About Tile & Stone Cleaning
Surfaces
• Nonporous - prevents materials from being absorbed. Examples include glazed ceramic and glazed porcelain.
• Porous - allows materials to be absorbed, often leaving stains. Examples are natural stones such as granite, limestone and marble; and manufactured materials such as brick and terra cotta.
Soiling Substances
A Best 1 Technician knows that the two types of material to be removed from a tile or stone surface are organic or inorganic substances.
• Organic substances - plant or animal matter, such as food and grease.
• Inorganic substances - rust, lime or water stains from soaps.
Care and Cleaning
Care
Remove everyday dirt, by routine dusting and mopping of your floors on a regular basis, as dirt can scratch the floor surface and permanently mark it.
Cleaning
An important thing is the products you use to clean your tiles.
Do not use things like vinegar, bleach, ammonia, general cleaners, or abrasive cleansers; as these products can erode stone, grout and some tiles; and they can also affect the sealers that are applied to grout lines and to some tiles.
Use a pH neutral cleaner designed to clean tile or stone; as these products can effectively remove a variety of materials without damaging the tile or stone.
Using the correct product for your particular floor type will prevent a build-up of dirt, scum and other deposits that can take away from the floors natural beauty.
Also, these products don’t require rinsing; which prevents the build up of rinse water residuals over time and therefore maintains a good looking floor surface.
A good product for porous floor materials is one that cleans and seals at the same time.
Best 1 Cleaning Procedure
• Carry out a test on the tiles to be sure that no damage can be caused to the surface
• Apply an alkaline cleaner to remove grease, oil or soap scum
• Apply an acid cleaner to help remove ground in dirt.
NOTE: While acid based cleaners are effective in removing rust and mineral stains, Best 1 always use them with caution, and at the correct strengths.
• Clean the surface with a rotary head cleaner (connected to the truck mount system), which delivers pressurised steam and high airflow extraction to remove all soiled residual from the tiles.