Cleaning Tile

Cleaning tile is a relatively easy task. Ceramic tile, regardless of its placement in your home, is durable and never requires wax or polish. Marble tile is more expensive than most ceramic tiles, and requires more care.

Unglazed Ceramic Tile Floors

In order to keep your unglazed tile floor clean, you need to vacuum regularly and occasionally damp mop the floor. For heavier cleaning, use a scrubbing machine or floor polisher if you need to clean a large area. If your tiled floor is a small area, make a scouring powder and water mixture and apply it to your floor. Let it sit for a few minutes, and scrub it with a brush. Then, wash your floor off and let it dry.

Glazed Ceramic Tile Floors

Glazed tile is easier to maintain than unglazed tile. You need to vacuum it and occasionally damp mop it using water. If your tile floor is large, you might want to consider renting or buying an electric polisher for more heavy duty cleaning. Do not use any cleaner with abrasives in it as glazed tile has a finish that can be easily scratched.

Grout

Make sure your grout, or the mortar between your tiles, is sealed if it is cementitious. Epoxy and furan grouts do not need to be sealed. If you do not know what kind of grout your floor has, pour a little water on it. If the grout darkens, it is absorbing water and needs to be sealed. If you leave it unsealed, the grout may absorb grease or other substances that will make it look less attractive. Grout must be resealed periodically.

If you have heard that vinegar and water can be used to clean tile and grout, ignore it. This can damage your grout and many ruin colored grout. It can also damage your tile. Instead, use a mixture of bleach and water on the grout and let it stand for about 20 minutes before you mop up the bleach and rinse your floor.

Cleaning Marble Tile

Marble is very porous, and should be sealed to prevent staining. Treat marble the same way that you would treat wood. If something spills on wood, you wipe it up right away; do the same with marble. Try to quickly catch anything spilled. Marble is very sensitive to acid, so even orange juice can affect its surface. Acid will etch the surface of your marble, and deface the surface to a point where the marble will need to be polished or refinished.

If you take care with stains, marble must simply be damp mopped in order to stay clean.