Old Tile Floors, a marking of the days past and possibly the reason you purchased your home. The ambience and aesthetic they bring to a bathroom, kitchen or another contemporary setting outweighs all the options, but with a catch. Tiles—like any other flooring, wear with time and though you can’t clean cracks, you can clean stains, blemishes and just about anything else that litters your floor.
Cleaning old tile floors is simple, and there are two methods that will 100% give your tiles that old shine back.
For the first method, which I call the Long Haul will need the following:
- Vacuum cleaner (with a micro attachment for getting into the grout lines of the tile.)
- Microfiber Cloth
- Dust Mop
- Mop
- Grout Cleaner
- Sponge
- Soft Bristled Brush
- Bleach
Do the following:
- Sweep the tile floors with a dust mop.
- This gets rid of all loose dirt.
- If after dusting, dirt is still visible, use the microfiber cloth to wipe up the residual dirt.
- If you notice dirt resting along and/or within your grout lines, it’s time to bust out that vacuum cleaner and suck up all that extra mess!
- Following the instructions on the back of your grout/tile cleaner, mix parts water and solution into a bucket and allow it to sit.
- Mop the floor with the cleaner, do this until every section of tile is clean.
- Rinse your mop with water, then re-mop the entire area.
- Dilute one part bleach into nine parts water, then scrub any affected grout lined area with a bristle brush.
- Dry the remaining area with a towel
- Drying with a towel allows the area to breathe and disallows a haze to develop.
Note: If some tiles are still dirty, use a soft bristled brush and the cleaning solution and really work that grime down. If you are more meticulous, you may prefer doing this method for every tile instead of mopping—the choice is yours!
Maintaining your tiles post clean can be considerably more important than cleaning them in the first place. Following the CDC method (Clean, Dry, Clean) can add illustrious longevity to your already old tiles. Try to make cleaning them, even just a simple sweep, a part of your daily habit and cleaning routines.
For the As Seen on T.V, Epoxy Edition method things are a bit different. While this method does indeed clean the tile floors—it also changes their color. If your tile floors are white, then this is the perfect step for you. If not, The Long Haul may be suitable!
You will need the following:
- Foam Brush
- Epoxy paint (white)
- Facemask
- Brillo Pad (Or Sanding Sponge)
- A Well Ventilated Area (This is a must, leave the door or the windows open on whatever room you do this in).
- Put the Facemask on.
- Sand down the tiles with the brillo pad or sanding sponge.
- Since Tiles are porous, you want to add a bit of grit to them to allow the paint to stick.
- With the foam brush, apply the epoxy paint in a straight line across each tile.
Do Steps 2-3 until you have covered all the area with the appropriate amount of Epoxy.
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