Cleaning tile is one of life’s most tedious, time consuming jobs. With all that being said it can get easier. If you are cleaning backsplashes in the kitchen, tile in the tub, or the tiled entry ways a few easy tricks of the trade could make the job much easier. The first thing you need to be aware of as a master cleaner is that tile inevitably gets dirty indifferent ways. Determine the root cause of the dirt and scum. It will be easier to pick the tool that will be the most effective if you know what battle you are fighting.
In the kitchen you will often find tile cleaning to be less of a hassle if you spend time throughout the time in the kitchen cleaning up food splatters as they happen. Waiting until the food has become an art form in your kitchen will present many grout and tile cleaning issues. For most kitchens cleaning with a simple mixture of vinegar and water, equal parts, will be sufficient. Spray on the cleaning solution and let it set and the stains should be easy to wipe off. For more stubborn stains a paste of baking soda and water can be applied. It is easier to get the tile and grout clean scrubbing in small circles rather than spreading the dirt around moving the debris about within the area using an up and down motion. Rinse the areas that you are cleaning with a straight water mixture and sop up the extra moisture with a clean sponge.
In the bathroom soap scum is a little bit harder to remove from between the grout and to get off the tiles. You can start by using household cleaners for soap scum removal. Most likely if the scum is visible you will need to use something a little bit stronger but we will discuss this in a minute. Household cleaners are available for purchase at most stores. Most over the counter cleaners that clean tile and grout will also help eliminate the buildup of mold and mildew in bathrooms. Another trick is to use a steam cleaner before actually using cleaning products. The steam will help to loosen some of the caked on grime allowing the products to get a better handle on the stains.
If you find that your cleaners are not getting the tiles and grout within your home as clean as you would like them to be go ahead and try a commercial grade cleaner. Commercial cleaners contain ingredients that are harsh to breathe in. You will want to make sure that you are using gloves and an air filtration masking when using these chemicals. If you would like to use a more natural solution that is equally strong try hydrogen peroxide or chlorine bleach. Make sure you dilute these chemicals thoroughly before starting the cleaning process. You will also want to make sure you are reading all labels to ensure that you don’t ruin your tile or grout sealants.
The final process in cleaning tile and grout to make it look fresh and new is to apply a few coats of sealer. Sealer enables your grout to have a defense against stains. Once your tile and grout is clean keep up on routine cleanings. This will avoid having to spend hours removing stains that have set in. Also, it is important to maintain the grout by continuing to apply a sealer once a year. Add grout sealing to your list during spring cleaning so that you can avoid staining.