The best way to clean ceramic tile floors – a simple and effective guide

Ceramic tile floors are almost a must-have nowadays for every household. Though, while being relatively durable, the ceramic tiles can get abrased easily from the dust buildup, and can also get damaged if the cleaning is not done properly. And below are the best ways to clean ceramic tile floors.

The best way to deep clean ceramic tile floors

Before starting, you should remove all shoes, rugs, furniture, and other items to make way for the cleaning. Then, to effectively deep clean the ceramic tile floor, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Use a vacuum cleaner or broom to remove loose dirt, sand, and other debris.
• Step 2: Use a plastic putty knife to scrape the sticky residue on the tiles.
• Step 3: Make a concoction of hot water, half a cup of vinegar, and half a tablespoon of dish soap. Don’t use more soap than you should, because the residue from the soap will dull the floors.
• Step 4: To prepare the mop, put the mop head under hot running water to rinse and get rid of any debris remaining from the previous cleaning attempt.
• Step 5: Mop the tile floors with a water and soap solution. Then mop again with pure hot water to remove the soap residue.
• Step 6: Dry the floor. Air-drying the floor would be ok, but it would be better to dry it with a clean cloth or towel because you can do some extra dusting by wiping, and also prevent potential water spots.

How to Clean Ceramic Tile Grout

For the grout to be cleaned is definitely a major part of keeping the tile floor clean. The strongest and simplest way to deep clean the grout is with a grout-cleaning machine that can be rented from hardware. However, DIY is perfectly possible as well; here are our suggestions for the cleaning routine:

• Step 1: Mix a bucket of water with powdered oxygen bleach according to the directions on the bottle. You can usually find it in the cleaning aisle at any grocery or hardware store.

Contrary to normal bleaches, oxygen bleach’s main component is hydrogen peroxide and some sodium, which is non-toxic and color-safe. The cleaner is designed so that when with water, the hydrogen peroxide tied to the sodium would be released to form a hydrogen peroxide cleaning solution. This is also how you can clean and also preserve the grout because hydrogen peroxide is proven to be safe for grout

• Step 2: Apply the hydrogen peroxide solution to the grout lines by spraying with a spray bottle or by scrubbing it in with a scrub brush. For extra dirty grout lines, apply the solution using both methods.

• Step 3: Let the solution sit on the grout for at least 30 minutes to break down the dirt and grimes. The longer the wait, the more effective the solution is: The oxygen ions in the bleach solution can effectively work on the grime for as long as six hours.

• Step 4: Once the bleach solution has saturated the grout lines, scrub them with a stiff nylon brush or an old toothbrush. You should use a towel to sop up the dirty water after scrubbing each small grout area because a lot of dirt and grime will break down.

• Step 5: Once done with the scrubbing, rinse the area thoroughly with fresh water, and dry it using a clean cloth.

• Step 6: After rinsing and drying the floor, apply a grout sealant to keep the grout clean.

As substitutions for oxygen bleach, you can also use a mixture of white vinegar and either lemon juice or baking soda, which you likely already have on hand. But based on our experience, the bleach solution requires the least amount of scrubbing and is the most effective for removing stains.

The best way to clean old ceramic tile floors

Sometimes you may find yourself with a very dirty ceramic floor to clean; the home you newly bought has been left unattended for a while and has built up a considerable amount of dirt and grime, and perhaps even get mildewed in its creeks. The ceramic becomes discolored and might not even necessarily get its sleek back with the usual deep cleaning routine.

In such times, the more conventional methods like hydrogen peroxide or vinegar might not be sufficient for the job, and the best way to clean these old tile floors may be to upscale your cleaner. Though before bringing out these potent commercial cleaners, you may still want to try the DIY methods introduced in the previous parts beforehand anyway: Though they might not solve the problem immediately, they do provide some degree of cleaning and disinfection.

Here is a list of floor cleaners that you may want to try.

To clean your old ceramic tile floors using potent ceramic tile cleaners, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Dust the floor with a broom/vacuum to remove any loose dirt and grime. A dust mop can be used as well if the dust is not particularly bad.

• Step 2: Dilute or process the tile cleaner in any way necessary as per the manufacturer’s instruction. Mop the floor with the cleaner mixture. For spots, spray the cleaner with a spray bottle and clean with a sponge or a cloth. 

As a note, any excess tile cleaner might become sticky residual on the floor, causing the floor to become even dirtier from the cleaning. So the trick is to not soak too much tile cleaner onto the tile floor and to rinse the cleaner off the floor after the cleaning.

• Step 3: For grouts, apply the cleaner using a cleaner sprayer and brush the grout with a toothbrush. Then mop all the dirt and grimes that come out.

• Step 4: Rinse the mop with clear water. Mop the floor again, this time with pure water, to remove the residual cleaner.

• Step 5: After having finished rinsing the floor, dry the floor using a clean, dry towel. Drying the floor helps prevent water spots and also the haze caused by the residual cleaning products.

More cleaning tips and professional cleaning services

Love these cleaning tips for your ceramic tiles? Sparkling and Beyond have even more cleaning tips and guides in our cleaning tips library. We also provide professional and affordable cleaning services for any other part of the house, for any degree of need. Together, we will keep your home sparkling clean and healthy.

admin

As the admin of Sparkling & Beyond, I bring a wealth of knowledge and passion for excellence in the cleaning industry. With years of experience in providing top-notch cleaning solutions, I am dedicated to sharing valuable insights and tips to help maintain pristine and healthy living environments. My mission is to ensure every home and office we service sparkles with cleanliness and comfort.

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