The Best Way To Clean Bathroom Tiles
In most people’s homes, the bathroom is a place that sees daily traffic. Especially the bathtub or shower. If your bathroom has tiles, either on the floor, the wall or in the shower it is important to keep them clean. Water scale and lime build-up can damage your tile over time and make keeping them clean a challenge. The best thing you can do to avoid this is clean them regularly. But you may be wondering what exactly is the best way to clean bathroom tile. We put together this comprehensive guide to give you some ideas on where to start and what to use!
Types Of Tile Cleaning
There are a few ways to tackle cleaning your bathroom tile, depending on how soiled they are. While soap build-up and dirt are easy to get rid of with milder cleaning solutions, things like grout staining and limescale require more heavy-duty cleaners and equipment. Here is a breakdown for both methods!
Basic Tile & Grout Cleaning
First, let’s look at what kind of solution and cleaning equipment we need:
- Water & vinegar in equal parts, lemon juice, and baking soda, or a store-bought cleaner
- A cloth or rag
- A hard bristled brush
- Gloves
- Sponges
With our materials collected, we can begin the cleaning process!
- Apply the cleaning solution. There are a few options for the cleaner used. Vinegar is great for cleaning tile because it bonds to dirt and grime, making it easier to wipe up. Lemon and juice and baking soda is another great approach that uses common things found around the home and it has the added benefit of making your bathroom smell nice! Store bought cleaners are perfectly fine too, as most contain chemicals that break down soap and dirt.
- Allow the solution to sit. Regardless of what cleaner you chose it is important that you allow it to sit. This ensures that everything you are trying to clean properly binds to the dirt, soap and scum.
- Agitate the area. Utilizing a brush or a sponge, scrub the area where the solution has been sitting. The tough spots may need some extra love and a second coat of cleaning solution.
- Wash the tile. You can either use a clean cloth or turn your shower on and use the water to rinse away all of the cleaning solution. Alternatively, you can turn the heat up and allow steam to build up which can further break down any remaining dirt.
- If you notice any remaining stains you can repeat the process until they are gone. While this kind of cleaning is great for weekly cleaning and maintenance, deep stains and scale build up will need a different approach.
Heavy-Duty Tile & Grout Cleaning
While the steps are the same as listed above, for the harder-to-clean stains and scale you have to rely on heavier chemicals and more professional equipment. This level of cleaning is best handled by the experts at All Out Tile and Grout, but there are still some things you can do to get that like-new shine from your bathroom tile.
Perhaps most importantly we need a more effective cleaning solution. Things like ammonia and bleach are useful for de-staining, though you may need a de-lime solution in order to remove the water scale. You can also create a very effective cleaner from ½ cup of baking soda, one teaspoon of liquid dish soap, and ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide.
Protip: Whatever you choose to work with, make sure you do not mix any chemicals. For example, mixing bleach and ammonia creates a toxic gas that is incredibly harmful.
Another way to clean tile more effectively is with a steam cleaner or bristled agitation machine. These can be a bit expensive but offer more consistent deep cleaning for your bathroom. Steam specifically exfoliates dirt particles, making routine cleaning much easier.
How Often Should You Clean Your Bathroom Tile
As mentioned above, maintenance should be weekly but there are several factors that affect that recommendation. The longer you wait between cleanings the harder scrubbing off dirt buildup will be. This also plays a key role in preventing mold and mildew buildup, which can be harmful to you and your family’s health. A weekly cleaning followed by professional deep cleanings every 6 months is ideal for keeping your bathroom clean and your home healthy.
Key Takeaways:
Bathroom tile cleaning is something that should be done regularly. You can utilize basic home ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice to create a useful cleaning solution that powers through the dirt. By letting this solution sit for several minutes it will bind to dirt and grime then be washed away with a thorough rinsing. When dealing with intense stains you may need to use chemicals like bleach or ammonia but ensure that you do not combine them.
