Tile Maintenance Tips
How to Properly Clean and Maintain Your Tile
One of the many great attributes of ceramic and porcelain tile is the low maintenance requirement. To keep your floor and wall tile looking its best year after year, here are a few important tips to follow.
DO
- Clean tile and stone with a damp sponge or soft cotton cloth using a small amount of tile friendly cleaner and warm water.
- Make sure the cleaner is neutral, non-acidic and non-alkaline. Heavy alkaline cleaners leave residues that build up over time. These residues cling to the tile surface and attract dirt.
- For extremely dirty floors, use a full strength cleaner appropriate for ceramic and porcelain surfaces.
DO NOT
- You should not use everyday soaps or detergents on tile and stone. Such cleaners leave a film which dulls the surface and promotes mildew, making your tile look cloudy, dull, and just plain dirty!
- You should not use an acidic or ammonia-based cleaner because it could affect the color of the grout. Acid-based cleaners will etch polished marble and dull the surface. Re-polishing marble is an expensive and time consuming task that only professionals can do.
- You should not use bleach or vinegar as they are both acids. These liquids can cause costly damage to grouts and even dull some surface finishes on natural stone.
- You should not use steel wool pads or any other abrasive items on your tile or stone. These materials can scratch or dull the surface. Any loose particles of steel left on the grout will cause rust stains.
Recommendations
- For everyday light maintenance on multiple surfaces, Best Tile recommends Mighty Indigo by Van Hearron for fast and easy cleaning. Mighty Indigo comes in a handy spray bottle which makes cleaning up a breeze.
- For deep cleaning including stubborn stains and tougher soap residues, use Indigo Scrub by Van Hearron.
- For a powerful all around cleaner use Concentrated Cleaner by VanHearron. Concentrated Cleaner won’t leave pesky residue behind and performs exceptionally well as an everyday tile cleaner too!
Tile, stone, and grout require different types of maintenance. For complete details on protecting, cleaning, and solving problems with these surfaces go to VanHearron.com or visit one of our Store Locations for a complete line of care and maintenance products.
