How to Clean Floor Tile

There’s nothing that makes a home look more stylish than having tiled floors such as ceramic tile flooring.

A gleaming expanse of ceramic tile in a kitchen or a bathroom can make a boring space look brighter and larger.

But tile flooring can have a tendency to get dingy pretty quickly if not cared for. A dull tile floor can make a stylish room look rather unsightly.

However, if you’re diligent about keeping your ceramic floor tidy on a daily basis, then you won’t have to bother with “the big clean” as often when you clean the floors on a regular basis.

The Basics of Cleaning Floor Tile:

1. Sweep early, sweep often. Dirt from shoes and pets can become embedded in the tile or scratch the tile causing it to loose it’s shine and start to dull over time.
2. Clean up spills immediately.
3. Using floor mats and rugs will help with spills and dirty feet.
4. Most often; when cleaned regularly, all your floors will need is a damp mopping.
5. Seal ceramic floors (if necessary, check with the manufacturer) and grout on a regular basis to avoid staining.

The easiest way to keep a tile floor looking like you just installed it is to sweep often. Sweeping will keep the little bits of dirt that are tracked through a house on a daily basis from causing larger problems.

When you are going to break out the mop to do a larger clean, make sure you sweep right before you begin to avoid spreading dirt around.

Light Cleaning of Ceramic Floors:

Castile Soap:

This is a gentle bar soap that has been around for years. If your ceramic tile floor only needs a light cleaning, grate some castile soap into a bucket of warm water and mix. This is a safe cleaning solution for most floors.

Dip a clean cloth in the mixture and wring it out. Wipe down the floor to clean, then dry with another dry cloth.

Mild Detergent:

A mild detergent mixed with a bucket of warm water is also a safe cleaning solution for lightly soiled ceramic. Clean the floors and dry when finished.

Tough Cleaning of Ceramic Floors:

Bleach and Water:

If you are finding mildew stains in your bathroom, scrub with a mixture (25% bleach/75% water) chlorine bleach and water or a chlorine based cleaning product. Have a bucket of clean water only on hand to rinse the bleach mixture. When you are done scrubbing, run a clean cloth dipped in the plain water over the area then dry thoroughly. Do not use straight bleach as this can discolor the grout and strip some of the protective finish from the flooring.

Vinegar:

For dirty floors, use a few teaspoons vinegar mixed with a gallon of warm water. Use a mop and scrub the floor rinsing the mop often. When finished use a clean mop and rinse with plain water then dry the floor with a clean towel.

Spot Cleaning Ceramic Tile:

Grease Stains:

Regardless of where it came from, clean it as soon as possible. Take a paper towel, lay it on top of the grease and let it soak up as much grease as possible, change paper towel as necessary. Clean and rinse well.

Commercial Products:

Tile and Grout Sealer:

Depending on the traffic moving across your ceramic tile floors will depend on how often you will want to reapply a sealant to the floor tiles and grout. At least once a year, possibly twice if necessary.

Keeping a tile floor clean is easy, as long as you keep up with it. A small sweep a day will keep the mop and bucket away. Well, they’ll stay away longer than usual, at least.