How To Clean Tile Floors

Are you tired of cleaning tile floors only to have them look dirty or dull within days? You are probably using too much soap or the wrong soap altogether. While commercial cleaners are effective, their recommended amount is often too much for most floors. That soap then dries on the tile, leaving a hazy film that actually attracts dirt and dust. The best way to clean tile floors is with vinegar, water, and just a little dish soap. These steps explain how to clean tile floors and keep them looking great for weeks.

What Is the Best Way To Clean Tile Floors?

Gather Supplies

Before you can clean ceramic tile floors, you need to gather a few supplies. You will need a vacuum or a broom and dustpan to remove dirt and debris.

A plastic scraper or putty knife is helpful for removing stuck-on residue and heavy grime. You also need a small bowl and either a small scrub brush or an old toothbrush to clean the grout. While you can use specialty grout cleaner, regular vinegar is just as effective.

To clean the tile, you need a tile cleaner, a bucket, and a mop. The best tile floor cleaner is equal parts warm water and white vinegar, with just a few drops of liquid dish soap.

You can use commercial products instead, but they are usually less effective and more expensive than DIY vinegar solutions.

Although not necessary, a box fan will speed up drying. A microfiber cloth is great at buffing the tile and keeping it looking great for weeks to come.

Rubber gloves will prevent the vinegar from drying out or irritating your hands while cleaning. A large bath towel can save your knees when you are kneeling down.

Clear the Room

While not necessarily cleaning, emptying the room will make cleaning the floor easier and faster. Remove everything that isn’t secured to the floor or wall, from garbage cans and step stools to shelves and furniture.

Remove Dirt and Dust

Once the room is empty, clean dirt and dust with either a vacuum cleaner or a broom and dustpan. When using a vacuum, use the bare floor setting to remove large debris. Then go over the floor again on the low pile setting. The brushes on the vacuum will help scrub the dirt off the tile.

If you are using a broom, start in one corner of the room and work across the room to the diagonal corner. For the best results, start in one of the other two corners and repeat the process. When you are finished, you should have started or finished sweeping in all four corners of the room.

Scrape Up Residue

Next, check the floor for stuck-on residue, stubborn stains, and other grime. Mopping might clean up some residue, but it actually spreads it around most of the time.

Instead, use a plastic scraper or putty knife to remove it from the tile. You can even use an old credit card or hotel keycard if you do not have a scraper.

After scraping up the residue, use either a vacuum or a broom and dustpan to remove the grime.

For stubborn residue and stains, use a teaspoon each of vinegar and baking soda. Let the solution foam out, then scrub the stain with a brush until clean.

Scrub Grout Lines

Pour a cup of white vinegar into a small bowl, then use a small scrub brush to clean the tile grout. Dib the brush into the vinegar, then scrub the grout in small circles to clean out the dirt.

This is often the most labor-intensive step in cleaning tile floors. You can save your knees from the hard tile surface by putting a folded towel on the floor. This also makes scooting around the room easier too.

The best way to keep grout looking great without too much effort is to break up the cleaning. Start by cleaning the grout in high-traffic areas, like around sinks, stoves, or toilets. Then spot clean stained areas.

The real time-saving trick is only to clean a few tiles every time you clean your floor. Depending on the size of the room, divide it into four to eight sections and only deep clean the grout in one section at a time.

As long as you wipe up messes regularly and clean high-traffic sections, your grout will look great with minimum effort. Your knees and back will thank you.

Clean Your Mop

Another pro tip for keeping tile floors clean longer is to clean your mop before you clean floors. Wet mops hold onto all sorts of dirt and debris. In contrast, cleaning a dry mop is extremely easy.

Take the mop outside and shake it out. Then prop the mop against the side of your house with the mop head up in the air.

Run your fingers through the strands of the mop to check for stuck-on grime. If you cannot pull the dirt and debris out of the mop, just cut away those strands.

Clean With Vinegar and Dish Soap

Fill a bucket with equal parts warm water and vinegar. Then added two to three drops of dish soap and use the mop to mix the cleaning solution. While this may not seem like enough soap, it’s more than enough to kill germs and bacteria and keep your floor looking sparkling.

Soak the mop in the solution, then wring it out until it’s barely damp. Start in one corner of the room and scrub the tile with the mop. Work across the floor in one row, then back in another row before rinsing. Repeat this process until the entire floor is clean.

Let It Dry

After cleaning your tile floor, let it dry completely. Air drying usually takes several hours, but you can use a large box fan to speed up the process.

As long as it is a warm, sunny day, you can also open windows and doors. This will improve airflow and promote evaporation.

Another benefit of using a vinegar solution is that it evaporates faster than water.

Buff the Floor

Lastly, buff the floors with a soft microfiber cloth. Although an optional step, it will help keep tile floors clean longer. It also prevents water spots that make your floors look dull.

While it may seem unnecessary, this leaves a fine dish soap film on the tile that actually resists grease, dirt, and other grime. Your tile will look clean longer, which means less floor cleaning overall.

Buff in a circular motion, working across the entire floor. Buff each spot for three to five rotations before moving on. Over-buffing can actually remove the film entirely, ruining the benefits entirely.

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