We’ve all seen nasty green grout lines and funky sticky tiles somewhere, and always promise ourselves it won’t happen to us. So what’s the way to keep the green monster at bay? It’s actually not the way your mom probably taught you!
What Not To Use
Many of us grew up being told bleach was the cure all or kill all cleaner. While this might be true in some cases you should think twice or maybe even three times before using it on your expensive tile. While some of us associate the smell of bleach with cleanliness others do so with nausea, and with good reason. Bleach is very efficient at killing germs and bacteria however it is toxic.
It can cause skin burns, dizziness, headaches, and has even been linked to cancer. While bleach will make your grout whiter initially, it will actually degrade the grout over time due to its high acidity. Even worse it will turn your grout yellow (almost as bad as green), with repeated use. It’s acidity also makes it way too harsh a cleaner to be used with many types of tiles, especially stone tiles.
Best Cleaners
For both a tile a cleaner, and tile grout cleaner, we suggest using a less toxic approach. Actually a non-toxic approach. It’s vinegar. That’s our secret! This green tile cleaner does it all. It kills viruses and bacteria, is odor-eliminating, biodegradable and you probably already have it in the house. Safe for your children, and pets, it’s also super cheap.
We like to use a mixture of white distilled vinegar and warm water when mopping the floor. Simply add one cup of white vinegar for each one gallon of water in your bucket, and you’re ready to mop. While some people don’t really like the smell, it’s not an issue because unlike bleach it dissipates immediately after it dries.
And it won’t cause you to become dizzy while mopping and inhaling the fumes like bleach either. For stubborn grout stains, just use an old toothbrush, some elbow grease, and this same solution to return your grout to it’s beautiful white color.
So next time you clean your tile floors skip the bleach and reach for the vinegar. No more burning eyes and lungs just clean beautiful tiles. You will be pleasantly surprised with the results we guarantee!
A few extra simple tips for helping you to keep your tiles looking great:
- Regular cleaning is the key to preventing buildups, simply vacuum or sweep your tiles followed by a good mopping on a consistent basis and you’ll save yourself time scrubbing in the future.
- If you run out of vinegar, another good tile floor cleaner is warm water and squirt or two of dish soap.
- NEVER use steel wool or other highly abrasive brushes when cleaning tiles as they will easily scratch them.
- Spot clean spills and accidents as they happen. Don’t save them for later, this will help prevent staining.
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