How to Clean and Maintain Porcelain Tiled Floors
Porcelain is another great flooring option because of its durability and will look beautiful and Porcelain tiles makes a great floor as they are highly durable. They will look beautiful for years if maintained regularly and properly.
Due to recent technological advancements in the tile manufacturing industry, porcelain tiles are looking more and more unique, some even having the look of natural stone and that of finished timber floors. One of the main attributes of porcelain tiles are they are fully vitrified and have very high resistance to absorbing liquids that can potentially penetrate and stain them. This alone has probably contributed to its popularity among homeowners back then and even until this present day. What more, it can be easily cleaned and refreshed.
As mentioned earlier, porcelain tiles are factory produced, vitrified and are usually very dense. This makes it a hardy surface for both internal and external use and are placed under the category of low maintenance surface.
The steps below will guide you on how to clean and care for porcelain tiles regardless of its surface finish. Their common finishes are: textured, honed, and polished,
The process of laying porcelain tiles often uses a blend of cement sand mortar or standard adhesives to place them and will need to be grouted after a day or two. This process leave the surface in need of an initial clean or also known as builders clean. During the initial cleaning process, a great deal of construction dirt, grout haze, cement residue, adhesive, etc. will get released leaving the surface ready for aftercare and regular maintenance. Sadly this cleaning task is often left undone or overlooked after the installation.
To complete this task well, the product used has to be an acidic based cleaner. We recommend the use of Lithofin KF Cement Residue Remover. It’s special phosphoric acid based formula makes it easy to use, non fuming and gentle to the tiles. It is an imported product that will see you trouble free. Acid cleaning essentially should be done just once and never repeated over the surface lifespan.
Porcelain tiles are one of the easiest floors to manage. To upkeep the floors and having them looking in excellent condition will certainly require regular maintenance. Dry vacuuming your tiled flooring twice a week is a good place to start. Then put into schedule mopping of the floors regularly using Lithofin KF Vitra-Clean along with a suitable microfibre mop. This is tantamount and will ensure that the tile surface and grout remain clean at all times.
Porcelain tiles are known to be resistant to absorption with a rate of 0.5%, however, it is still possible for its surface to stain and this is mainly due to the poorer quality tiles we see arriving into the marketplace especially from China. These surface will need sealing with a nano particle penetrating sealer. The ideal product would be Lithofin KF Stain-Stop and it is best done after 24 hours from performing the initial clean up.
The neglect of regular maintenance will see dirt and grime get embedded in the surface and grout and regular products will no longer be effective to break down these heavily soiled surfaces. Therefore a periodic strong cleaning product will be required. Lithofin KF Intensive-Cleaner being alkaline will take on this task by softening and emulsifying all dirt particles. Mechanical tools to agitate the surface i.e. scouring pads, brushes, etc..during this periodic task is necessary.
Prevention and Safety Measures
How to keep your porcelain tiled floors damage free?
- Do not use ammonia or cleaners that contains bleach, acid and other harsh chemical products when cleaning your porcelain tiled floors. Acid and ammonia based cleaners may change the color of the grout and can cause unwanted harm.
- Do not use wax based cleaners or to wax the floors directly. This will make the surface slippery. Avoid the use of topical sealants as they should not be applied over these type of surfaces.
- Place floormats on outdoor entrances and at all entry or exit points to prevent our shoes from bringing in grit which can cause abrasion and ruin your floors.
- Never use abrasive cleaning products or abrasive pads over porcelain surfaces unless they have a rough finish.
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