Best Ways to Clean Tile Floors

Tile floors are durable for homeowners. Buying tile floors is a longtime commitment. I purposely selected dark grey tile for our bathroom. I did not want anything shiny, but was looking for low maintenance.

We have all boys, pets, and high traffic. After much research tile appeared to be the most tenacious. Three years later I am still pleased with my choice.

Grouting tile floor is tricky, but if done with a darker color bleaching is not necessary. For us, we chose grey and grey grout. I couldn’t be happier. Spills do not show as much, and in the bathroom they hold up well until the weekly cleaning.

Cleaning of Tile Floors

Cleaning tile floors is easy. Hot water and a microfiber mop. After using a lot of mops the microfiber is my favorite. I like that it is interchangeable, easily washed and does well without chemicals.

Depending on the tile that is chosen it may not be shiny. I did not choose shiny tile because I did not want that hanging over my head.

Shiny floors equal more work. Since we homeschool I need simplicity in my cleaning. Tile floors provided that for one of the biggest jobs in our home.

To clean well, go over the floor twice. I find this one of the best ways to make sure they are clean for the week. It does take an extra few minutes, but well worth it. I have went over floors a third time just to make sure my mop came out clean.

After preparing the floor well with a good mop, I do one final round with a dry swifter. This shines my tile floor a little bit, and if the swifter is clean, then I am done.

Save out one day a week just for floors. Eventually they will get dirty again. The satisfaction that stems from hard work is unexplainable.

Best Ways to Select Tile

Selecting tile is a bit harder. Tons of styles and brands are available. Choosing what works for your home stems from the needs of your home.

Do you want a shiny tile that will require more maintenance? If so, that is ok but don’t pick out a porous tile. Then, dirt will dig into the pours. When this happens it becomes a scrubbing issue to keep shiny.

Possibly to keep it shiny a light coat of sealer will be needed. Not too much because then it will become sticky.

As I finished remodeling my kitchen and it was time to finish the floor I had a list of what I wanted. Before we started our kitchen remodeling project I would write down my thoughts on flooring.

Compiling all of my notes helped me to find that best flooring at a good price.

Dealing with the Texture of Tile

The texture of tile that I wanted was non-porous. I picked out a more flat tile with a darker grey color. This seemed to be the best idea since I have several children with pets in the home.

There are three basic types of ceramic tile: glazed, unglazed and porcelain. Glazed tiles have a finish on them and will be slightly shiny.

Unglazed has a more matte look. Not very shiny. Finally porcelain tile is very shiny, resistant to dirt and holds well to its shine. Porcelain tile is easy to clean.

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