Simple Apartment Cleaning Tips: Ceramic Tile Floors

Apartment cleaning does not have to be a difficult task. Depending on the materials and size of the surface or item you intend to clean, there are tips that can make your chore easier and faster. Ceramic floors are quite simple to clean, especially if you include the following tips in the process.

Use the Mop

Believe it or not, a simple rag mop is the best tool to use to clean ceramic floors. Such mops are available at any grocery or home improvement store and usually cost less than ten dollars each. It is actually best to have two mops, one to soap your floor and one to rinse. Mops made of other materials, such as sponges, will work, but may leave a residue or become infested with bacteria and germs because they do not dry as well.

Do a Double Take

For a properly cleaned floor with no residue it is essential to take your time first washing the floor with a mixture of hot water and a cleaning solution and then rinse the floor with warm water. While the two-step process may appear time consuming the process will actually result in you needing to clean the floors less frequently.

There are products out there advertising needing to only wash your floors in one sweep. Often these products combine cleaning and germ-killing products. While tempting to use these tools and solutions, they are no replacement for a basic mop. Should you choose to use these products, do so between regular cleanings and not as a substitute for a mop.

Clean the Grout

More often than not, it is the grout between the tiles that will make your tile look dirty. Fortunately, companies recognize the need to clean tile grout and have developed several different products to pull stains and dirt from grout.

The bad news is that cleaning grout requires a lot of work. The solution usually must be applied directly to the grout and scrubbed directly with a toothbrush or other brush. Beware of using too strong a brush, though, as this may dissolve the grout. The good news, though, is that such a cleaning very rarely needs to be repeated more than once a year.

Use the Proper Cleaning Solutions

Specifically designed cleaning solutions will clean your tile floor and leave very little residue. Sometimes, these solutions may come with tools to apply the solution, such as a mop with a disposable pad. Beware, though, that not rinsing the floor can lead to a sticky residue being left behind or dirt being pushed into the corners or other hard to reach areas. These tools, therefore, may best be used between regular cleanings.

Vacuum Before Washing

Prior to washing the ceramic tile with whatever products and tool you choose, you should vacuum or dust the floor. This step will prevent you from simply pushing dirt around the floor or into corners, essentially invalidating your work. A simple pre-sweep will result in a cleaner floor needing to be washed less often in the future.

With the proper tools and solutions, ceramic tile floors are not difficult to clean. Prior to beginning cleaning, vacuum or sweep your floor to make your work last longer.