Can I Use Bleach to Clean My Ceramic Tile Floor?

 A ceramic tile floor is very durable. When cared for, the tiles will last for many years. Generally speaking, all you need to do to clean it is to sweep it daily and use a damp mop to wash it.

Bad Stains

For stubborn dirt or stains, a couple of drops of soap in mop water will be sufficient. If the tile or grout is white, you can add a bit of bleach to the mop water. This will remove yellowing and stains.

Is Bleach Necessary?

Bleach is not needed in routine cleaning of ceramic tile, and is actually a bit of overkill. Use it only for bad stains and yellow grout.

WARNING: Bleach stains clothing and is toxic to inhale, so be sure to wear old clothing and gloves and check your work area has proper ventilation before you use it. If you're going to have your face close to the bleach while you work (which often happens when leaning down to clean floors), then wear a face mask and safety glasses. This is especially important if you have a history of respiratory problems.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Clean Mold from Bathtub and Shower Tile Grout

You need to know how to clean mold off tile grout to maintain the health and integrity qualities of your bathroom. Not only are black mold stains in your shower grout unpleasant to look at, but if they are left long enough, the mildew and bacteria can be bad for your health as well. Whether you are using eco-friendly cleaners or abrasive scouring powders, you will need to put some effort into getting your grout looking new again.

What You'll Need:

• Baking powder
• Vinegar
• Scouring cleanser
• Anti-mildew spray
• Bath and shower tile spray
• Latex gloves
• Bucket
• Dishcloth
• Soft scouring pad
• Small bowl
• Old toothbrush
• Squeegee

Step 1 - Choose Cleaning Products

With so many products on the market, finding the right cleaner for the job can be a difficult choice. Before you head off to the store, think about what kind of cleaner you would like to use: does it have to be eco-friendly or are you willing to use strong chemical detergents?

If your mold problem is particularly bad, you might want to ask for a product used by professionals. Trust the experts at your local hardware store; they’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Step 2 - Surface Cleaning

Mold and mildew can hide under soap scum, so you will need to do a general surface clean before attacking the black stains on your bath and shower grout. Sprinkle the entire tile surface area with baking soda and wipe clean with a cloth dampened with vinegar.

Pay special attention to the grouted areas. Rinse with warm water and let the tiles dry. Repeat this process until there is no white residue on the tiles after they have dried.

Step 3 - Grout Scrubbing

In a small bowl, make a paste of scouring powder and warm water. Wearing latex gloves to protect your hands, apply the paste to the moldy grout with a soft scouring pad. Scrub black mildew stains vigorously without gouging the grout from between the tiles.

If mold stains remain in your tile grout, use a toothbrush to carry out deeper cleaning. Rinse with warm water and let the tiles dry. You may need to repeat this process a few times before mold stains are completely gone.

Step 4 - Anti-Mildew Spray

Use an anti-mildew spray to kill the mold-causing bacteria. Make sure the spray coats the affected area evenly, leaving the tile and grout wet but not soaked. Leave the anti-mildew spray to dry overnight. Re-apply anti-mildew spray, scrubbing the tile and grout with a soft scouring pad on the second application. Rinse with warm water.

Step 5 - Mold Prevention

Although you cannot entirely prevent mold and mildew from returning, there are a few things you can do to keep it under control. Use a squeegee to clean away excess water after every bath or shower.

Also, use an eco-friendly after-shower tile spray at least every second day. When scouring your bathroom, don’t just surface clean tiles, but take the time to scrub the grout in between as well.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How To Clean Tile In A Steam Shower

Tile in a steam shower requires very little effort to clean and maintain. The steam that is produced in the enclosure does a great deal of the cleaning. It loosens any residue, allowing you to simply wipe it away. If moisture remains on the tile too long, mold and mildew can develop. Clean your steam shower tiles at least twice a month to prevent bacteria from accumulating.

What You'll Need:

• Liquid detergent
• Soft cleaning cloth

Applying the Detergent

Pour a small amount of liquid detergent onto the cleaning cloth. Use the cloth to apply the detergent to a small area of the tiles. Continue applying the detergent until the entire shower is covered. Allow the detergent to sit for 5 minutes.

Scrubbing the Tiles

Use a cloth to scrub the residue from the surface of the tiles. Work the cloth between the tiles as well. Rinse the tiles with cool, clear water.

