Steps to Take To Clean Your Tile Yourself

Do you know the steps to clean your tile yourself?  As a tile cleaning service, we can't stress the importance of knowing proper tile cleaning enough.  Either know what you're doing or call a professional service to clean your tile.  Why?  Well, what you don't know can hurt your floor.

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Tile Cleaning in San Antonio: Why You Want an Expert

You will want to call a professional tile cleaning service in San Antonio to clean your tiles, rather than trying to clean them yourself. Professional tile cleaning is based on knowledge. To clean tile, you have to know what you can use safely, and what you should stay away from.

For example, if you use harsh chemicals such as bleach and/or ammonia on your ceramic tile, did you know that you can end up stripping the protective glaze off the tile? If that happens, then your tile becomes a lot more susceptible to stains. And it isn't just your tile that you have to worry about. There is also the issue of properly cleaning your grout. However, we will give you some tile cleaning tips to help you.

Tile Cleaning Tips From a Pro

Start by sweeping. You will want to sweep tile floors regularly to keep them looking sharp. You can use a vacuum on tile, however, make sure that there are no metal fittings that can damage your tile. As to why you want to sweep your tile, while tile is largely resistant to dirt, that doesn't include grit and sand. Since they are abrasive, they can scratch your tile and damage your grout. After you sweep, you will want to use a mild detergent and clean water. Avoid sponge mops, and instead use a chamois mop, or a rag mop. Sponge mops can push dirty water into grout lines and stain them. Change your water thoroughly and periodically to avoid causing stains to spread.

If you notice a haze on your tiles, you likely just have some soapy residue. To get it off, use a nonabrasive all-purpose cleaner. It's important to know that what works on one type of tile doesn't mean it works on all of them. For example, you can use fresh lemon juice on porcelain or ceramic, however, if you try it with marble, limestone, or travertine, you're asking for trouble. Rinse thoroughly with clean water, and buff dry with a clean lint-free cloth. Be kind to your knees and dry tiles the easy way: by using your foot to slide the cloth over the floor. Without kneepads and an armrest, you're going to end up hurting your knees, back, and hands.

As you can see tile cleaning is harder than it looks. If you think it's beyond you, you're actually better off calling a San Antonio tile cleaning service.

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
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San Antonio Tile Cleaning: What to Do With Your Tile

There are things to know about tile cleaning in San Antonio.  The proper care for your tile is based on the right procedures as well as the right products.

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San Antonio Tile Cleaning

Saltillo is different than ceramic tile.  Saltillo for example is highly porous.  Since it is made largely of unglazed clay, it is more prone to damage than something like porcelain tile.

A professional tile cleaning service in San Antonio will know the differences between the two forms of tile, and offer you advice on how to take care of them.  Going back to saltillo, if you hire a professional service, they will likely recommend that you use an impregnating sealer.  Not only will it give your saltillo a beautiful, glossy shine, it will protect it from stains and damage as well.  In a way, when you are doing tile sealing, you are essentially glazing your saltillo, albeit without using a high temperature kiln.  Another reason to hire a professional is that they will not only know how to clean your tile, they will know what to do with your grout.

Grout Cleaning and Avoiding Damage to Your Tile

If you want to clean your tile yourself, you probably aren't aware of the fact that almost as important if not more so than your tile is your grout.  Grout is more than just a division point between your tiles, it is also a cushion for your tile.  Grout rests under each tile, cementing it as well as helping to absorb impacts to the tile.  And that matters a lot.  While porcelain or ceramic tile is still largely affordable, there is also the problem that you'll run into in trying to match a tile of the right color if something should break.  For example, let's say you're very proud of the indigo blue Spanish tile that you bought on your trip to Mexico.  Well, if that tile cracks, you will probably have to replace it. If the color doesn't match, you'll likely have to learn to live with it or come up with some other solution to hide it, such as a potted plant.  

A tile cleaning service will likely recommend something like grout sealing.  Grout sealing protects your tile as well as your grout, both from damage and from stains as well.

While you might want to try to clean your tile on your own, we do not recommend it.  Hire a tile cleaning service in San Antonio instead.  

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Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
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