How to Clean Tile Floors

Cleaning bathroom tile can be a tedious chore—that little area can take longer to clean than all of your household floors, since soaps, shampoos and water deposits often create quite a mess. Be careful when choosing a cleaning method. You want to clean the tile and grout yet keep the grout (usually a porous cement) from breaking down. Once completed, the shiny tile will help make the entire bathroom look cleaner, and your bathroom tile will be free of dirt, grime, mold, mildew and calcium deposits.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Paper towels
• Rag
• Scrub brush
• Gloves
• Scouring powder
• White vinegar
• Squeegee
• Bowls
• Bleach

1. Clean the tile with water and a scouring powder such as Comet or Bon Ami. Scrub the tile hard with a rag or brush.
2. Fill a small bowl with bleach.
3. Fill a large bowl with white vinegar. Soak paper towels in the vinegar.
4. Lay the vinegar-soaked paper towels on the tile and grout. They will stick to the wall.
5. Leave the paper towels on the wall for two to three hours. Check every 30 minutes to make sure they are still wet with vinegar. If not, soak them again and put them back on the wall.
6. Remove the paper towels and rinse the walls.
7. Fill another bowl with bleach and soak more paper towels.
8. Place the towels over the tile as you did with the vinegar towels.
9. Leave them for a few hours to whiten the area.
10. Remove the paper towels and rinse the walls. Dry or squeegee the walls.

Tips & Warnings

• Test this method in a small area first.
• Wear gloves. Bleach is dangerous to the skin.
• Verify that the grout is sealed. This will help repel water and prolong the life of the grout.
• To help prevent future mildew and calcium deposits, dry the tile after every shower or bath. Also, ventilate the area after bathing so the walls dry thoroughly.
• Keep children away from the cleaning solutions and out of the bathroom while you are cleaning the tile. Bleach fumes are dangerous to children.
• There are several products sold over the counter to clean bathroom tiles. Although they do work, they often will break down the components of the grout. Use sparingly.

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