When it comes to the various types of tiles that are available for use on your floors, porcelain tiles offer a very hard-wearing and resilient surface that is suitable for any room in the house. Made of a different variety of materials to the more commonly used ceramic tiles, they are a more solid tile that is not only stronger but also absorbs less moisture. This means that the resulting tiles are easier to look after and more resistant to stains.
Porcelain tiles with a smooth glazed surface are the most straightforward to clean, with a bit of care both unglazed and textured tiles can also be maintained with little difficulty.
Day to day cleaning
If you want to keep your porcelain floor tiles looking their best, then it is worth cleaning them regularly, daily if you can. Use a soft bristled brush to sweep up any loose dust and bits from the floor, or use a vacuum cleaner to carefully remove any debris. If you have textured porcelain tiles it is best to sweep in two direction to make sure you get all the little bits up.
Mopping with warm water, and no products, should be enough to keep your tiles clean from day to day mess.
If you want to reduce the amount of dirt being trekked over the floor, use a mat just inside your door to help trap some of the grit before it reaches you tiles.
Deeper cleaning
If you have ground in dirt on your tiles, then you may need to do more than brush to get it off. Use a small soft bristled scrubbing brush and gently work in a figure of eight pattern over the problem area, this should remove the ground in bits and then you can brush and mop as normal.
Every couple of weeks, or once a week if your porcelain tiled floor is in a high traffic area mop with a small amount of mild detergent mixed with warm water. Do not let the water containing detergent dry on the floor and make sure that you mop with clean water afterwards to remove all residue for the detergent This will also help to reduce unsightly water spots.
If you need to remove a stain from your tiles use a product recommended by the manufacturer and only clean the affected area, make sure you rinse well with clean water to remove all trace of the chemicals.
What not to use
· Do not use chemical cleaners on your floor unless they are recommended for use on porcelain tiles and then only use them sparingly.
· Do not use and products containing bleach; it could alter the colour of your tiles
· Do not use oil based detergents or wax cleaners
If you are in any doubt about how to care for your porcelain floor tiles , then speak to the supplier and see what they recommend using.
Ron