Tiles are a widely used flooring and wall
accessory that is seen in almost all houses. It is used for flooring of
all kinds of rooms and for side walls of the bathroom because it is
water proof. They are strong and sturdy and that makes them durable and
long lasting. They are available in a huge variety of designs and
colors and patterns that it gets really difficult to choose one out of
the many beautiful available designs. It can always be shortlisted
according to the color that complements the rest of the house. They
come in the following forms - ceramic tiles, glazed tiles, unglazed
tiles, polished cement tiles, glass type mosaic tiles, ceramic type
mosaic tiles, terrazzo mosaic, designer cement
concrete tiles, chequered tiles, silky matt ceramic tiles, Vitrosa cement tiles, wooden cement tiles and so on and so forth.
Tiles
enhance the interiors of your house and there is no doubt about it. But
to keep them that way one must pay attention to its regular maintenance
in the form of routine cleaning. It is essential to sweep a tile floor
on a daily basis. Dirt can easily adhere to the surface of the tiles
especially if they are textured. This ensures that the dirt doesn’t get
settled there and due to regular contact with the sweep fibers they do
not cling on to the tiles for long. Use of a vacuum cleaner is also
fruitful albeit you use appropriate attachments to the machine that
would avoid scratching. It is advisable to use doormats and mats at
other places of entry where one can brush off the dirt from the shoes
before they step on to the floor.
Ceramic tiled floors
should be mopped with a damp cloth regularly using the sponge or
typical tile cleaners available in the market. Textured tiles may
require slight scrubbing or the use of electric scrubbers or polisher.
Use a mild detergent for scrubbing and after you are done rinse it
thoroughly with water. This could be followed by wiping it with a dry
cloth to make sure there is no soap film on the surface that might make
it slippery and incompletely cleaned. Make sure the cleaning or
scrubbing products you use are compatible with the type of tiles that
comprise your flooring. Use of abrasives is to be avoided and they may
include steel wool, scouring powders and other abrasive materials.
Similarly, utilizing other tile damaging products like bleach or
ammonia based cleaners are to be avoided.
Tile staining should
be avoided by immediate cleaning post the spilling of liquids on the
tiles. It helps the removal of stains easier as opposed to when removed
after a certain period of time. Ceramic tiles are breakable and might
get chipped off if one uses stilettos or spike shoes on the floor. So
you must avoid any sharp pointy objects coming in direct contact with
the floor. Make sure your table, fridge all the other furniture in and
around the house that touches the tiled floor is separated from the
tiles with a softer rubber like base to avoid scratches. Thus with
these small steps you can ensure that your tiles look as good as new
for longer durations.