How to Clean Tile Floors

Learn how to clean tile floors and achieve great results.

When we first starting cleaning tile and grout, we had no problem cleaning tile floors, it was the grout that always gave us problems.

We started to research and experiment with different cleaners to find out what would make cleaning tile and grout easier.

The first thing we learned, was good ol'fashion elbow grease would always be needed.

That sucks! but we did learn how to clean grout with much better results by using high akaline cleaners.

Also, the longer we let the akaline cleaners dwell, the better results we saw. The longer the solution sat, the more it emulsified the dirt and grease.



We have found that most grout can be cleaned to about 85% to it's natural color, with the other 15% showing stains or some sort of discoloration possibly from bleaching or grout discoloration from the installation.

Along with the many different cleaners available you can easily make your own homemade grout cleaners that will clean ceramic tile and grout just fine.

In general, mopping tile floors regularly with a neutral floor cleaner and a flat mop, will be the best and easiest way to maintain the tile floors.

After making your own grout cleaner or buying your favorite grout cleaner apply the solution to the tile and grout.

You can also use any household cleaners like simple green or pinesol. They clean grout great if you follow these simple steps.

This has always been the hardest part for me, letting the solution dwell for 20-30 minutes.

I always want to start scrubbing right away. Allowing for dwell time makes the scrubbing a little bit easier.

Ready?

Now for the scrubbing. Using your grout cleaning brush, scrub all the grout lines, the best you can being careful not to damage the baseboards with too much water or banging them with the brush.

You can also scrub the tiles with a deck brush making sure to clean any low areas where dirt can be trapped.



Now you can do either of two things; you can use a wet/dry vacumm to suck up the dirty solution, or use a mop to mop it up.

After the dirty solution has been either mopped or sucked up, it's now time to rinse the floor with warm water.

After the floor has been thoroughly rinsed, dry the tile and grout with cotton cloths, until they are completely dry.

You should now have a pretty clean floor, with the exception of any stubborn grout stains, that sometimes can't be removed.



You are now ready to seal the grout lines which we recommend to be done once the floor is completely dry.

For more on sealing grout, see our colorsealing grout page with help on putting down a permanent grout sealer that will make future maintanence much easier for you.

Once you know how to clean tile floors and do it from time to time, you will eventually get tired of it and look for an easier way to keep it clean.

Check out the colorsealing grout page and discover what you should have done long ago.

When it comes to knowing how to clean tile floors or just maintaining natural stone, we strive to help educate our customers on the best protection they can have, helping them save time and money in costly restoration costs down the road.

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