How do you deep clean ceramic tile?

[jrsygirl]

Anyone have any tips or tricks? My ceramic tile is disgusting from the dog and dirt that gets tracked in. I mop it 1-2 x a week and it still doesn't get them really clean.

[t3h_wookiee]

No idea, but I'm looking for tips too! We're moving out of our rental house in 3 weeks, and I have to manage to get that tile looking really clean before!

[QPDoll]

A lot of carpet cleaning places will also deep clean tile.

You can also rent a buffer for about $20, and get a pad for tile & grout. I rented a buffer from a vacuum cleaner store.

[Zelda Von Yitz]

You might try TSP (trisodiumphosphate) -- you can get it in liquid or powder form.

Keep it dilute as you can and when you use it, wear rubber gloves; it's caustic.

[LRL]

My favorite way to get the grout looking new is to use a paste mixture of baking soda and bleach and apply to the grout lines. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse it off. It should clean them really well, but I guess you should use this only on white grout. I have no idea what the bleach would do to colored grout! :o

[celina]

LRL
What ratio of bleach to baking soda do you use?

[LRL]

Hmmm. I actually eyeball the ratio. I like the paste to be about as thick as a heavy glue (something like wood glue). Sorry- I don't have a specfic recipe! I hope this helps! :o

[beachlvr]

I use a Magic Eraser on my grout and it works pretty well. To clean the tile, I have to hand scrub it. I've bought every tool on the market and unfortunately, hand, knee, and elbow grease is the only thing that gets it really clean.

I'll never get tile in a house again. I thought it would be easy to take care of, but ours has been a nightmare. It shows every spill and spot and takes me a long time to wash, because most of my downstairs is done in tile.

[jrsygirl]

I finally went to the manufacturer for advice and of course they recommended their cleaner! ;) But I have to say it worked great!
http://www.armstrong.com/htmlassets/floorcare/images/products/PDSCF0160a.jpg
Thanks for all your advice!!

[chrisinluv]

I swear by my steamer! There is no scrubbing involved. Seeing the grout that clean is almost better than sex! ;)

http://store1.yimg.com/I/dmart_1850_46982551

"Eureka 310A 311 Upright Floor Steamer/Cleaner Enviro Steamer In Stock!!

Choose from the Yellow (310A) or the (311) in Silver finish. Both models are identical.

Features

* Kills E.Coli Bacteria And Salmonella
* No Chemicals - Just Add Water
* 800 Watts Of Steam Power
* Lightweight - Only 6.5 Lbs
* Cleans Tile, Linoleum, & Hardwood Floors
* Long Rang Power Cord
* Rest Tray For Hot Steamer
* Upright Floor Steamer
* 1 Wrap-Around Magic Cloth Included
* Made In Italy

Includes:

* 4 washable cloth pads
* Measuring cup
* Funnel
* Preheating/cool down tray"




They run approx. $50.

[Candy]

I second the Enviro Steamer.

I swear by my steamer! There is no scrubbing involved. Seeing the grout that clean is almost better than sex!
Ditto. lol

[karilynne_97]

Our full downstairs (kitchen, livingroom, bathroom & dining room) has tiled floors. We just moved and I swept and moped the tile for the first time yesterday. Took 2 HOURS!!! After I was done, I noticed that there was a film on the floor, and it wasn't clean! I used a basic mop & bucket with Method floor cleaner (thought it would be safer for my 7 month old crawler); apparently they didn't work very well.

Any suggestions on how to clean tile floors? I'm not looking to spend 2 hours every week in cleaning the floors, so weekly tips are welcomed too! Thanks!

[tlew12778]

Yeah... I have tile throughout my apt too and it takes FOREVER to clean. I'm hiring someone. Personally I use whatever is on sale at the store. That or bleach. But I also don't have kids. It doesn't seem to bother the cats though and they lick the floor more than your DC probably ;).

You might want to think about getting a swiffer wetjet. I don't have one but there are ppl who swear by them.

[kiddo]

I use a microfiber mop and hot water for regular cleanings, it gets them really clean and leave no residue.

[Tanya]

We have all tile in our house except for the living and bedrooms. I use a Hoover FloorMate with the Method floor cleaner in the machine and that works well. It doesn't leave a film on my floor, but the FloorMate picks up the water right away. Someone now makes a version of that that's cheaper and I've heard is good--Bissel? The Floormate is about $175. It probably takes me an hour to do about 5 rooms plus a hallway.

[lelee17]

**bumping this up to see if anyone else has any suggestions.**

Some people swiffer, some people mop...tell me what you do to clean your tile floors and what products you use.

Thanks!

[jajacobsen]

I swiffer wet jet my tile and hardwod floors.

[Hello Kitty]

We lived in an apt with all ceramic tile floors. I always sucked them up with the vacuum cleaner to get the obvious dirt first. Then I would mop (not every area every week, mind you ;)) with a sponge mop and a bucket of hot water with either Pine Sol or Fabuloso solution in it. I never had a problem getting it clean.

Every now and then, I would do it by hand with a rag and a scotch-brite pad if I was feeling particularly ambitious.

[JamBray]

We have tile flooring in our entryway and I use the Eureka steam cleaner on it after vacuuming. It works great!

[Kimberland30]

We lived in an apt with all ceramic tile floors. I always sucked them up with the vacuum cleaner to get the obvious dirt first. Then I would mop (not every area every week, mind you ;)) with a sponge mop and a bucket of hot water with either Pine Sol or Fabuloso solution in it. I never had a problem getting it clean.

We have ceramic in our bathroom and entryway and this is what I do as well.

[nyclaura]

I vacuum the area first and then mop with hot water and either Murphy Oil soap or Pinesol. Neither have ever left a residue for me.

I vacuum it around once a week and mop every 2.

[jajacobsen]

I vacuum once or twice per week followed by swiffer wet jet. This works pretty well.

[Heidi9771]

I swiffer wet jet my tile and hardwod floors.

Me too! I have the swiffer wet jet, as well as the swiffer sweep & vac. I have all hardwood and tile in my house. No carpet except for area rugs.

Invest in the swiffers- the sweep and vac to get the debris, and the wetjet to clean and disinfect. I feel the swiffer sweep and vac is better than a regular vac because it is only a few pounds, plugs into the wall, and it takes just seconds. The BEST inventions ever.

[flygirl]

What about bleach on ceramic tile? I vacuum at least 2x day (pet hair, mostly) & use the Swiffer Wet Jet, but since the tiles are grooved, I've noticed that the SWJ misses a lot of stuff that gets stuck in grooves as well as the grout, partially because it simply doesn't reach into them, and partially because the solution isn't strong enough to disolve the dirt. My friend across the street (same tile) just started using a diluted bleach/dish soap and she says it works well.

However, when we first moved in I accidentally spilled bleach on the tile in the laundry room, and it very obviously bleached the tile & grout. :rolleyes: Of course, that was full strength. Does anyone else have experience using a bleach solution on a regular basis?

[tlew12778]

I bought a wetjet and it's sitting in my closet. That thing just does not get the floor clean well enough for me. It's like a quick wipe down, but not a deep clean. A mop won't even really get into the grooves of your ceramic tiles. It's all about elbow grease there. I think some people use a bleach pen although I just use a sponge and diluted bleach.