How to Polish Tile Floors?

Tiles are popular in flooring for commercial and domestic buildings. Tile floors have a shiny and elegant appearance making interior spaces beautiful. They are easy to clean and maintain, but when neglected, this flooring becomes dull and grimy.

Polishing tile floors is a crucial part of maintenance that restores their shiny appearance and adds longevity to your tile floor. You can either clean your tile floor using either commercial polishing or natural products, depending on your personal preference.

 

How to Polish Ceramic Tile and Porcelain Tiles?

It is good to polish your floor tiles to maintain a clean floor and inviting look, especially after a steam cleaning. There are different types of tiles like marble and stone tiles. The main differences between marble tiles and stone times are:

• Marble tiles come in lighter colors than stone tiles.
• Marble tiles need more maintenance than stone tiles.
• Stone tiles are best for the kitchen and bathrooms; white marble tiles are better for the living room.

To buff your tiles, some of the tips you should always observe are:

• Unclog shower heads always
• Use bicarbonate soda to clean the bathroom surface

To clean different types of tiles, there are other methods required. The processes for each tile are highlighted below:

• Ceramic Tiles

Polishing ceramic tiles is an easy task that does not cost much money. You’ll need materials like vinegar, club soda, mops, rags, and buckets.

You need to make a mixture of vinegar and warm water, pour the mixture into the bucket and then add the club soda. Then you dip your mop in the mix to clean the ceramic tile. Use a clean rag to wipe down the tile and your, and you’ll have a shiny tile.

• Porcelain Tiles

To polish porcelain tiles, you’ll need additional materials like a soft-bristled toothbrush, dish soap, microfiber cloth, and hydrochloric acid.

First, put some dish soap in water, put the toothbrush in the mixture, and scrub the tile. After that, use a wet cloth to clean the residue from the scrub. You can then prepare a vinegar mixture to clean it if the stain persists before using the microfiber cloth to clean it off.

 

How to Make Your Tile Grout and Edges White Again?

Grouts are more prone to stains, and unlike tile surfaces, buffing cannot whiten grouts. Most bathroom products we use, like shampoos, contribute a lot to changing the color of grouts.

The best thing you can do is choose a grout color that is not white, but if you insist on white, there is a way to clean it. There are different methods to clean grouts, but it is best to always start with easy techniques.

The easy methods are:

• Scrubbing with warm water
• Scrubbing with whitening toothpaste

Other methods are:

• Spraying with vinegar solution
• Washing with bicarbonate soda and vinegar
• Cleaning with bleach

The easiest and quick way is that buy a steam mop to clean the tiles and grout in bathroom.

 

What to Remember When Polishing Tiles in Bathrooms?

There are some things you should always keep in mind when polishing your bathroom. Some of the points are:

You can clean bathroom wall tiles by increasing your tap water temperature then open the tap for the water to rush. Then close the bathroom door, allow the steam to circulate for 20 mins, and then use a microfiber cloth to wipe the walls clean.

Bathroom tiles are not easy to Polish because you need to clean some residues like soap residues and other dirt peculiar to the bathroom.

The best way is to spray the floor and the tiles with surface cleaner and leave it for 20 mins to settle. After 20 minutes, the tiles would be easy to wipe, and that’s when you can wipe them with a clean cloth.

After cleaning the dirt residues, the best way to proceed is by using a steam cleaner.

 

What Can I Use to Polish Tile Floors?

1. Vinegar Solution

A vinegar solution is an effective natural cleaning product for removing soil and disinfecting tile floors. When you clean your tile flooring using a vinegar solution, it polishes it, giving it a shiny appearance and leaving behind a natural scent that makes your house smell fresh. The following are the steps on how to clean tile flooring using a vinegar solution.

• Prepare the vinegar solution- Mix ½ cup of white vinegar with two gallons of warm water in a mop bucket.
• Clean thoroughly- Dip a mop in the vinegar solution and wring out excess water. Move your mop in forth and backward motions to attain a thorough cleaning and remove all dirt.
• Rinse the floor- once you have rubbed and removed all dirt and stains on the floor, rinse the surface with cold water.
• Dry the tile floor- Use a clean microfiber cloth to mop the floor and remove all the moisture.

