6 Hacks to Cleaning Your Ceramic Tile Floors

Ceramic tile can make for a beautiful floor for your kitchen, your bathroom, or any other floor in your home. Not only is the tile beautiful, but it is also resistant to common damages that floors can suffer, including scuffing and water damage.

Ceramic tile is low-maintenance, but it is not no maintenance. You need to put in the proper effort to keep your floors looking good and to preserve your investment. Here are six hacks that will make it easier to keep your floors looking their best:

Clean Spills Immediately

Ceramic tile can withstand a lot of damage from water and other liquids, but it is not impervious to staining. If you let something like a red wine sit on the floor even for less than a minute, a stain can be left behind. Even clear liquids can leave behind stains because they mix with the dirt and other debris that is already on the floor.

Instead of scrubbing your floors vigorously later – and maybe still not getting out the stain – it’s best that you clean up any spills immediately to try to prevent stains from occurring.

Use a Swiffer to Clean

All you need to do to clean your ceramic floors is to sweep them regularly to keep the dust and dirt off of them. But when you sweep the floors, you end up stirring up the dust and causing it to scatter about. That can make it a lot harder to clean your floors.

Instead of using a broom to clean your floors, use a Swiffer. The damp cloths will grab the dust and dirt instead of just pushing it around. You’ll pick up the debris off the floor without creating a bigger mess.

Use a Microfiber Mop

When you mop your ceramic floors, the wet sponge or fibers will grab up the dirt, so you don’t have to worry about the debris getting pushed around. However, a traditional mop can simply push the dirt into the nooks and crannies of the floor, which can create unsanitary conditions and contribute to stains.

Use a microfiber mop to grab the dirt off the floor instead of pushing it deeper into the tile. The floors will come clean quickly, and you can rest assured knowing that the dirt is truly gone and not just out of sight.

Use a Cleaner and Toothbrush on the Grout

Dirty grout lines can make your floors look dirty and old even if the tile is clean and new. Never use acidic cleaners like vinegar or peroxide to clean the grout, as these can damage the materials. Cracks in the grout can allow water and other damaging agents to penetrate the tile and damage the floor.

Use a cleaner that has been designed for grout in conjunction with a soft-bristled toothbrush. The toothbrush will loosen the dirt out of the grout, and then the cleaner will follow up behind to tackle the dirt. You’ll end up with fresh and sanitary grout and great-looking tile floors.

Steam Clean Grout

Another gentle way to clean your grout is to use a steam cleaner. The steam dissolves the dirt and lifts it out of the grout, making it easy to keep it clean. The heat from the steam also kills bacteria in the grout, so your floors will be more sanitary.
For tough stains, you can use a scrubbing brush in conjunction with the steam cleaner to get those marks out of the grout and the tile.

Let Floors Dry Thoroughly

In the old days, we’d use a sopping-wet mop to clean our floors, and the floors would have to dry for an hour or so. Now, we know what kind of damage that can do to our floors. If you leave water on your ceramic floors, any dirt that remains can dry in place, which will leave behind streaks and other marks on the tile. If anyone happens to walk on the floors while they are drying, those footprints will also show up.

Try to use as little water as possible when cleaning your floors. Then be sure to let the floors dry thoroughly before anyone comes near them. You don’t want to undo the cleaning you have done.

Keep up with regular cleaning and your ceramic tile floors will stay beautiful and have a long life span. If you do end up with stains that you can’t get out – either in the tile or in the grout – call in the professionals to handle the job. You don’t want to risk damage to your floor by using harsh cleaners or scrubbing brushes that are inappropriate for the ceramic tile.

If your ceramic tile floors are looking dull or discolored, Desert Tile and Grout Care can help. We offer professional ceramic tile floor cleaning in Phoenix that can make your floors look as good as new. Our tile and grout cleaning service can lift out deep stains and restore the color of your tile, as well as sanitize your floors. Call us today to get an estimate for your tile floor cleaning in Arizona or to learn more about our services.