How to Clean and Shine Tiles?
Do you want to clean your dirty and tarnished tiles? Do you want them to regain all their shine and brilliance, as if they were brand new? It’s possible!
To strip your tiles, there is no need to resort to expensive chemical products. My grandmother was a household fairy. She had her secrets for removing stains and making any tile shine, terracotta or not, white or black.
1 – LINSEED OIL TO MAKE DULL TILES SHINE
Some materials need to be nourished and therefore become less shiny. This is particularly the case for terracotta, cement or even ceramic tiles. And of all the natural ingredients, linseed oil is probably the best suited to nourish these tiles! However, be careful: just a few drops on a clean cloth will be enough to make the tiles shine without turning them into an ice rink. So, use a light hand and let the oil soak into the floor while it dries. You can then apply it again if necessary.
2 – POTATO COOKING WATER
When cooking, do not throw away the cooking water from boiled potatoes. Instead, use it to clean the tiles. The starch in this solution absorbs the grease fixed on the surface. This operation is recommended once a month to keep the tiles shiny.
3 – BLACK SOAP IS A NATURAL MULTI-SURFACE MAINTENANCE PRODUCT
If black soap is an essential ingredient for DIY enthusiasts, it is because it is an outstanding cleaner. The reason: it is a degreaser and disinfectant suitable for tiles, linoleum and parquet floors. Its advantage is that it not only cleans dirty and dusty floors but also adds a touch of shine that we cannot do without. To benefit from the effects of this mixture of oil and black olives, it will be necessary to mix it with a liter of water poured into a bucket. If you want to have an impeccable house, equip yourself with a mop and gently scrub any floor. Magic, right?
4 – WHITE VINEGAR
The most common method for making tiles shine is to use white vinegar. There are two ways to do this:
- Directly in the washing water: When you prepare your usual washing water, pour 4 tablespoons of white vinegar into the bucket and then mop it. For the maintenance of your floor, discover here all our tips for cleaning your tiles properly.
- After cleaning: After cleaning your tiles, prepare a bucket with hot water. Pour one to two glasses of white vinegar depending on the amount of water. Then, shine by mopping or sponge. It is also possible to complete the preparation by adding baking soda.
5 – CHOOSE LEMON TO POLISH YOUR TILES
Once your tiles are all clean, there is one last step to make them shine: polishing.
To do this, nothing could be simpler, soak a sponge or mop in lemon juice and leave it to act for an hour. The lemon will restore all its shine to dirty and dull tiles with a nice smell as a bonus!
Finally, to finish a tiled worktop, you can use a chamois leather.
6 – LIQUID SOAP
If the tiles are very stained, just add a few drops of a product that does not attack the cement joints, such as liquid hand soap or dishwashing product.
And nothing else! Also, the mop should be damp, not dripping with water! Dry with another dry microfiber mop.