Porcelain Tiles - Easy Cleaning and Maintenance

Porcelain Tiles - Easy Cleaning and Maintenance

We are proud of our selection of high quality porcelain tiles for renovators and construction contractors, here in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding.  Residential or commercial, porcelain tiles are an excellent choice when you want quality, durability, affordability, and easy maintenance / cleaning.  Let’s go over some things you should keep in mind when it comes to maintaining and cleaning porcelain flooring tiles.

Tips when Cleaning and Maintaining Porcelain Tiles 

The great thing about porcelain flooring tiles is that they offer a hard, durable wearing surface.  Their physical makeup makes them tougher than other flooring types, including other types of tiles.  Being denser in composition means they are less susceptible to absorbing moisture and stains.  Therefore, they are generally easier to clean and maintain.  Consider some of these steps when cleaning porcelain floor tiles.

Use a Dry Mop or Vacuum First

Rather than wetting the surface and mixing in any accumulated dust or debris, you should use a dry mop to gather up the loose materials.  Alternatively you can also vacuum - it’s safe and will not impact the surface of your porcelain tiles.  We recommend the dry mop approach versus a broom; this offers better protection for the tile surface. 

Avoid Corrosive Materials When Cleaning Porcelain Tiles

Bleach-based cleaners, acids, or any other potentially corrosive material, such as ammonia, should be avoided when cleaning a porcelain tile floor surface.  These types of cleaners can damage both the tile surface and the grout between tiles.  The end result is that the tiles will begin to be more water-absorptive.  Weakened grout will start to deteriorate allowing moisture to penetrate, which can impact adhesion.

 Water and mild detergent is basically all you need to keep your porcelain tiles clean and sparkling.

 Get Rid of the Detergent on the Cleaned Porcelain Surface 

You want to minimize the chance of leaving a detergent film on the surface of your porcelain tile floor.  You should only be using a slight concentration with your warm water.  While the cleaned surface is still damp - your water-detergent solution should only stay on the porcelain surface for about five minutes - rinse the entire surface again with clean, warm water only.  This ensures there won’t be any detergent stains, streaks, or water spots on the newly cleaned surface.

Removing Stains on Porcelain Tile Floors 

Not all stains are created equal.  That means there is no one cleaning solution for stains on porcelain tile floors.  It will depend on the nature of the stain.  Whatever stain removal you do, keep it localized to the area in question, rather than the entire floor surface.  Very frequently, hot water may be all you need to lift, loosen, or melt away the stain material.  Follow that up with a clean water rinse of the affected area.  Other types of stains may require slightly more aggressive cleaning materials. 

Removing Stubborn Stains on a Porcelain Tile Floor

Tougher stains may require some sort of solvent based cleaning solution or product. The best advice here is to: 

• Keep the stain removal product limited to the stain area only, rather than the entire floor surface 
  
  
• Avoid contact with grout when removing tough stains on porcelain tiles.  The cleaning material could damage or weaken it. 

Always try to refer to the cleaning instructions that go with stuff that got on your porcelain tile. They will offer the best advice on how to properly remove the stain. 

We hope this summary helps with cleaning and maintenance of porcelain tile flooring.  NextFloors is your construction and renovation materials resource in the Greater Toronto Area.  Contact us with any questions you have regarding porcelain flooring tile, or any other construction or renovation product - we are more than happy to help.