3 Easy Tips for Curing Stained, Scratched, or Etched Tile and Grout

Stone floor is beautiful. Yet like many other beautiful things, it is fragile. It can be easily stained when someone spills a glass of wine at a party or just from the foot traffic of your kids and pets running through the house each day. It can be etched by acidic cleaners and even citrus juices. It can be scratched by moving furniture across the floor or even your vacuum cleaner.

Some light damage like this is inevitable. You can’t walk across your tile floors like you are walking on eggshells. But what you can do is take preventive measures to avoid damage where possible and then call a tile floor cleaning company to perform some tile floor restoration. You can also perform some of these DIY measures:

For Scratches

Any time that something rough rubs up against your tile, the tile can be scratched. You can scratch your tile by walking across the floor with your shoes and the fine gravel that you track in from outside. You can even scratch your tile by using a harsh cleaner with acidic chemicals.

If the scratching is light, you might be able to remove the scratches by buffing the tile. You’ll need to go to a home improvement store to buy the buffing compound of fine grit sandpaper to do the buffing. Just use a light touch or you might scratch the tile even more.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, or if the tile has deeper scratches, you should call a professional tile and grout cleaning contractor in Phoenix for help. You don’t want to risk damaging your tile floors further.

For Etching

Etching usually occurs when acidic substances come into contact with the tile. That includes orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, acidic cleaning products, and even perfume or items containing perfume. Coffee and red wine can also etch tile.

You can remove etching by buffing, just the way you would remove light scratches. But if the marks are even lighter, you may be able to remove them with a simple solution of warm water and a few drop of dish detergent. Just let the solution sit on the etched area for a few minutes, and then buff out the etches.

Again, if the etching is bad, you’ll need the help of professionals. Attempting to do major Chandler tile floor restoration on your own can result in damage to your floors and injury to yourself.

For Stains

Your floors can become stained if you spill something like coffee or wine, obviously. But they can also become stained from the everyday buildup of dirt and debris from foot traffic. You may not even notice that they are stained at first. The tile may simply look a little duller or darker. You may even mistake it for a shadow. It may take time for you to notice the true extent of the problem.

The best thing you can do to deal with stains is to try to prevent them. You can do that by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping your tile regularly. Clean up spills as quickly as they happen, and protect the tile in high traffic areas by putting down throw rugs and runners.

If the stains have already set, don’t try to get them out yourself. Harsh cleaners and scrubbers will only scratch and etch the tile, and then you’ve created a whole new set of problems for yourself. Instead, call a professional tile floor cleaning company near Chandler that has the skills and the right equipment to get the stains out without damaging your floors. The right professionals will be able to lift out years of staining, resulting in a tile floor restoration.

Desert Tile and Grout Care performs thorough tile and grout cleaning for homes and businesses in Arizona. We offer routine maintenance cleanings to keep the floors free of stains, as well as deeper cleanings for tile floor restoration. We can also perform sealing to protect the tile and grout from future damage. We have a reputation as a top tile floor cleaning company in Arizona thanks to our dedication to getting results and our friendly and professional service. Call us in Arizona to schedule your tile and grout cleaning.