Making the decision to lay ceramic tile in your home or bathroom is like a two-way street. On the one hand, it is beautiful, durable and very practical. It comes in seemingly unlimited colors, patterns, and designs. There is a style and texture for every possible taste and room design. But the decision to install ceramic tile will be a way of life for you, as you have inherited endless cleaning work to keep that tile floor beautiful.
I have worked for a ceramic tile manufacturer for over 30 years and have seen beautiful ceramic patterns and designs created over the years. And I often thought about how great they would look in my house and bathroom. So I finally gave in and had some installed in my bathroom. It looked absolutely gorgeous, but I’m still debating if it was the right decision as I do my weekly cleaning job in the bathroom.
I’d like to share with you some of the cleaning tips I’ve learned over the years. Using a broom and sweeping your tile floor regularly helps keep dirt loose and out of the pattern and grout lines, making cleanup easier afterward. Never use abrasive or appliance cleaners to clean your tile floor such as steel wool, scouring powder, bleach, or ammonia. Some people are under the impression that ceramic tile will not chip or stain. Well, you can, try to avoid moving extremely heavy objects on your ceramic floor and if you spill liquid or other substances on the floor, clean it up immediately as it will stain, especially light-colored grout.
Cleaning your tile floor is actually a three-step process. The first step is to clean the floor with a mild, safe all-purpose cleaner. I prefer cleaning supplies from tile armor products like SunBrite or Super Green. These cleaning products are biodegradable and do not contain harmful solvents. And they are also Eco-Friendly. Apply these cleaners with a soft sponge or mop. And apply lots of old fashioned elbow grease. The second step is to prepare the tile to be sealed. Again I use Pro Restore Grout and Tile Restorer from Tile Armor. This product does not contain harmful solvents or change the color of tile or grout. Many people skip this step, but it is very important to prep the tile for sealing before doing so, or else you will seal the dirt in and your floor will look dirty forever. The third step is to seal the ceramic tile floor. It is recommended to seal your floor every 6 months or twice a year. Ceramic tile floor sealer is not an inexpensive product, but a good product is worth paying a little more for if you want your ceramic tile to look good for years to come. Again I recommend Tile Armor’s Super Seal WB product. It is easy to use, clean and maintain. It also lasts long, doesn’t build up, and dries invisible.
Getting these weekly and semi-annual projects done will pay off when you get all those compliments about how beautiful your ceramic tile floors look. Thinking back, I think it was worth buying that ceramic tile after all.