If you have ceramic tile, you may notice that there are many things that can leave sticky residues on it. However, you’re limited to what you can actually use on it because if you use the wrong product, you can actually damage the finish that you need in order to keep your tiles shiny and looking new, let alone cause numerous scratches in them. In this guide, we’ll tell you how to properly clean your ceramic tile, and one of the best ways to do so is to use a steam cleaner that can eliminate dirt and grime that an ordinary mop just can’t get clean.
You Gotta Do More than Sweep
If you’re using a tile steam cleaner, you still need to sweep your floors thoroughly. The best way to do it is to use a broom or dust mop (or maybe both), and then make sure that you wipe down any ceramic tiles with a rag to get some extra dust bunnies and cobwebs. After you’ve done this, you need to go ahead and fill the water tank on your steam cleaner. The best thing you can use is distilled water, which you can normally find at just about any store that sells water. If you have a steam cleaner that has a separate tank, then you need to go ahead and attach it. Whatever you do, don’t add extra cleaning products to your steam cleaner, as this can actually harm it.
Pump it Out?
Go ahead and plug in your steam cleaner or turn it on if it’s “wirelessly” powered. Attach a microfiber cloth to the steam cleaner head. Many of them have recommended products to use with your cleaner, and your best choice is to use those, but if you don’t, just about any microfiber cloth will work. After you’ve let it start to warm up the water (this will usually happen very fast as it quickly travels to the microfiber cloth through the heating element), then you can squeeze the handle trigger in order to release the steam from the cloth.
You can move the cloth and steam cleaner head over the tiles in a back and forth motion (just like mopping or vacuuming) and remember to replace the microfiber cloth after so long because just like a mop, it will get dirty after a little bit (you may be surprised at how quickly it does). Whatever you do though, don’t forget to unplug the power first and let the head cool off.
What About the Grout?
Of course, you can use a brush and manually scrub the grout, but if you do this, you’ll want to do it before you steam clean the tiles, as much of the residue may end up getting back on the tiles. Another thing you can also do is use a different type of microfiber cloth on your steam cleaner which has longer fibers. The longer the fibers, the more it can dig into the grout and get it clean.
Conclusion
There are all sorts of tips and tricks you can find online, but this is the best way to utilize a steam cleaner for your ceramic tile. Finding the right steam cleaner is also important, and you can find them at just about every retail store and even online.
