Cleaning and maintaining of ceramic tiles

Ceramic tiles are popular designer elements in many modern homes. They differ in size, style, colour and price, and very often they are set as flooring in many homes and working spaces because of their easy cleaning and maintaining. They can be used for floors and walls and inner or outer ceramic tiles are easily maintained if some basic procedures are followed.

One of the market leaders when it comes to cleaning products of any type of flooring is Emsal.

Tiles – Cotto/Terracotta

A reddish to reddish-yellowish colour and a rather rough surface are typical for cotto/terracotta tiles, though they may also be smooth (ground).
Cotto/terracotta is a very open-pore stone tile covering and is thus normally susceptible to dirt. If the rough surface of the tile is left untreated the mop does not glide smoothly over the floor.

Note: some tiles are impregnated with special oils/waxes immediately after laying or by the manufacturer; this means that they cannot later be treated with self-gloss emulsions.

Basic cleaning: Emsal Basic Cleaner can be diluted in water and used for very stubborn dirt, e.g. after renovation work. Remember to leave sufficient time to dry after basic cleaning to remove old gloss coats.

Initial treatment: the floor can be treated with Emsal Stone & Tiles. The optical look of the matt surface is changed by self-gloss emulsions. Newly laid cotto coverings should be left to dry for at least 8 weeks before initial treatment.

Tiles – Stoneware

Stoneware tiles are extremely dense ceramic tiles with a micro porous surface, and thus absorb very little water.
Stoneware tiles have an extremely hard surface and are abrasion-proof, are normally very colourfast and lightfast and are largely resistant to alkaline solutions, acids and other chemicals.

Note: the fine pores on the surface mean that there is a risk of dirt becoming caked on the surface in very dirty atmospheres, so that these tiles are very hard to clean. Pay great attention to the residence time and a strong wiping effort along with the correct cleaning agent.

Tiles – Glazed ceramic tiles and slabs

Ceramic tiles can take the form of fine ceramic floor tiles or rough ceramic floor slabs (clinker slabs and cleft clinker).
Ceramic tiles have a very hard surface and are abrasion-proof, are normally colourfast and lightfast and are largely resistant to alkaline solutions, acids and other chemicals. A glaze gives the tiles a thin matt or shiny vitreous, very hard, impermeable coating.

Tiles – Unglazed ceramic tiles and slabs

Ceramic tiles can take the form of fine ceramic floor tiles or rough ceramic floor slabs (clinker slabs and cleft clinker).
Ceramic tiles have a very hard surface and are abrasion-proof, are normally colourfast and lightfast and are largely resistant to alkaline solutions, acids and other chemicals.
Note: the porosity of unglazed tiles may lead to increased soiling and thus more complicated cleaning.

The types of cleaning are common for all tiles:

Basic cleaning: In the case of heavy soiling, especially around the grouting, or to remove existing layers of polish, pre-clean thoroughly with a basic cleaner. For deep cleaning of dirt, for example, after renovation, basic cleaner can be diluted in water. To remove old layers of floor polish, do not forget to leave enough time for a cleaner to dry up after the basic cleaning.

Regular cleaning and care (diluted application):

Add 2 capfuls Emsal Stone & Tiles to a bucket (5 litres) of lukewarm water. Clean as usual using a damp, well-wrung out mop. Emsal Stone & Tiles does not deposit a film; there’s no need to pre-clean with a basic cleaner to remove old layers.