Tile floors are among the longest lasting and the easiest to care for when they are cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. No need to worry about muddy shoes, stains, spills or accidents caused by your beloved pet. Plus with tile floors there is no need to worry about spills penetrating under the tile and causing mold or other types of damage compared to carpet. All you will need is an absorbent cloth to clean and dry up the mess. However, it is not recommended that you use cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals because they can shorten the life of your tile floors.
A tile floor can last up 15 years that is about 8 to 10 years longer compared to the life of carpeted floors. Not mention that when one has carpet floors a lot more work goes into cleaning and maintaining the carpet clean. Spills are a very big concern because of stains. Grape juice or any other type of colored liquid can reap havoc on carpets because there is always the worry of a permanent stains. But with tile floors all one has to do is use a mop or a cloth to pick up the liquid and mop over it.
These days no one has time to run the vacuum cleaner and spot clean on top of vacuuming. So just imagine how much time you could be saving by having a tile floor. When it’s time to clean or care for a tile floor, all you will need is a broom or a dust broom and a mop. Eliminating your vacuum cleaner with all of its attachments and other products needed to spot clean and remove stains. With tile floors all one has to do to ensure it will last the entire lifetime is, dry mop / sweep and damp mop at least once per week. Of course floors with a lot of foot traffic will need to cleaned two-three times per week depending on the traffic. Sweeping and mopping will only take between 10 to 20 minutes but once your done your floors will look as good as new. Can you carpet look as good as new after vacuuming?
Here is how to ensure you are not purchasing floor cleaners that may contain harsh chemicals that will ruin or shorten the life of your floors. Always try to purchase cleaning solutions that contain a neutral pH level, especially on stone floors. Stone floors tend to be more absorbent than porcelain or any other type of tile floor. However, you can’t find cleaners with a neutral pH level try stay within a 8 to 10 pH level to ensure they breakdown and they don’t ruin you beautiful tile floors.
Things to do to Prevent Maintenance:
- Area Rugs
- Runners for Hallways
- Rugs at all Entrances
- Sweep and Mop on a Regular Basis
- Seal Your Floors
- Don’t use Harsh or Abrasive Chemicals
- Don’t use Steel Wool or Powders to Clean Tile Floors
- Don’t use Ammonia or Bleach Based Cleaning Solutions
Lastly, always ensure that caulk is in place intact in between the moldings and floorboards to prevent water from penetrating into your walls. By ensuring that the caulking is in place will reduce and may prevent any subsurface damage. Always clean up all spills instantly to prevent any possible stains and place rubber tips on all furniture that comes in contact with your tile floors to prevent scratches. Caring for your tile floors carefully and on a regular basis will keep your floors looking their best for their entire lifetime.