Spring Cleaning – How to Clean your Tiles and Grout
It’s officially spring! And cleaning your bathroom or kitchen tiles is a task that gets left and put off more times than not, they end up waiting for this time of year for their time to shine! You’ve spent time and money planning your space, so don’t let your tiles get dull and tired from a lack of cleaning throughout the year. When you’ve landed upon your perfect bathroom tile idea or kitchen tile idea, it’s time to keep your new tiles looking clean and fresh, lighting up your space as intended. Your tiles will need regular care and cleaning to ensure they’re looking their best, keeping shampoo and oil splashes from dulling their shine. Here’s our guide on how to clean your tiles and grout to avoid exactly that!
If you’re planning on using bathroom cleaner to give your tiles a quick once over every now and then, make sure your tiles have been sealed beforehand to protect them. Most porcelain and ceramic tiles come pre sealed, but be sure to get in touch with our friendly team if you’re not sure!
Wall Tiles
1 – Remove any dust or debris
Before you get started, use a dry cloth to make sure your tiles are completely free from any dust or debris. If you try and do this with a wet cloth, you’ll find the dust just moves around the tile surface, rather than comes away from it.
2 – Wipe your tiles
There are helpful bathroom cleaners on the market today, available commonly in supermarkets, but if you’re not willing to spend much money on these products, it’s possible to achieve the same effect with a simple mix of water, vinegar and baking soda. Mix together vinegar and baking soda in a bowl to form a paste, then dilute this slightly with a small amount of water. Soak this into a sponge and work across your tiles, removing any soap or oily residue from the surface. If you’re using a sponge that feels quite abrasive, make sure you keep the surface soaked in your cleaner to ensure you don’t scratch the face of your tiles. A gentle wiping motion should remove the dirt and grime effectively, without the need to scrub too hard.
3 – Dry your tiles
Leave your solution on the tiles for 10-20 minutes, and then rinse off with clean, warm water. Dry them with an old clean towel, that you’re not too fussed about getting dirty, or a clean dry microfibre cloth.
Floor Tiles
1 – Brush away any dust or debris
Similar to before, before you get started with any products you need to remove any dust or debris from across your floors with a dry brush or vacuum, as if you go straight in with a mop you’ll end up just pushing the dust around the surface of your tiles.
2 – Clean your foor
You can find specialist floor cleaners on the market today that are designed specifically for tiles, we even stock some ourselves! But, if you’re looking for a home solution, the mix from before that uses vinegar and baking powder will work just as great across your floor tiles. For a quick and light clean, dilute the mix with a bit more water and use a mop to work it across the floor. If you need something a bit more targeted for tricky areas, use a thicker solution of vinegar and baking powder, and a sponge, to get on the floor and scrub at those difficult spots. Keep your sponge well loaded with product to prevent scratching the surface of your tiles.
3 – Dry your tiles
Rinse your tiles off with a clean mop and water. To avoid any water marks being left across your floors, grab a dry towel or cloth and run it across your floors to dry them.
If you have a larger tiled floor space that would require much more effort to scrub clean manually, you can use a steam cleaner to make the job a lot easier. They cut through grease and dirt on your floor tiles quickly and easily with not much effort from you. Follow the instructions on steam cleaners carefully before operating to avoid damage to your tiles.
Grout
1 – Wipe the tiles
If it’s the grout that needs cleaning don’t worry, we’re here to help with that too! Wipe the surface across your tiles to once again remove any dust or debris from the surface. This can also highlight your trouble areas that may need a little more attention.
2 – Find an appropriate cleaner
As before with your tiles, there are many cleaners on the market today that are great for removing mould and stains from your grout. Or, as with your wall and floor tiles, there are ways of doing it at home by yourself. Mix together the usual vinegar and baking soda to make a paste, but this time don’t dilute it with water. Use the paste and an old toothbrush to scrub each grout line, paying particular attention to the trouble areas.
If this solution doesn’t quite do the job, you can use a small amount if household bleach on the grout surface, letting it sit for a couple of minutes and then rinsing it off. If working with bleach, be sure to wear gloves and open all the windows and doors to allow for proper ventilation. Don’t use your vinegar and baking soda mix at the same time as your bleach, be sure to rinse the surface first. Also be sure to limit the use of bleach on coloured grout, as this can fade the pigment.
3 – Finishing off
Rinse this completely from your grout lines using clean, warm water. Wipe your tile faces and grout dry with an old towel or a microfibre cloth.
Use these methods regularly to keep your tiles looking and feeling their best all year round. We hope our how to clean tiles and grout guide proved useful, perfect for that spring clean you’ve been putting off! Tag us in pictures of your fresh and sparkling tiles on Instagram, @Wallsandfloors, we love seeing your projects!
