How to Make Ceramic Tile Cleaner
- 1). Always use a careful touch with ceramic tiles. They may seem like they're indestructible but they really scratch up fairly easily and light surface scratches make tile look old and worn out. Never use scouring powder or other abrasive substances on tile as they will make a mess. You may not see it the first few times you use it but you will be eating away at the surface coating each time you use it and leaving tiny light surface scratches where stains can set and tile can wear down.
- 2). Don't use anything really caustic on tiles for the same reason. Over time, they will destroy the look and life of ceramic tiles. You can add a little bleach into a bucket or sink full of water, but only do so if you really have a mess to clean up. Use bleach only when you have to clean the grout and wash it off well when you're done.
- 3). Mix 1 1/2 gallons of hot tap water, 1 1/4 cups of vinegar, 1/8 cup of lemon juice and mix them together in a bucket. This is a great mopping solution for ceramic tile floors. Just make sure that the mop is well wrung out and that the mop water stays clean. If you don't keep the water clean by changing it often enough, you will leave a dirty film on the floor. There's no need to rinse when you clean with vinegar.
- 4). Try this solution for ceramic tile counter tops. Pour 1/4 ourth cup vinegar, 1 cup non-sudsing clear ammonia, 1/4 cup baking soda into a gallon of warm water. The baking soda will give it a little more cleaning action without scuffing up the finish. Put on rubber gloves because the ammonia can eat up your hands, drying them out terribly. Open the windows and turn on any fans you have for ventilation as the ammonia is also caustic to breathe in. Just wipe down the counters with the solution and most things will come right up.
- 5). Clean filthy tiles with a kind of poultice approach. Soak a rag or towel in the solution and lay it on the counter top for 5 or 10 minutes. Pick it up, wring it out and re-wet it for the next section. If the counter tops aren't that dirty, you can just use this as a wash to wipe them down.
- 6). Clean the grout on your tile counters or anywhere it's really dirty with a solution of 4 cups of water and 1 cup of bleach. Pour this into your 1 quart spray bottle. Use rubber gloves when using bleach and the best ventilation you can as it is nasty stuff to breathe. Open the windows, turn on the fans and open a door or two if you can before you start.
- 7). Spray the bleach solution onto the tile and let it sit for three or four minutes. It will start to clean before you even touch it. After it's sat take your small brush and lightly scrub the grout between the tiles. After you've done all the tile, wash it with a solution of mild dish detergent and to take all the bleach smell and residue off. Rinse really well with a clean rag and clean water. The grout should look terrific.
