What is the Best Way to Clean Tile Floors
 

Hello, as we wait to move to TV. We have a home in Texas that has tile floor through out. Other than using a mop and bucket, is there a machine we could use to clean the flooring? I tried a steam mop with a pad on the bottom but it would nhave taken me all day to do the house. I'm looking for something heavy duty. Thanks, BJ

vinegar and water.

Hi BJ,

We bought a more heavy-duty steamer than the Shark that many use and love. The main reason was capacity. We have tile throughout the house. The brand we have is called Reliable - and it doesn't need to cool down before you add more water. It is a "canister" model. I bought it online - Allergy Buyers.com I think is the website.

It uses water - I think we use distilled. (I am guilty here becasue my hubs does the floors).

Lucky Kate

Thanks for the info. I will look up the Shark. We have been doing the floors with a mop but it takes so long and you start to hate the floors half way thru. We are trying SO HARD to get to the villages but I need health insurance. Thanks to everyone for their answers! Have a good week. BJ

1 part vinegar 2 parts water. If there is a spot in the grout (my husband spills his coffee at least once per week) I spray it with Clorox Cleanup and use a tooth brush to scrub if needed, then wipe away.

Not for hire yet...just a slave to my husband!

Scuba
 

Has anyone tried a scooba...Not sure of spelling....? It is made by Roomba and is for hard surface floors. I love my roombas and wonder if the scooba was any good.

Bought a Shark, used once and took back to WalMart and got my $80 back. They do not clean the grout!

Shark
 

I have a Shark and I am missing a part. There customer service will **** you off and then you get a busy signal. Avoid the scams.

Knee pads + Bucket + Steel wool or croakers cloth + Ajax + hot water = Best heavy duty cleaning ever is someone to do it the old fashion way and able to get into the corners and edges ( razor scraper for paint or hard to get up spots). I myself use a whole roll of paper towels to clean up any residue. Afterwards any other cleaning method works fine until spring or fall clean up. " Oh dear, where is my pain medication?"

I love my Shark steam mop. I used to have a Bissell hard floor cleaner and it worked very well, but it wasn't any easier/faster to use than the steam mop. I only have a small amount of tile. I think if I had a whole houseful of tile I’d probably stick with the mop/bucket method.

Take the easy way out like I did. We had our carpeting steamed cleaned by a steam cleaning co. They did all the carpeting in the house. When they saw my tile floor in the kitchen, they asked me if I would be interested in them steam cleaning the tile floor. I said "steam clean a tile floor?" He said sure....i can show you how it will turn out. So he did a small corner. The floor was beautiful...It cleaned the grout and the tile. When he got done it looked as good as the day we had it put in. Just a suggestion. We had the floor done, once a year after that.

What is the Best Way to clean tile floors
 

The guy who installed our tile told us that the best method for cleaning tile was vinegar/water combination. It works well in the shower to kill the mold/mildew. We also have a SHARK which we use weekly and a heavier machine for grout, etc. After reading memebers comments it seems hiring a contractor to steam clean once a year plus weekly cleanings seems the best and easiest way to maintain these floors. Yea I the one stuck with cleaning the floors because the little lady claims she can't work that complicated SHARK..a Huck Finnism if ever there was one....

Just a suggestion, after the grout is cleaned to your liking, seal it with grout sealer and a small brush. It helps keep it clean. I'd do it every year or two. We had quite a bit of tile in a home we had built in 1988 and the grout looked just as good as it did when it was put in 13 years earlier.

The strap-on knee pads are a great idea. I bought a set at Harbor Freight in Ocala, also available just about anywhere, and when I use them I wear sweats so that they don't pinch my skin and pull out my leg hair.

Xavier