How Should You Vacuum & Clean Your Tile Floors: A Step By Step Guide

Tile floors can have a long lifespan if you take good care of them. Part of that caring includes vacuuming the tile floors and how the vacuuming is done. Tile floors are low maintenance compared to other types of flooring since they do not require any labor-intensive work.

The most common kinds of tile floors include porcelain and ceramic, which are easy to maintain. Both types are compatible with almost any type of cleaner or white vinegar.

How Should You Vacuum & Clean Your Tile Floors

Porcelain and ceramic tiles also do not easily lose their shine or scratch. There is a way to correctly vacuum your tile floors depending on the type of tile it is.

This article provides an in-depth guide on how you should vacuum your tile floors by yourself without any professional help. Continue perusing the article for more information.

In this post we will cover:

  1. How Should You Vacuum & Clean Your Tile Floors
  2. Vacuuming & Cleaning Different Tile Floors Types
  3. Cleaning With Vinegar
  4. Are steam cleaners good for tile floors?
  5. How should you disinfect tile floors?
  6. How should you clean tile grout?

How Should You Vacuum & Clean Your Tile Floors: A Step By Step Guide

Step 1: Take off any floor mats or rugs from the tile floors. Give them a good shake outside and then place them on a clean surface so that the tile floors can remain without any obstacles when cleaning.

Step 2: Sweep your tile floors in sections to remove any large debris and dirt. The broom will also be helpful in getting into corners and crevices. Sweep the dirt into a pile on the floor so that it can be easy to vacuum them from tile floors.

Step 3: Take out your vacuum and remove the beater bar, which will scratch the tile flooring if left in place. However, if your vacuum cleaner has a bare floor setting, turn the setting on because it will lift the vacuum cleaner’s beater bar to prevent any scratching and dulling.

Step 4: Start cleaning by dry cleaning, which involves using a vacuum cleaner to clean the tile floors. Vacuum up the piles that you made while sweeping, then run the unit over the whole floor like you would on the carpet.

Remove stubborn debris in grout lines using the attachments of the vacuum cleaner. The combination of vacuuming and sweeping eliminates most of the dust and dirt. Access corners where dirt usually piles up using something that can pick up hair and dust easily, such as a microfiber cloth.

Step 5: Since wet cleaning is also required, proceed to clean the tile floor with warm water and a mop or rag after you finish vacuuming. Run the mop in gentle, even, strokes on the tile floors and ensure that you regularly change the cleaning water.

Step 6: Clean the grout with a cleaner specifically made for it or a mixture of bleach solution. Leave it for a few minutes, then rinse off. Afterward, dry the tile floors with a clean towel to prevent the formation of water spots.

Step 7: Return the mats and rugs on the floor since they are key to maintaining the cleanliness of the tile floors. When floor coverings are put in place at every entry point of the home, both outside and inside, they will pull debris and dirt from shoes.


Vacuuming & Cleaning Different Tile Floors Types

1. Porcelain and ceramic tiles floors: the tiles are quite durable, and a few cleaning hacks can keep the tile floors sparkling for a long time. Begin dry cleaning the loose debris with your vacuum cleaner and regularly vacuum the floors to prevent dulling.

Although ceramic tiles are resistant to dirt, grit and sand can cause their glazed surfaces to dull. Proceed to wet cleaning using a mild detergent and a chamois-type mop or a rag. Use the correct cleaner to remove stains on the tile.

Lastly, remove any soap residue with a non-abrasive cleaner and then dry the tiles with a clean cloth that is free of lint.

2. Natural or stone marble tile floors: the cleaning is nearly the same as for ceramic and porcelain but with a few caveats. Begin by using a soft bristle vacuum cleaner to dry clean the tile floors.

A soft-bristled vacuum cleaner is needed because these types of tile floors tend to scratch more easily than ceramic and porcelain tile floors. For wet cleaning, ensure that the correct type of cleaner is utilized since anything acidic will be harmful.

3. Linoleum and vinyl tile floors: the tiles also require good upkeep when it comes to vacuuming them. Although steam mops will seem an easy way of cleaning the tiles, linoleum and vinyl cannot withstand moisture and extreme heat.

As a result, dry cleaning is appropriate for these types of tile floors. Use a vacuum cleaner to dry clean both linoleum and vinyl. For wet cleaning, avoid abrasive cleaners for vinyl floors since they will scratch the flooring.

Linoleum, on the other hand, requires the usage of a solution specifically designated for the flooring for wet cleaning. A mixture of water and borax can also be used. Additionally, a coat of wax and buff every six months to maintain the shine of the flooring is required.

Just ensure that you remove the beater bar from your vacuum because if you leave it on your vacuum it will scratch the tile floors. If your vacuum cleaner has a bare floor mode setting, then apply the setting before cleaning because it has a similar effect to removing a beater bar.


Cleaning With Vinegar: Step By Step Instructions

Vinegar can be applied to various flooring to clean it, including tile floors. It is safe to use on laminate, ceramic, porcelain, and vinyl tile floors. However, vinegar should be used sparingly. If too much vinegar is applied, it will dissolve the finishes on your tile floors.

