not use vinegar alone.  The acid can damage the grout over time.

Always use warm water. It cleans better.

If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, use ½ cup rubbing alcohol to 1 gallon water and map. Rinse mop frequently and empty mop bucket when water is dirty.

Make Tile Shine Every Time!

If you have a hazy finish to your floors, that is soap residue.  Just add a bit of vinegar to your rinse water to remove the soapy haze and return the original shine.

For a really nice shine, put a terry cloth towel over your dust mop and dry floors. 

Tile floors are durable and beautiful.  If you have allergies or asthma, they are a must for improved indoor air quality.  Don’t let cleaning them be a hassle.

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