How to maintain your tiles?

Tiles are a widely used flooring and wall accessory that is seen in almost all houses. It is used for flooring of all kinds of rooms and for side walls of the bathroom because it is water proof. They are strong and sturdy and that makes them durable and long lasting. They are available in a huge variety of designs and colors and patterns that it gets really difficult to choose one out of the many beautiful available designs. It can always be shortlisted according to the color that complements the rest of the house. They come in the following forms – ceramic tiles, glazed tiles, unglazed tiles, polished cement tiles, glass type mosaic tiles, ceramic type mosaic tiles, terrazzo mosaic, designer cement concrete tiles, chequered tiles, silky matt ceramic tiles, Vitrosa cement tiles, wooden cement tiles and so on and so forth.

Tiles enhance the interiors of your house and there is no doubt about it. But to keep them that way one must pay attention to its regular maintenance in the form of routine cleaning. It is essential to sweep a tile floor on a daily basis. Dirt can easily adhere to the surface of the tiles especially if they are textured. This ensures that the dirt doesn’t get settled there and due to regular contact with the sweep fibers they do not cling on to the tiles for long. Use of a vacuum cleaner is also fruitful albeit you use appropriate attachments to the machine that would avoid scratching. It is advisable to use doormats and mats at other places of entry where one can brush off the dirt from the shoes before they step on to the floor.

Ceramic tiled floors should be mopped with a damp cloth regularly using the sponge or typical tile cleaners available in the market. Textured tiles may require slight scrubbing or the use of electric scrubbers or polisher. Use a mild detergent for scrubbing and after you are done rinse it thoroughly with water. This could be followed by wiping it with a dry cloth to make sure there is no soap film on the surface that might make it slippery and incompletely cleaned. Make sure the cleaning or scrubbing products you use are compatible with the type of tiles that comprise your flooring. Use of abrasives is to be avoided and they may include steel wool, scouring powders and other abrasive materials. Similarly, utilizing other tile damaging products like bleach or ammonia based cleaners are to be avoided.

Tile staining should be avoided by immediate cleaning post the spilling of liquids on the tiles. It helps the removal of stains easier as opposed to when removed after a certain period of time. Ceramic tiles are breakable and might get chipped off if one uses stilettos or spike shoes on the floor. So you must avoid any sharp pointy objects coming in direct contact with the floor. Make sure your table, fridge all the other furniture in and around the house that touches the tiled floor is separated from the tiles with a softer rubber like base to avoid scratches. Thus with these small steps you can ensure that your tiles look as good as new for longer durations.

View all Edward Mejia's articles

About the Author:
The author of this article has expertise in finding carpet cleaning maids. The articles on carpet cleaner reveals the author’s knowledge on the same. The author has written many articles on tile cleaning, grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning as well.