Tile Cleaning
Every month I receive a fair number of requests for help and advice on the cleaning of floor tiles. It is amazing, and perhaps somewhat alarming to find the same old problems occurring over and over again:
1. General Cleaning
2. Grout haze left on the surface of the tiles
3. Tiles appear dull and generally grubby after a period of time and are proving difficult to clean
4. Tiles appear clean enough but the grout joints remain dark, dirty or patchy.
Although this issue is really for the customer, not the tiler, I thought it might be useful to write a “back-to-basics” article covering some basic principles of cleaning, after all, who better to advise the customer on how to care for their new floor than the person who just installed it? The following “rule of thumb” while not 100% foolproof, will provide a good starting point:
* For general cleaning use a safe, neutral detergent
* For mineral type deposits such as cement, grout, plaster, rust etc - use an acid based cleaner (except on acid sensitive surfaces such as polished marble or limestone).
* For organic, oil or grease based dirt and general grime, use an alkaline cleaner.
So, for the grout haze problem we would use an acid based cleaner to break down the cement and facilitate the removal of the haze.
A note on acid cleaners: I am still amazed at the number of contractors who appear happy to subject new tiling to the strongest brick cleaning acid they can find. Often this results in greater problems including more grout residue on the surface and “white” joints, or even grout missing from the joint. Brick acids are often based on hydrochloric acid. They are designed to break down large deposits of mortar and so will keep working for some time. All acids can lighten or etch grout but brick acids can cause considerable damage. The most appropriate cleaners for removing what is essentially a very thin film of cement residue are cleaners based on the milder, phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid is much safer, as it is neutralised or “spent” fairly quickly and thus it stops working before it can cause too much harm to the joint.
For scenarios 3 and 4 we need to look to an alkaline cleaner. For the effective removal of grease and grime or a build up of wax or other polishes it is a good idea to use warm water with a good alkaline detergent such as Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner.
Having decided what solution to use there are two other vitally important factors to remember: Dwell Time and Rinsing. Dwell time simply refers to the amount of time the cleaning chemical is allowed to sit and work on the contaminant before being scrubbed or agitated.
During this time the cleaning solution starts to break down the dirt chemically. If insufficient dwell time is allowed the cleaner may not provide the results it is capable of.
Rinsing; this is perhaps the single most important (yet most often overlooked) part of any cleaning activity. Once a detergent has done its job, the dirt is now broken down and floating in suspension above the surface of the tile. If the floor is not adequately rinsed, were does the dirt go? Answer, straight back on the floor along with the added “contaminant” of detergent residue. It is critical to the success of cleaning that the rinse-water is changed frequently, just how frequently depends on the circumstances but basically as soon as it is saturated. Other wise we cease cleaning and engage in that all too familiar pass-time of “pushing dirt around the floor”
Having successfully cleaned the floor it is then useful to adopt the following 4 ” step maintenance regime:
1. Sweep or vacuum the floor regularly to keep it free of potentially harmful grit and loose debris
2. Mop up localised, isolated spillages straight away with absorbent paper towels
3. For routine washing (daily, weekly or as required) use a safe, neutral cleaner such as Concentrated Tile Cleaner
4. For periodic intensive cleaning use an alkaline detergent such as Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner. (Note; some surface sealers may require re-application as a result of using strong alkaline cleaners)
Although some specific problems may require specialised solutions, the basics, as detailed above should hold true more often than not.