Simple Tile & Grout Cleaning Advice

Broom & Sweep

The easiest and most convenient way to maintain your tiled floor is to sweep away debris.

Any grime or unwanted foreign objects that can be brought into your home by tracking on your shoes each day can be easily swept away with tiles.

​Tiles are non-porous and are made to be significantly stain resistant, sweeping will give you the cleanest start possible for a clean finished floor or as a starting base to conduct further cleaning. 

Wipe with Liquid

​After you have swept the floor and cleared any unwanted debris, if there is further cleaning to be done then try a simple combination of water and a wash cloth.

As porcelain and ceramic tiles are non-porous and designed to be stain resistant, clean water and a good scrub is generally all that is required to keep your tiled floor sparkly clean. 

​Please ensure you dry the area thoroughly after cleaning to avoid any risk of slips or falls. 

Further Cleaning Is Required

Sometimes spills happen or grime builds up that is more difficult to remove than initially expected. This happens and fortunately there are a range of cleaners that will work and some that you should avoid. 

There are a range of different cleaners that fall into three categories. These categories are Alkaline, Acidic and Neutral cleaning products. The cleaning products can be further analysed as those with a pH higher than & (Alkaline), less than pH 7 (Acidic) and a pH of 7 (Neutral).

Alkaline Cleaners

Alkaline cleaners are any liquid that contains a pH higher than 7. Generally, alkaline cleaners will contain a pH of at least 12 which means that they are very corrosive and able to chemically burn.

Alkaline cleaners are used primarily when there is a stubborn grease or hard substance that will not come off with water alone. 

Bleach is an example of an alkaline cleaner with a pH of 12.

Alkaline cleaners should not be used regularly on tile and grout or in bathroom areas. This is because the products can strip away the sealant from grout, damage encaustic or unglazed tiles and damage or erode aluminium trims and water wastes. Alkaline cleaners are also dangerous and can chemically burn your skin or damage your eyes.

Should you feel the need to use an alkaline cleaner please ensure you follow all the recommended health and safety precautions and procedures advised by the manufacturer.  

Acidic Cleaners

Acidic cleaners are any liquid that has a pH less than 7. Acidic cleaning liquid function very similarly to alkaline cleaners in that they are still corrosive but react with objects in a different manner. 

Acidic cleaners will chemically react with other objects such as the cement in grout. The acid will dissolve a thin top layer and expose the clean grout below which may damage the structural integrity of the grout and leave it exposed to waterproofing issues or further staining. 

Acidic cleaners may appear to work well however most manufacturer's will not recommend them because of their eroding effect.

Neutral Cleaners

A Neutral cleaner is any cleaning liquid with a pH of 7. Water is the perfect example of a neutral cleaner. Please note that neutral cleaning agents are the only cleaning products generally recommended by manufacturers for cleaning tile grout. 

If a neutral based cleaner does not work for you then we recommend using a mild alkaline detergent and or a specifically designed tile and grout cleaner that can be purchased or sourced from your local tile store.