 

2. Soapy Water

You can use a mixture of warm water and soap to polish your tile floors. To make the solution, add soap detergents to a mop bucket with warm water and mix thoroughly. Use the following procedure to clean your floor:

• Dip the mop on the soap detergent and squeeze out excess water before using it on the tile floor.
• Mop the floor thoroughly and replace the solution when it is dirty to prevent leaving behind nasty streaks.
• In case of stains, use a soft brush to scrub them gently.
• Rinse the floor with clean water and dry it completely

 

3. Baking Soda Paste

Baking soda, commonly known as sodium bicarbonate, is an effective natural tile polish. It removes tough stains and dirt from the tile floor, rejuvenating its appearance. It is the best cleaning solution you should consider when removing grease stains in tiles.  The following are the steps to follow when polishing your tile floors using baking soda paste:

• Prepare the paste-Mix a ¼ cup of baking soda with 2 gallons of warm water in a mop bucket. For a more effective result, you can add a /4 cup of vinegar. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to form a paste
• Cleaning- clean your tile floor with the baking soda paste and leave it to sit on the surface for at least 10 minutes.
• Rinse- rinse the tiles with clean water to remove the paste residue on the surface.
• Dry-take a soft dry cloth or mop to remove excess moisture on the floor.

 

4. Ammonia-water Solution

It is one of the best cleaners you can use to remove stains and polish your tile floor. It restores the shiny appearance of the flooring, leaving it very appealing. Follow the following procedure.

• Make the solution- mix warm water and a little bit of ammonia in a mop bucket.
• Clean- soak a mop in the ammonia solution and wring out excess water. Mop the tiles thoroughly to remove dirt and stains. For tough stains, you can dip a soft cloth to the solution and scrub the surface gently.
• Rinse- rinse the surface with clean water and dry the floor using a soft dry mop/towel to remove moisture.

 

5. Furniture Polish

Using furniture polish is an effective way of polishing tile floors to achieve a sparkling result. It makes the floor slippery; therefore, once the polish is applied, it should be buffed to dry.  Apply it in the following steps:

• Spray- spray the furniture polish while holding the bottle at least two feet from the floor.
• Buff- take a soft clean cloth and use it to buff the tile until the polish is gone leaving the surface bright and shiny.

 

6.  Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is another natural product you can use to polish your tiles. The following are the steps on how to do it:

• Squeeze lemon juice- squeeze some lemon juice on a clean cloth
• Rub-Rub each tile gently with the damp cloth
• Rinse- After you are done rinse with warm water and dry the floor using dry mop/cloth

 

How to Maintain the Tile Floor After Polishing?

When you polish your tile floor, it regains its bright and shiny appearance that is appealing and makes your room look presentable. The following are some of the methods you can use to maintain your tile floor polish.

One of the best ways of maintaining your tiles shine and polish is by keeping it clean. Sweeping or vacuuming your floor will remove dirt and debris that build up, causing your tile floor to lose their luster.

When the dust is left to lie on the tiles floor for long periods, they smash into the tiles turning into grimy stains.

If you need a sweeper, click here to check.

If you need a multifunctional vacuum cleaner, click here to check.

In addition to sweeping and vacuuming, mopping the tile floor is crucial to maintain its polish. For low traffic floors that are less dirty, you can use a damp mop to do the cleaning. Also, you can consider a dry mop for an easy clean.

To keep your tile flooring polished and without any deep stains, you should wipe out spills or stains quickly. When spills sit on the tile floor for long, it quickly soaks and stains your stain. They also cause the surface to be sticky and attract more dirt and dust to adhere to your tile floor.

 

FAQs

Does vinegar shine tile floors?

Vinegar is a natural material for cleaning tiles. It is one of the most efficient materials used to clean tiles and make them shiny. It is also affordable.

How often should I polish my tile floor?

On average, it is recommended that tile floors should be cleaned at least once every 1 to 4 months. Intensive cleaning of tiles is not meant to be done too frequently to maintain their shine for a longer time.

 

Conclusion

Tiles are the most popular flooring in many domestic and commercial buildings. They are easy to clean and maintain. However, if not taken care of, tiles lose their luster and are subjected to deep stains.

There are several cleaning solutions you can use to clean and polish your tile floor. You can either use commercial polishing products or natural products to polish your tile and spark clean.