Porcelain tile is one of the most favorite flooring options as it features a rainbow of hues and is resistant to moisture and stain. Porcelain is also a durable floor material which requires little care and maintenance to keep it looking new and shiny through several decades of use. Although porcelain tiles are, by definition, impervious, it’s still possible for their surfaces to stain. They also lose their luster over time, but you can learn how well you can clean your porcelain floor tile and restore it to its initial shine.
Cleaning Porcelain Floor Tiles - Step by Step Guideline
There are various types of porcelain tiles including textured, unglazed/unpolished, and polished/glazed. In the same way, there are also some different set of specifics that apply to the different types of porcelain floor tiles during the cleaning process. The following relevant instructions will help you handle general cleaning of porcelain tiles:
1. Cleaning polished porcelain tile
Procedure
- Vacuum or sweep loose dust or dirt from the tiled floor using a dry, untreated dust mop. Do not use a broom.
- Mop your floor tile using a mild cleaning agent.
- Rinse your polished porcelain tiles thoroughly with clean, plain water.
- Dry the floor carefully to prevent any water puddles and to enhance the shine.
2. Cleaning unpolished porcelain tile
Procedure
- Vacuum or sweep the dirt and loose dust from the porcelain tiled floor.
- Saturate your floor with a mixture of hot water and cleaning solution. Stir the mixture and let it sit on the floor for 5-10 minutes. For this procedure, ensure that you do it in smaller areas every time and don’t allow the cleaning agents to dry up.
- For more stubborn stains, scrub the floor with a cleaning solution and a stiff bristle brush or an abrasive pad. For small areas and residential applications, use a scouring brush.
- After scrubbing, wipe the dirty cleaning solution away and rinse the porcelain tile surface with clean water using a wet vacuum or a mop.
- Give the porcelain tiled floor time to dry up.
3. Cleaning textured porcelain tile
Unlike polished and unpolished porcelain floors, textured porcelain tile surfaces require additional cleaning procedures. Ordinary wet-mopping will not clean such surfaces effectively. You should clean these floors more frequently, and do it in a specific way.
Procedure
- Vacuum or sweep debris and dust from the tiled floor. If you are sweeping, always use a broom with soft bristles and sweep in two different directions. You can start by sweeping while following the direction of your floor tile, and later sweep diagonally to make sure the floor is clear of all foreign materials that might be sitting in the texture.
- After sweeping, saturate the floor surface with a mild cleaning solution and hot water then stir it. Let the cleaning solution remain on the porcelain floor for 5-10 minutes.
- Once the time elapses, scrub the tiled floor using a brush, following a two-direction method.
- If your floor is clean, rinse it with clean water to get rid of the cleaning agent.
- For high traffic areas, you’re recommended to scrub the textured floor at least once a day, and ensure that you wet your mop more regularly.
Tips for cleaning porcelain floor tiles
Follow these simple tips to keep your porcelain tiled floors clean and in good shape:
- Place rugs at outdoor entrances to prevent grit from getting tracked onto the tiled floor
- Avoid using steel wool pads on the porcelain floor as loose steel particles might cause rust stains in the tile grout
- Avoid cleaning your porcelain tiled floors with ammonia or any other cleaners that contain acid or bleaching ingredients. Ammonia and acid-based cleaners might change the color of the grout
- Do not use any cleaning solutions containing colors or dyes on unpolished porcelain tiled floors
- Avoid using wax cleaners, sealants, or oil-based detergents on porcelain flooring
Conclusion
The best thing about porcelain tiles is that they are one of the easiest floor materials to clean. Although tiling can appear to lose its luster with time, cleaning porcelain tiled flooring is a pretty simple process. However, the best technique of preventing the accumulation of debris and unappealing stains from spreading is regular cleaning.
Clean your porcelain tiles at least once or twice a week by sweeping and vacuuming to get rid of dirt, followed by mopping with some warm water. The methods and tips outlined above will help you clean your porcelain flooring safely and successfully regardless of whether the tiles are textured, bare, or polished.