Therefore, mix vinegar with water at a ratio of half parts each so that the solution’s dissolving power can be lowered. That will solve the potential problem of the finishes on your tile floor being dissolved. The cleaning instructions are as follows:

1. Fill water into a 4-gallon bucket.

2. Mix two and a half tablespoons of your chosen dish soap with a cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle.

3. Use the spray bottle to spray your tile floors with the white vinegar and dish soap mixture.

4. Use a microfiber padded mop to scrub the tile floors gently to remove dirt. Also, scrub away stuck-on stains using a soft bristle brush.

5. Lastly, rinse your mop after scrubbing the whole floor and then rinse the cleaned floor with clean water.


Cleaning With Water and Vinegar: Step By Step Instructions

An easy way of cleaning your tile floors is with water and vinegar. The instructions are as follows:

1. Fill half of a 4-gallon bucket with warm water and add a cup of white vinegar.

2. Clear any debris or loose dirt from your tile floors. Use a vacuum cleaner or broom to remove any grime and dirt.

3. Use the mixture and mop to mop the tile floors. Pay close attention to areas with stains.


Conclusion

Vacuuming is a common household chore, and while for some it is an everyday task, for others it is something that only has to be done once a week. However, there is a correct way to vacuum and clean when it comes to tile floors.

Every type of tile flooring has unique cleaning and vacuuming needs, but the common thing for all tile floors when vacuuming is that the beater bar of the vacuum cleaner has to be out of the way to prevent scratching and dulling.

Some tile floors require the use of mild cleaning solutions since they are more sensitive, while others can be cleaned with almost every all-purpose cleaning solution. Either way, the goal is to ensure that all types of tile flooring are clean and maintained to ensure their durability.



FAQs

Are steam cleaners good for tile floors?

Steam cleaners are perfect for eliminating dirt and grime from hard surfaces such as tile floors. Tile floors are entirely non-porous, meaning that water cannot be absorbed into the material. Instead, it stays on the top of the tile floors until it evaporates.

Tile floors have grout sealant enclosing them, which makes them waterproof. Steam cleaners clean without any toxic solutions, which makes them perfect for homes with children and pets.

Steam cleaners use expanding water vapor to eliminate dirt and kill bacteria on various surfaces, including tile floors. On tile floors, they can even get rid of caked-on mildew that even scrubbing utensils cannot remove.

In bathrooms and kitchens, tile floors can develop dirt in crevices and around the corners of tile boards. However, a steam cleaner can kill the fungi that lead to the accumulation of dirt, breaking it up so that it can be removed easily with cleaning pads.

Steam cleaners do not damage grout because it is an adhesive that prevents water from penetrating behind the tile line. Therefore, it is safe to clean tile grout with steam. However, when a strong cleaner is used with the steam cleaner, then damage will occur.


How should you disinfect tile floors?

Disinfecting tile floors usually overlaps with cleaning them. However, you will need to clean stained tile floors by disinfecting them.

Begin by moving household items and all furniture out of the way so that you can have a clear working area. Use a lightweight broom to sweep the floor to remove debris and loose dirt.

Start disinfecting the tile floors from the furthest corner and proceed to work backward toward the door using antibacterial wipes.

Pour the disinfecting bleach in a bucket with water to prepare the disinfectant. Use the prepared bleach solution to mop the tile floors.

Give the disinfecting solution five to ten minutes to do its disinfecting job. Afterward, thoroughly rinse the tile floors with warm water to get rid of any leftover chemicals.

Leave the tile floors to air dry for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove the cleaning items and prepare them to be put away.

Move all the household items and furniture that you had earlier moved back to their positions.
Alternatively, you can disinfect your tile floors using electrostatic sprayers or disinfect the floors with UV light.


How should you clean tile grout?

Method 1: Grout is commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms. It’s a type of adhesive that’s used to hold the floor and walls together. Cleaning grout tile without scrubbing is simple. First, use hot water to clean the gout lining.

Then make a cleaning solution of water and vinegar in a spray bottle. That is, the bottle should have half water and half vinegar in it. Spray the solution on dirty grout and leave it there to rest for ten minutes.

Use an electric toothbrush to remove the solution from the tile floors, and when you are done, use hot water to rinse the clean grout.

Method 2: Mix powdered oxygen bleach in a bucket of water as per the directions given on the bottle. The bleach has a compound chemical that is different from chlorine bleach. It is safe and non-toxic.

After mixing, apply the solution to the grout lines with a scrub brush or spray bottle. If the grout is extra dirty, use both application methods. Allow the solution to sit there for 30 minutes. The oxygen ions in the bleach will be effective for six hours.

Once the solution has soaked in, scrub the grout lines with an old toothbrush or a stiff nylon brush. Clean a small area at a time and, after cleaning, rinse with fresh water and use a clean cloth to dry. Keep the grout clean with a grout sealant.


How Should You Vacuum & Clean Your Tile Floors