How to Clean Tile Floors

It takes a lot of work to keep your home clean, and everyone has their quirks about it. Some people can't handle a dusty TV stand, a messy kitchen, toothpaste in the bathroom sink, dirty dishes or mountains of laundry. As for me, it's all about the floors. It's not clean if the floors aren't sparkling, I mean immaculate. Especially with the holiday season underway, it's time to get your mops, brooms, brushes, sponges and dust pans ready, because after reading this blog you'll know how to really get that tile floor clean.

Basics of Cleaning Tile Floors

If you have tile floors, then you know there a variety of ways to get them squeaky clean, but the all-time arch nemesis of tile floors is grout. Yes, that evil grout, especially if it's white.

Some of the basics to keeping your tile floor clean include daily sweeping or vacuuming to remove loose debris and dirt. If you let dirt sit, and then it gets wet, it can become tough-to-clean grime, so it's best to get to it sooner rather than later. Also, if you make a spill, get to it right away to preserve the grout.  If you can keep to this daily routine, your tile floor will easily sparkle with just a quick once over with a mop and warm water.

Mopping Tile Floors

When it comes to mopping a tile floor, there are a few considerations to make. For example, you can simply clean with warm water, warm water and vinegar for a deeper clean with a shiny finish, or warm water and detergent. If you choose to use a detergent, mop the floor twice, once with the detergent and once more with just warm water to remove any soap residue which could get sticky and build grime.  Also, it does matter what type of mop you use. Avoid using a sponge mop, these do not pick up dirt and grime, but rather move it around, leaving your grout susceptible. Instead, go for a microfiber cloth mop. The absorbent strands attract dirt and dust so it won't get pushed into your grout.

Don't forget to dry the floor after mopping to prevent dirt from quickly accumulating and to keep from staining the grout.

Cleaning Grout

Now comes the potentially challenging or rather, time consuming, part. If your grout needs a clean, whip out a tooth brush, and depending on the severity of the grout stains, use either baking soda or bleach.

For the grout that is mostly maintained, the natural method of mixing baking soda and water, with the application of a toothbrush, should do the trick to get the grout bright again. The baking soda and water should mix to become a paste, and you can let it sit for a bit before starting to scrub. Once scrubbed, rinse one more time with warm water.

For grout stains that are really tough, apply a bleach solution. Of course if your grout has color, bleach will not be a proper solution. Using gloves, mix water and bleach and use a toothbrush to start scrubbing. Be careful to not let the bleach solution get on the tiles, and then rinse thoroughly to remove all the bleach on the grout.

Now you know how to get that tile floor sparkling. Stay tuned for future blogs on how to clean hardwood and laminate floors! Know a friend that has a tile floor? Share this post with them, but be careful they don't think you're implying something!