Regular Maintenance

- Sweep or vacuum the floor free of debris. If sweeping, use a soft natural bristle broom.
- Use the recommended amount of general purpose neutralizing cleaner to clean the surface.
- Rinse with clean water or a mild solution of neutral cleaner, suspend and remove all soft residues.
- Rinse excess water.
- Use only non-oil-based neutral cleaners, non-acidic, neutral PH cleaners.
- Wipe glazed wall tiles periodically using a cloth or sponge dampened with a non-oil-based household cleaner.
- Vacuum floor tiles regularly to remove dirt and other gritty particles, then damp mop or sponge with an all-purpose, non-oil-based cleaner.
- Do not use ammonia, as it will discolour grout.

Grout Care

- Once the tile has been cleaned and dried (shortly after installation), grout joints should be treated with a penetrating sealer if required. Consult grout manufacturers  recommendations.
- Epoxy grouts do not require a sealer.

Sealing

- Most porcelain and ceramic tile is virtually impervious and does not need to be sealed (some polished porcelains need sealing due to pores being opened during the polishing process).
- If you are unsure, sprinkle water on the tile surface, if it beads and is not absorbed in, it does not need to be sealed.

Heavy Duty Cleaning

- Neglected or heavily trafficked tile may require more intensive cleaning.
- Clean glazed wall tiles with a scouring powder or all-purpose cleaner applied to a non-metallic pad.
- Rinse and wipe dry.
- For floor tiles, use a commercial tile cleaner, or apply a strong solution of all-purpose, non-oil- based cleaner or scouring powder paste.
- Let stand for five minutes, brush and scrub.
- Then rinse with clean water and wipe dry.
- Soap scum, mildew stains and hard-water deposits may be removed from the tile using appropriate cleaning products. Follow manufactures recommendations.
- Use all-purpose, non-oil- based cleaner.
- Allow to stand for 5 minutes before lightly scrubbing with a sponge.
- Rinse well.

Regular Maintenance

- Immediately wipe up spills and messes. Use pH neutral cleaners and soapless detergents for daily cleaning.
- Rinse the stone and grout thoroughly to remove any remaining cleaner.
- Agitate grout joints with a soft bristled brush to loosen debris.
- Thoroughly rinse, dry, and polish cleaned areas.
- Acidic cleaners will etch and remove the polished surfaces from calcium based stones such as marble, travertine, and limestone. Make sure you read carefully the label of the cleaner. Sometimes acid ingredients are hidden behind the world “natural”.
- Acidic cleaners will etch and remove the polished surfaces from calcium based stones such as marble, travertine, and limestone. Make sure you read carefully the label of the cleaner. Sometimes acid ingredients are hidden behind the world “natural”.
- Acidic cleaners will eventually erode the grout in the joints making cleaning and maintenance more problematic. This is especially true if using acid cleaners on sanded grout installations.
- Coloured grout pigment can be permanently damaged by using acidic cleaners. This is especially true if acidic cleaners are used on a daily basis.

Sealing

- Stone can be very porous and may be susceptible to staining, making the sealing process extremely important.
- Sealers do not make stone water or stain-proof, but instead increase its reaction time to contaminants, allowing you to clean up before the stone’s surface is penetrated.
- Sealing stone before and after grouting is advisable since fine grout colour particles can stain stones.

Penetrating Sealer

- Usually has no surface sheen.
- Maintains natural colour of stone.

Enhancing Sealer

- Type of penetrating sealer.
- Darkens and enriches the natural colours of the stone, often significantly changing its appearance.
- Most enhancers must be buffed off the surface after application to prevent excess sealer from clotting and tracking (enhancers cannot be removed and should be used with caution).

Topical Sealer

- Adds a semi or high gloss finish, enhancing the natural colours of the stone.
- Creates a surface coating to help repel oil and water.
- Becomes the “traffic” layer and is subject to wear, therefore requiring regular maintenance.

Regular Maintenance

- Prepare a cleaning solution using warm water and a neutral ph. cleaner specifically designed for cleaning glass tile. These types of cleaners are available from tile suppliers.
- Thoroughly clean the glass tile, including the grout joints, using a nylon scrub brush or nylon scrub pad following the manufacturer’s directions.
- Rinse thoroughly with clean, warm water and allow glass tiles to dry.
- A second rinsing may be needed to completely remove the cleaning solution.
- Cleaning glass tile is easier with microfibre cloth. Microfibre will collect the dirt and will release it only when you squeeze it with water.