What kind of flooring you select for your home can alter the overall look and feel of a house. Hardwood flooring in homes can increase their value. For kitchen areas, tile and hardwood floors are the most popular types of flooring. Nearly 90% of homeowners prefer these in the kitchen space. If you have tile in your home and maintain it properly, it can outlast your home. It can last for decades or even centuries if cared for. properly. Finding the right tile cleaning products is very important.
Tips for tile and grout cleaning.
- The best way to clean tile floors is to keep them clean. You should make sweeping or vacuuming any rooms that have tile flooring part of your daily routine. This will remove any loose dirt, crumbs or dust and that is important. Wet dirt can settle into the grout and become grime that is very difficult to remove. If you sweep or vacuum every day, you reduce the amount of dust and dirt that accumulate on the floor and prevent yourself more work in the future with harsher tile cleaning products than a broom. It also takes less time to sweep a floor than to scrub the grout. Also, clean up spills and any dirt from foot traffic when it happens. This will save you time later on.
- Warm water may be all you need to clean your floor. Sometimes, when you mop your floor, you will not need any tile cleaning products at all. Often all cleaning a tile floor needs is to be mopped with warm water. Make sure you sweep or vacuum the floor before you mop but then just run a mop over the floor using a bucket of warm water.
- If you use a detergent, mop the floor after with water. If your floor does require you use a cleaner, mop first with a mixture of the cleaner and water. Next, mop the floor a second time with just water. Tile cleaning products come with instructions for the amount that should be used and any other information you will need about their use.
- Dry the floor after you mop it. A wet floor acts a lot like a magnet for dust and dirt and whatever else wants to accumulate on your floor. You can prevent this by drying the floor after you clean it. Use a dry mop and run it over your floor.
- What about the grout? If dirt has gotten into your grout, it can make the floor look horrible. You do not need harsh tile cleaning products to rid your floor of nasty grout dirt. Make a water and vinegar solution. This should contain one third vinegar and two thirds water. This should be sufficient to get rid of any dirt or mildew that has become embedded in the grout. If it is not sufficient, you can call a professional service to deal with grout cleaning.
An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure. When you install your tile, consider applying a tile sealant to protect your grout. Most last between one and two years. Tile is really easy to maintain and will look like new for years if you clean it regularly.