How To Clean Old Ceramic Tile Floors

How To Clean Ceramic Tiles And The Grout Between The Tiles

Tile and Grout Cleaning Tips

By Troy Cantini

Ceramic tiles are typically easy to clean only the grout between the tiles is usually much more than difficult to clean. Ceramic tiles are dense not porous products that will not typically be damaged by most tile cleaning products or scrub pads. Aggressive tile cleaning products combined with aggressive scrub pads can exist used to scrub the grout without damaging the tiles.

The power to use alkali metal and acidic tile cleaning products makes ceramic tiles easy to make clean and maintain.  In most cases simply using an alkaline tile cleaning product works best to remove the dirt and crud from the tile surfaces and the grout lines. For extremely dirty grout lines a systematic approach of an using an alkaline and then an acidic cleaning product will ensure that you get your grout lines to their cleanest possible country.

An aggressive scrub pad or scrub castor is often needed to scrub the individual grout lines if they have years of dirt, grease and grime on them. Nearly ceramic tiles are manufactory glazed with a coefficient of friction (cof) then they are volition non easily scratch or dull when aggressive scrub pads or scrub brushes are used. Y'all should still not use any type of metallic based pads such equally Brillo pads that could potentially scratch the tile surface.

The first stride in cleaning ceramic tiles is to scrub them with an element of group i tile and grout cleaning solution.  Mostly ceramic tile floors take dirt, grease and grime on them that is virtually easily cleaned with an high pH alkaline cleaning production. product. Element of group i tile cleaning products will react with the acidic grease, dirt and grime and suspend these contaminates. The suspended dirt, grease and grime can and so be easily extracted and rinsed abroad.

It is best to mix the alkaline cleaning solution with the hottest tap water available per the manufactures instructions.  You should so utilize this hot alkaline metal cleaning solution to ceramic tile floor and allow information technology to dwell there for at to the lowest degree twenty minutes. Ensure that the grout lines are likewise thoroughly saturated with the alkaline cleaning solution. While the cleaning solution is dwelling on the ceramic tile surfaces you can begin scrubbing the tiles and grout lines with a stiff brush or an ambitious scrub pad.

You should scrub the ceramic tiles and grout until y'all are confident that all of the dirt, grease and grime accept been loosened and dissolved.  Aggressive scrub pads volition work much more effectively than scrub brushes for scrubbing the grout lines. A shop vac can so exist used to excerpt the muddy cleaning solution. If yous do not have a store vac and then you tin use a mop and bucket to extract the clay and excess cleaning solution.

Cleaning the ceramic tile surfaces is normally non too difficult only getting the grout lines make clean is normally much more hard.  You may discover that fifty-fifty after you have cleaning the ceramic tiles with the alkaline cleaning solution that the grout lines nonetheless may wait dirty or have some remaining stains on them. A mild acidic tile and grout cleaner can and then be employ to brand the grout lines wait like new again. Ceramic and porcelain tiles will non be damaged with acidic based tile cleaners only you tin not utilise acidic cleaners on stone tiles. Acidic tile cleaning products are especially effective on lighter colored grout lines to remove the stubborn stains that are embedded deep within the grout lines.

You can apply the acidic tile cleaner to the tile and grout lines just like you did with the alkaline tile cleaner.  You should encounter the grout lines "FIZZ" when the acidic cleaner reacts with the top layer of dirty grout.  A type of micro abrasion cleaning effect will take place as the acidic cleaning solution removes the top layer of muddied grout. Some light scrubbing of the grout lines may exist necessary with the acidic cleaning solution to remove extremely stubborn stains from the grout.

You should thoroughly rinse and dry the tile floor and grout lines later on they have been cleaned.  You will want to ensure that the grout lines are totally dry before sealing them with any type of sealer. In some situations with extremely dingy and damaged grout information technology may truly be impossible to go the grout lines looking totally make clean and stain free. In these cases painting the grout with a grout colorant tin restore the original expect and color of the grout. If you do decide to paint the grout yous will notwithstanding demand to thoroughly clean the tile and grout before applying the grout colorant to the grout.

Subsequently deep cleaning the ceramic tile flooring you should always seal the porous grout with a clear impregnating sealer. Strong alkaline and acidic tile cleaning products volition break down the sealers that were previously practical. Sealing the ceramic tiles themselves is not needed because the ceramic tiles are likewise dense and non porous to absorb any kind of tile and grout sealer.

For normal every 24-hour interval cleaning a not aggressive pH neutral cleaning product should be used.  pH neutral tile cleaning products can exist used on a daily basis to mop away and rinse the dirt and crud from the tiles without having to exercise excessive rinsing and extracting of the muddy cleaning solution. Only about 2-4 ounces of the pH neutral cleaning solution is required in a gallon of hot water to clean the ceramic tiles on an everyday basis. PH neutral cleaners also will not break downwards the sealers in the grout lines and they will not damage any grout colorants that have been practical to the grout lines.

If you live in Seattle or the Puget Audio region you tin can call the tile and grout cleaning experts at Prestige Tile Care to professionally clean and seal your tile and grout.

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Source: https://tilecleaning.org/cleaning-ceramic-tile-floor.htm

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