How to Clean and Disinfect Tile Floors

Cleaning tiles is not a complicated process since it only requires the application of soap and water. However, germs and bacteria along with other microorganisms are usually swarming on floors and other surfaces. According to the CDC, cleaning can only reduce their numbers and that means there is still a chance these pathogens can cause health problems to you and your family. For that reason, it is important to do more than just cleaning, disinfection is the only way to kill them.

However, you cannot use any type of disinfectant on your floor because tiles are made of different materials. It is impossible to use a sledgehammer to kill a fly, right? Though the fly has zero chance of survival upon contact, your wall will also suffer from the impact. Same reason applies, almost all disinfectants are effective but the majority of them can damage your walls or floors. You must use the right disinfectant and the right measurement of the product to avoid any damage to your floor that can occur during the process. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the type of tiles you are using.

Types of floor tiles

Ceramic and porcelain floor tiles are fairly good tiles because they are low maintenance type, and are extremely durable. While coarse stone tiles like limestone, marble, granite, and slate, require more attention and in most cases require specific cleaners.

How to clean and disinfect ceramic and porcelain tile floors

Ceramic and porcelain tiles as we have mentioned before are incredibly durable. Otter et al. (2020) noted that to keep them from getting dull, you need to sweep or vacuum before cleaning, although they have a great quality of resisting dirt, sand and grit can still make their surfaces dull. When mopping you should use a chamois-type mop, it’s mostly preferred over sponge-type mop because the latter tend to push dirty water into the grout lines and that can give you headache when trying to clean the lines.

Mix 1 gallon of water with ½ cup ammonia, ½ cup white vinegar and ¼ cup borax. Pour your disinfecting mix in a spray bottle and spray on tile surfaces (if it’s the wall) or you can soak your mop in a solution and spread it all over the surface (if it is the floor). Then wait for about 10 minutes for the disinfectants to reach their kill time, after that, use clean water to rinse the tile surfaces to remove disinfectants and allow the surface to dry.

How to clean and disinfect stone tiles (marble, limestone, granite and slate)

You need to be careful with stone tiles, they can be easily etched even with chemicals in traditional cleaners. When cleaning them, you should consider using the cleaners made specifically for them. Otherwise, pour ½ cup of bleach into 1 gallon of water (alternatively, you can use hydrogen peroxide). Use the same method of application as stated above when disinfecting ceramic and porcelain tiles.

Living in bacteria-free and clean environment is significant for the entire family’s health. Remember to always use CDC recommended cleaning products every time to guarantee agreeable results. Always wear hand gloves when handling bleach. After allowing the solution to rest on the surface for 10 minutes, rinse with clean water and leave to dry, ensure the room is well ventilated to release bleach fumes. Under no circumstances should you use inappropriate solutions when disinfecting porcelain and ceramic tiles. Such solutions will etch the stone.