With proper care, porcelain tile will provide you with a low maintenance flooring solution that stands up to the tasks of everyday life. Crossville takes great pride in delivering the finest porcelain tile available, and we want it to look beautiful for years to come. Our dense, low-absorptive, porcelain body inhibits the penetration of contaminants, and therefore, is a tile that is easy to maintain. The low absorptive nature of our porcelain tile not only inhibits dirt and stains, but also prevents top finishes and most chemicals from penetrating the surface.
As you embark on your spring cleaning process, check out these five steps to maintain porcelain tiles.
1. All spills should be cleaned as quickly as possible. Use damp mopping to clean up spills. Damp mopping uses approximately one gallon of cleaning solution (mixture of water and detergent) per 600 square feet. An easy way to prepare for damp mopping is to wring out the mop prior to use.
2. Sweep it. Get all the dry mess off the floor surface. Electrostatic tools (like “Swiffer”) can help pick up the minute pieces.
3. Clean water for mopping is often all that is needed. When using cleaning solutions, use only the recommended dilution of detergent. More is not always better; higher concentrations of detergent in the cleaning solution will only make it more difficult to rinse. In keeping with Crossville’s long-standing position on sustainability we highly recommend the use of low VOC, non-hazardous, and non-polluting products for cleaning and maintaining your tile.
4. Allow the proper dwell (remain on the floor) time. The detergent solution must be given time to act on the soil load. Generally 5-10 minutes is sufficient.
5. Rinse thoroughly with clean, clear water to remove the dirty detergent solution and emulsified soil. Rinsing is a critical step in the maintenance procedure. Remove the rinse water with a wet vacuum, dry mop or toweling. If dirty detergent solution is not removed and is allowed to dry on the surface, a coating will form which is very difficult to remove.
Planning can make the overwhelming task of spring cleaning manageable. With these tips, you’ll have your floors sparkling with the shine of spring. If you’re thinking of embarking on a renovation project instead of the annual deep clean, consider all Crossville porcelain tile collections as low maintenance solutions. For more tile care and maintenance tips, visit Crossville’s Resource Library.