Using the Ozone Generator

If your steam shower has an ozone generator, allow it to operate for about 10 minutes after each shower in order to clean the tiles and prevent the growth of bacteria and mold.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Tile Patio Cleaning Tips

Most people with a tile patio don’t tend to think about the amount of cleaning necessary to keep it looking good until it looks drastically bad. When this happens, it can be a rather daunting task to get it back to its former glory, especially for those that have never done heavy duty outdoor cleaning. Here are a few tile patio cleaning tips and ideas to make this process just a little bit easier.

What You'll Need:

• Power washer
• Stiff bristled outdoor broom
• Soft brushes or scrub pad
• Tile cleaner products
• Work gloves and clothes
• Face mask

Using the Right Tools

It all starts by using the right tools, and the right tool to start with is a good stiff bristled outdoor broom. For best performance, make sure that the broom is designed specifically for outdoor use. Most hardware stores will have what you need here. Some other tools that will go a long way are soft scrub brushes (nothing heavy duty or you’ll scratch the tile) and a power washer, which you can rent if you don’t already own one.

Using Proper Chemicals

Chemicals can be dangerous and tricky to work with, but it may be necessary for extreme stains from dirt and other things. If you must use them, first off, be extremely careful. Always use gloves, eye protection, a mask if necessary, and anything else specified in the directions to keep yourself safe. Also, be mindful of all the effects of the chemicals you choose. Some may end up bleaching your tile more than you’d like or they can erode the glaze that makes your tiles easier to clean, so test it on an inconspicuous spot first. Also, some chemicals may be harmful to plants and shouldn’t be used if you intend to rinse your patio of into your lawn, or if you have patio plants that can’t be removed during cleaning.

Cleaning Slate and Ceramic Patio Tile

Cleaning your ceramic and slate patio tile can be tricky, especially if you are looking to maintain a smoother appearance. Many cleaners and cleaning tools, especially acidic chemicals and heavy duty products like steel wool, will destroy the surface of your patio ceramic tile and leave it scratched, dull looking, discolored, or worse. As mentioned above, all cleaners need to be specifically for your type of tile and all cleaning tools need to be soft enough not to damage anything.

Luckily, it rarely comes to such drastic cleaning measures for ceramic and slate tiling. To keep your tile looking great, start by doing weekly sweeps with a good outdoor broom. Once or twice a month, go over your tile with a damp mop, which will help pick up or loosen what the broom can’t while bringing a good shine back to your tile. If you have any stains, make absolutely certain to clean them up immediately. Always start with warm water and a soft scrub pad. If more is needed, move on to a light, non-acidic cleaner. If the stain persists, try using a 5 to 1 mixture of water and peroxide, saving any bleach or harsher chemicals for last.

Cleaning the Grout

Most of the necessary tile cleaning, even those that have stains, can be handled with a stiff bristled broom every week, a damp mopping every month, and the occasional light cleaner (window cleaner usually works) with a soft scrub pad for stains. Grout, however, gets dirtier faster because of being very porous. It can also be more difficult to clean with your broom, mop, and scrub pad because the tiles are often raised above it, causing narrow crevices. To work around this, use a soft or medium bristled toothbrush with your cleaner.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Clean and Maintain a Tile Patio Table

 A tile patio table is easy to clean and keep, especially if you do regular maintenance work on it. You can keep your tile patio table in pristine condition for years to come by simply doing these easy cleaning and maintenance steps.

What You'll Need:

• Mild Detergent
• Oxygen Bleach
• Degreaser
• Acetone Stripper
• Natural Stone Cleaner (pH7 - Optional)
• Distilled Water
• Sanding Blocks
• Fine grit sandpaper or rotary drill and sandpaper pads
• Sealer
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Mask
• Sponge
• Scouring Pad
• Cotton Cloth

Step 1 - Know the Tiles' Surface

Determine first the type of tiles used in the patio table. Natural stones, specifically slates, require gentle cleaning, while ceramic tiles must not be cleaned with abrasive tools that might scratch the surface of the tiles.
Granite and marble require some mechanical polishing to remove deep-seated dirt and polish the surface to level the scratches with the surface area. After cleansing, slate tiles must be neutralized with a natural stone cleaner, with pH 7 acidity level, to prevent discoloration after cleansing and chemical treatment. The aim here is to know the type of tiles you have and select the best cleanser for it.

