In honor of National Tile Day (which was February 23). I wanted to do a blog this week about ceramic and porcelain tile care.
Ceramic and porcelain tile, for the most part, is easy to take care of and easy to clean.
However, over time dirt can get trapped in the grout lines and it can be quite difficult to remove this embedded dirt. Simple damp mopping cleans the surface of the tile, but mopping does not remove the trapped dirt; so what can we do remove this embedded dirt?
Cleaning Grout Lines
If you want to clean and lighten the grout, try the Dual Action Scrub Brush with MDR (Mineral Deposit Remover) or Green Solutions Floor Finish Remover.
Caution: MDR contains an acid and will etch marble, travertine, limestone, and terrazzo.
If this is not a task that you want to take on yourself, you can always call International Stoneworks. to professionally clean your tile floor; we will scrub clean the floor with our Scrub Grit II Brush. This brush is used for the medium to mildly aggressive cleaning of ceramic, porcelain, and quarry tile as well as textured travertine, slate and flagstone. It is also great for grout lines less than 1/2″ in width.
If you have colored grout lines (gray, pink, etc.), we recommend cleaning with TGR (Tile & Grout Restorer) in order to maintain the color of the grout lines.
Caution: TGR contains an acid and will etch marble, travertine, limestone, and terrazzo.
It is possible that after many years, grout lines aren’t just dirty anymore; the embedded dirt has stained the grout. These stains may not come out with scrub cleaning and you may need to call a professional restoration company like International Stoneworks. If this is the case, grout lines can be stained with a sealer/stain. It is a little time consuming, but it’s a less dusty option compared to grout replacement.
Polishing Tiles (Without Wax)
Three words: Tile Glow® System
This system is a natural, non-wax compound for the honing, polishing and restoration of most unglazed ceramic, porcelain and quarry tiles.
The system contains two products: the first is Tile Glow® #1, the honing compound, and the second is Tile Glow® #2, the polishing compound.
This system does not contain hazardous acids or solvents. The Tile Glow® System gives a long lasting finish and natural shine to tiles. Since it’s not a wax or coating, it does not yellow or scuff and it eliminates the need for the constant waxing and stripping of tiles. With the Tile Glow® System, the tile floor will remain polished for a very long time.
Now that you are all caught up on how to take care of your tile floors, enjoy National Tile Day and definitely love those tile floors!
