Ceramic tile flooring has a lot going for it, including beautiful appearance and ease of maintenance. But as with all flooring, care is needed to make sure it lasts a long time. Fortunately, ceramic tile floors are one of the easiest floors to care for and here are some suggestions to help you do just that.
Actually, the best form of care is prevention and constant attention. Of course, the floors will get dirty from time to time no matter what you do. And ceramic floors are no exception. But there are a few things you can do to minimize the frequency of heavy cleaning work on your ceramic tile floor.
The first is to practice constant awareness by cleaning up any spills on the floor right away. Don’t let them dry out on the floor. Doing so will only attract a lot more dirt to the floor before you finally clean it. Also be sure to sweep and dry mop your tile floor very often. Dirt that cannot stay on the floor for long will not be able to be ground and will become difficult to remove. So be vigilant about protecting the floor by regularly sweeping and mopping.
Another helpful idea that can cut down on a lot of your work and maintenance on a ceramic tile floor is to place mats in strategic places that are good at catching dirt from people’s shoe soles before they enter the room. It’s much easier to clean these mats from time to time than it is to have to sweep and mop the entire ceramic tile floor more often. The mats also don’t show as much dirt as the floor.
But despite all your efforts, from time to time you will need to do a deep cleaning of your ceramic tile floor. It’s probably a good idea to check with the flooring manufacturer’s recommendations on which floor cleaner to use before you begin. There are several all-purpose cleaners on the market that claim to do a great job on ceramic tile floors, but be sure to test them before using them on the entire floor. Another consideration is to make sure your tile cleaner is also compatible with the grout that was used on your ceramic tile floor. Again, your flooring manufacturer can usually help you with the answer to that question as well.
For cleaning, first sweep up all loose dirt with a broom or vacuum. Then mix your cleanser with warm water. Using a soft cotton mop or sponge mop, apply the cleaning solution to the floor. Be careful not to allow the solution to dry on the ceramic tiles, so it’s best to clean one part of the floor at a time and rinse the floor frequently. If the floor is very dirty, you may need to let the solution soak into the floor for a few minutes before mopping or scrubbing it.
If your ceramic tile has a shiny or glossy finish, you may even need to dry it with a soft towel to prevent water spots from appearing as the solution dries.
As you can see, ceramic tile floors are not very difficult to care for under any circumstances, but if you take a few extra precautions and give the floor regular attention, your floor will always look great and require very little maintenance.
