How To Clean Ceramic Tile Floors:

Cleaning Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tiles are vary popular as their features work well in today's modern homes. Ceramic tiles vary in color, size, style, and of course the cost. They are very popular because of both their beauty and because they clean up easily.

Whether the ceramic tiles are used on the floor or the wall, ceramic tile are easily maintained if you follow just a few standard procedures in there cleaning and maintenance.

Ceramic tiles are primarily made from clay silicates. To produce a ceramic tile, the clay mixture is baked at a very high temperature.

Ceramic tiles can be purchased either glazed or unglazed. Unglazed tiles will require much more cleaning and maintenance because they do not have the hard outer shell which repels water and dirt. All tiles regardless of type should be cleaned regularly with water.

By cleaning ceramic tiles daily with plain water and drying them thoroughly with a clean towel or cloth, you will avoid any mold, mildew dirt and grime build up that will collect on it's surface..

Grout holds ceramic tiles together. It is a type of glue, or actually cement and sand combined with acrylics and silicon. Grout, especially unsealed grout will collect dirt and grime and will stain easily.

If your grout has stained or discolor and the ceramic tile is dull, make a solution of 1/4 cup of mild detergent with 1 gallon of water. Take your sponge with the cleaning solution, and carefully scrub and clean the areas that are stained and dull. Once they are thoroughly clean wipe then dry with a cotton towel or cleaning rag.

Cleaning Ceramic Tile Floors

When cleaning ceramic tile, do not abrasive scouring powder. They will scratch and dull the shine on the ceramic tile surface. Unless your cleaning products label states specifically that it is safe for a tile surface, so not use it.

For severely discolored and dirty tile and grout, where cleaning with detergent will not work, use a 50/50 cleaning solution of bleach and water to remove any dirt that is present.

Tile can be purchased either glazed or unglazed. Glazed tile has a high shine and it is easier to clean.

Wash Your Ceramic Tile Regularly - Vacuum /Sweep and Mop your ceramic tile floors regularly to remove any dirt. Use a very mild pH neutral diluted detergent recommended by the tile manufacturer always rinse well and wipe the floor dry to remove water spots and keep a high shine.

Vacuum Your Tile Floors Regularly- Vacuum or sweep your tile floors regularly.

Do Not Use Any Ammonia Based Cleaners - Ammonia might discolor some types of grout.

Always Rinse Your Ceramic Tile Floor - After mopping you should thoroughly rinse your floor to remove any residue with clean, warm water.

Wipe Up Any Spills Right Away - Wipe up spills with an all-purpose cleaner. This also help reduce the chance of grout staining from spilled liquids.

Always Use A Sealer For The Grout - Use a silicone base grout sealer on all the grout between the tile. This will prevent discoloration from spilled liquids and keep the grout nice and clean looking. (this is important- dirt will become embedded if you do not)

How To Clean Hardwood Floors:

Cleaning consists of vacuuming your floors to rid it of grit and dirt that will cause scratching and wearing of the new finish on your floor. A dust mop is also very helpful and could be use daily or as much as needed provided that it has been treated with a mop treatment. We have our own mop treatment and are available on request for a small fee.

Overall, cleaning should also include damp mopping your floor with cold water and a very mild detergent, such as Dawn ® to clean spills such as grease and grime, etc. Rinse with cold water and one ounce of white vinegar to one galllon of water.Remember, cold water will brighten the finish, hot water will cloud.

Things to do & things not to do!

• Throw rugs with jute backing--- if you have these make sure you have padding under the rug to prevent scratching.
• Furniture guards should be used under legs of furniture. This prevents the floor from scarring if the furniture slides.
• High-heeled shoes can absolutely destroy a floor. This causes indentation marks into your floors which ruins the wood.
• Water or other liquid spills that are left for some time without being wiped up. This will cause dark spots on the floor. Pet accidents should be cleaned up immediately.
• Avoid setting flower pots or potted plants on the floor without anything under them to catch water.

Things not to use

Do not use pine soap, oil soaps, chlorine bleach or abrasive cleaners that might scratch or otherwise react to the polyurethane finish.

These floor cleaning tips and information were gathered from various sources. It is for research purposes only. Haworth Floor Coverings LLC cannot and does not guarantee the correctness and completeness of all information provided. This information may have errors. The information is "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS". User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury. You agree that we have no liability for any damages. Haworth Floor Coverings LLC is not liable for any consequential, incidental, indirect, or special damages. The use of this information indemnifies us from all claims.