Step 2 - Wash and Rinse

Prepare the detergent solution (or natural stone cleanser) by mixing the detergent with water. Dip a sponge and wash the tile patio table in a circular motion. Use a scouring pad for natural stones to remove hardened dirt. Stick with a sponge when cleaning ceramic tiles. Rinse the surface with water.

Step 3 - Disinfect and Degrease

Prepare the oxygen bleach solution. Using 5 teaspoons to every gallon of water will suffice. Apply the solution onto the table with a sponge or cloth to disinfect the surface from germs, and remove living organisms such as molds or algae. Rinse with water.

A patio table is a great place to eat snacks, so degreasing is a step that must not be skipped, especially with tiles made from natural stones that absorb oil and grease quickly down to their pores.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use it. Apply it onto the table using a sponge or a cloth. Allow it to work for five minutes and then scrub or just rinse it off.

Disinfect the tile once a month and degrease it once every two months. Less exposure to chemicals such as bleach and degreasers can lengthen the life of your tiles.

Step 4 - Sand, Apply Sealer or Re-paint the Legs

Every two or three years, sand and apply sealer on the surface. This is to protect your patio table from moisture, oil, and acidic substances from penetrating deeply into the tiles’ pores. Sanding or polishing is like bringing out the new "skin" from your tiles, and the sealer serves as protection for the newly polished surface.
At the same time, you can repaint the legs. Use a paint stripper to remove old paint.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Clean Tile Floors

Tile is an easy material to maintain, even when it comes time to clean it. In order to clean tile floors, you are going to need to follow a few steps. Here are the basics of how to clean tile floors effectively.

What You'll Need:

• Broom
•  Dust pan
•  Vacuum
•  Tile cleaner
•  Mop
•  Bucket
•  Water
•  Vinegar

Step 1 - Remove the Dirt

The first thing that you will need to do is remove any dirt or debris on the surface of the tile. This can be done with a broom and a dustpan. You could also potentially use a vacuum cleaner for this job. This should be done at least once a week and in some cases, twice a week.

Step 2 - Select a Cleaner

There are several different types of cleaners that you could use for this job. You could purchase a commercial tile cleaner from the store. These types of cleaners are specially formulated to be used on tile floors. If you do not want to purchase a tile cleaner, you could also mix vinegar with water to create a potent tile cleaner.

Step 3 - Mop

Once you have mixed up your cleaner in the mop bucket, you need to mop the tile floor. Use a wet mop and then mop the floor with your cleaner. After that, rinse the floor with clean water and mop it dry.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Yorkshire Tile Doctor Explains How to Remove Soot Staining from a Stone Fireplace

Detailed below is the cleaning of a Limestone Fireplace surround and hearth at a property in Guiseley near Yeadon on the outskirts of Leeds.

Soot The fireplace had been installed approximately five years prior and was now badly stained with soot and smoke from the wood burner and this readily stood out against the pale Limestone. Having decided to do something about it the owner tried cleaning it but was unhappy with the result and decided to call in some professional help.

 

Happy to oblige I was able to provide a quote based on photographs which was accepted and a date scheduled for the renovation which would only take a few hours.

Cleaning a Limestone Tiled Fireplace

Work started by adding protection to the surrounding carpets and the metal work of the log burner. Then to get the Limestone clean I decanted a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean into a spray bottle and sprayed it on to the stone. The spray mixes the solution with air making it lighter and more able to stick to the vertical surface. You can also use Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel for this which is a similar gel-based product. After leaving it to soak in for ten minutes the solution was worked in, using handheld diamond blocks of increasing grits.

Sealing a Limestone Tiled Fireplace

Once dry, the fire surround and hearth were sealed with Tile Doctor Ultra-Seal sealer to help protect from more soot. This is an invisible sealer that works by soaking into the pores of the Limestone protecting it from within. This keeps dirt and contaminants on the surface where they can be easily cleaned away with a product such as Tile Doctor Stone Soap. It’s important to use a pH neutral product for the regular maintenance cleaning of sealed stone as stronger products will erode the sealer prematurely.

 Once complete the Fireplace looked like new again much to the delight of the homeowner who left the following 5 Star feedback for me: 

"Limestone Fireplace in the lounge is very badly stained with soot and smoke. Got in touch with Chris Allen and he did a splendid job bringing it back to its original state. Excellent craftsmanship and kept us informed of what was going on and how to care for the Fireplace in future. Very knowledgeable and lovely gent to have done the work."

Source: Fireplace Cleaning Service near Guiseley Yorkshire