Tips on how to care for your ceramic tile floor

Ceramic tile floors have a lot going for them, including a beautiful appearance and ease of maintenance. But as with all floors, you need to be careful 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 so.

Actually, the best form of care is prevention and constant care. Of course, floors will get dirty from time to time, no matter what you do. And ceramic tile floors are no exception. But there are a few things you can do to minimize the frequency of heavy cleaning jobs 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 on the floor. Doing so will only attract a lot more dirt to the floor before you finally wipe it off. Also be sure to sweep and dry mop your tile floor very often. Dirt that is not allowed to stay on the floor for long cannot be ground and will be difficult to remove. Therefore, be careful to protect the floor by sweeping and mopping regularly.

Another useful idea that can reduce much of your work and maintenance on a ceramic tile floor is placing rugs in strategic locations that are good at catching dirt from the soles of people’s shoes before they enter the room. It is much easier to clean these rugs from time to time than to have to sweep and mop the entire ceramic tile floor more often. The mats do not show as much dirt as the floor.

But despite all your efforts, you will have to do a thorough cleaning of your ceramic tile floor on occasion. It’s probably a good idea to check your 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 first before using them all over the floor. Another consideration is making 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 with the answer to that question as well.

For cleaning, first sweep up all loose dirt with a broom or vacuum it up. 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 is best to do one portion 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 scrubbing or scrubbing it.

If your ceramic tile has a glossy or shiny finish, you may even need to dry it with a soft towel to prevent water stains 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 pay regular attention to the floor, your floor will always look great and need very little maintenance.