Photo: Erika Bonnell Interiors

Tiles can be reasonably priced and offer a lot of benefits that enhance the appearance of a room in the home. However, it takes a little effort on a regular basis to increase the life of your tile floors to keep looking clean. Due to a lack of experience and knowledge can make the tile cleaning process harder for ourselves. Moreover, using improper cleaning chemicals can degrade the tiles instead of cleaning and maintaining them.

That’s why we have mentioned few precautions that you should consider in order to avoid problems and get the best results. Take a look at the list that walks you through the most common do’s and don’ts of cleaning your tile and grout.

Cleaning your tile properly is a matter of taking the right approach and using right materials:

Photo: Progressive Solutions

Clean up Spills Immediately 

Some Tiles can have porous properties that can make unattended spills a big problem. Spills will seep into your tile, can cause discolor in your tile and grout. Some coffee spills, tomato spills and oil spillages may stain if they are not removed, some tiles have good sealers and others have poor sealers which can leave stains such as these ones. We suggest cleaning those spillages up immediately.

Frequent Mopping and Sweeping

Tiles are an elegant flooring option addition to any home and bring a touch of style and class to your interior decorating. However, dirt dust and general grime can spoil the welcoming ambience. To prevent damage to the tile & grout, make sure to vacuum and mop your tiles regularly. The experts at Bensons Cleaning Services advise using hot water to remove grime from the tiles and also dries a lot faster. Moreover, twice a week vacuuming and light weekly mopping with hot water will not only extend the life of your floors but make them look great too.

Photo: Architectural Building Arts, Inc.

Seal Your Tile

Inspect the sealer frequently to make certain it isn’t peeling away from the tile surface. In the same manner, sealing will protect your grout from wear and tear and damage. Plus, offers more stain protection.

Use Soft Cleaning Cloths and Mops

Abrasive scrubbing powders, steel wool or any other scrubbing material can scratch or damage the smooth surface of your tile and grout. Use soft cloths and sponges for cleaning. Try using neutral products.

Ventilate Area

Before you start to clean your tile and grout with chemical solutions, it is necessary to ventilate the area to prevent the inhaling of any unhealthy chemicals and to dry the floor as best you can.

Photo: Laura Hardin

Use Furniture Protectors

Tile is hard, but when enough force is exerted on it can chip or crack its surface. Use furniture protectors on the bottom of table legs and chairs and also on the bottom of potted plants to protect tile surfaces.

Use Door Mats

Placing a door mat inside and outside of your home will catch most of the grime and dirt before it enters into your homes and ruins the look of your beautiful tiles.

Using Colored Cleaners

Never use colored cleaners. Tile can easily absorb color from cleaning solutions because it has very tiny pores. With the passage of time, they can discolor your tile and grout. So, use clear solutions for cleaning tile and grout.

Over Wetting the Tile

Overly wetting the tiles can in some cases stain the grouting over time, we strongly advise using hot water with a mop or microfiber mob head to ensure the floor is dries quickly.

Conclusion

Cleaning your tile and grout on your own can leave you exhausted and sore, which is why you should hire professionals to do the cleaning for you. Whether you are looking for carpet cleaning or tile and grout cleaning services in Adelaide, always look for experienced and certified professionals for better results and experience.

The main difference is most cleaning companies use truck mount machines when pressure cleaning of your tile and grout, they may have different methods of cleaning however the best option is to test the tiles determine what type they are, then mop the particular product onto the tiles, scrub the floor with a special tool which works the product into the tile & grout breaking the soiling on the top surface down, we then start our truck mount machine and use a sx12 tool at 900-1000psi to clean the tiles, all the grey water goes back into the holding tank in the van. The tiles dry very quickly as we place air movers in the room and also mop them with a microfiber mop leaving no streaks at all.
If you think we missed out on something or you have any tips or suggestions feel free to write us in the comment box below.

Photo: Scott Christopher Homes

Every floor material whether Hardwood, ceramic, marble or laminate requires maintenance and occasional cleaning to retain its shine.

The points listed below will help make your floor last for long :

Hardwood Floor

All that you need to do to bring back the shine to your dull hardwood floors is a little amount of vinegar and lukewarm water. Primarily, clean the floor with an upright vacuum cleaner ensuring proper cleansing of the floor, vacuuming up all the dirt and dust particles to avoid scratching. Now take a bucket full of lukewarm water, depending on how large your space is, add 1-2 cups of vinegar, make sure you take it in the right proportion. Soak a clean piece of cloth in the bucket and squeeze it thoroughly – remove all the extra water from the cloth, you want to keep it damp and not yet.

Why use Vinegar?

1. It contains acetic acid
2. A better alternative to chemicals
3. Non- Toxic
4. Extremely effective

Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic tiles are one of the most common floor material used in homes, and if you think it has lost its shine and looks corroded, it is time to give it a little cleaning and vacuuming. Not only will a clean floor make your home’s decorating look amazing, but it will help with the dust control in your home.

Firstly, vacuum up all the dust and dirt on the floor with the help of a vacuum cleaner or by cleaning it a piece of cloth, keep in mind, the floor needs to be dry. Now take a bucket of warm water and mix a tablespoon of alcohol in the water. Dip a piece of cloth and squeeze it completely until your cloth is damp. Rigorously wipe it over the floor to better restore the shine and get rid of the corrosion formation on the tiles.

Benefits of Using Alcohol as a Cleaning Agent

1. Effective Solvent
2. Used as a preservative solution
3. Kills all allergens and bacteria

Marble Floor

Traditional flooring material was considered to be the ever shining ,Marble, which requires an occasional mopping and rigorous cleaning. Floor polishers are widely used to even and smoothen the marble floor. Unlike hardwood and laminate, vinegar should never come in contact with marble. All acidic materials or even for that instance citrus fruits like orange, desert lime, grapefruit or other kinds of fruit juices will corrode the marble and strip off its natural shine.

All you need to do is, take a bucket full of warm water and add 2-3 tablespoons of dish soap. Firstly vacuum up all the dirt, dust and debris on the floor with your cleaning equipment and clear off the floor. Secondly, Dunk in a piece of cloth in the bucket, squeezing out the extra water, keeping it damp and rub the marbles rigorously. Now again take a damp clean cloth and rub all the soap off the marble floor.

Why use Dish soap for Marbles

1. Perfectly brings out the shine of marbles
2. Dish soap doesn’t corrode the marble
3. Easy cleaning and effortless cleaning
4. Non- Toxic cleaning agent

Laminate Floor

Fashionable flooring trends like laminate bring out the best and the most classy look of the house making your neighbours envious of you, but think of the floor losing its charm and shine with time and use. Well, you do not need to worry, laminate floor cleaning is an easy and a hassle-free process, as all you need to do is run a canister vacuum to clear off all the dirt, dust and particles on the floor. Occasional mopping with a damp cloth is also a good idea to keep your laminate floor shining for long.

We understand the importance of good flooring in your house and therefore, we have given you all the essentials tips to clean and get the right shine of your Hardwood, ceramic, marble and laminate floors. Floor polishers and floor scrubbers finds it wide use at home and also at commercial cleaning companies ensuring a well polished and maintained floors at your house.