If there’s one cleaning product that is popular in the market, it’s tile floor cleaners. And there are plenty of them. After all, everyone loves it when their tile floors are clean, sleek, and shiny. However, chemical-based cleaning products can negatively affect some people’s health. If there are children, pets, or anyone in the family sensitive to harsh chemicals in your house, you might want to use the non-toxic household product vinegar. In this article, we will answer the question, “Does Vinegar Clean Tile Floors?” and discuss it.
There are a lot of natural homemade solutions that you can use for cleaning tile floors. But vinegar is a very efficient floor cleaner, especially for ceramic, vinyl, laminate, and porcelain tile floors. Vinegar is a multi-purpose cleaner that can easily dissolve dirt, germs, mold, and much more.
Are you interested in how you can utilize vinegar to clean tile floors? Find out how you can properly care for your tile floors here!
How Does Vinegar Clean Tile Floors?
Vinegar is a non-toxic product that can safely disinfect, deodorize, and clean hard surfaces. When tile floors become dirty or soiled, this natural solution can effectively clean them without breathing in harsh vapors.
Vinegar is a mildly acidic solution that removes hard water stains and grease. The floor may smell like vinegar when you use this solution, but once it dries, it will leave a natural and fresh look with no smell.
What are the Best Ways to Clean Tile Floors?
Cleaning tile floors is not a burdensome chore. You can follow this guide below to clean your tile floors effectively.
Remove Any Dirt by Sweeping or Vacuum Your Tile Floors
Before you do any cleaning, remove the dirt from your floor tiles. You can do this by sweeping or vacuuming. To prepare the grout between the tiles for cleaning, you may need to use a vacuum attachment to remove it.
Prepare Your Floor Cleaning Solution
There are a variety of floor cleaners you can make or buy. However, for health purposes, we suggest using natural or non-toxic cleaners. They are effective, affordable, and the safest option to clean your tiles.
Mop the Floor
Mop the floor twice. First, mop the tile floors with the vinegar and water solution and then rinse it with water. For the second time, mop the floor again with just water to ensure it is not slippery or sticky for safety purposes.
What Is the Best Mop for Tile Floors?
There are a lot of mops on the market, but we recommend microfiber mop heads. You can use it on a variety of floors, including tile.
Dry the Tile Floors
After you have mopped your floor, the last thing you should do is dry your floor tiles. Use a clean cloth or a fan to dry them.
How to Clean Tile Floors with Vinegar
Warning: Vinegar can clean a variety of tile floors. However, cleaning natural stones like marble, travertine, and granite with vinegar is not recommended.
For other types of tiles, follow these steps to clean your floor tiles properly.
Things you’ll need:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1-liter warm water
- Spray bottle
- Damp cloth
Step 1: Mix the white vinegar and warm water, then pour it into the spray bottle.
Step 2: Spray the solution onto the tiles and wipe them using a damp cloth. Alternatively, you can soak a clean mop head of your choice in the solution and use it to wipe the tiles.
Step 3: Rinse the tile floors with warm water and leave them to dry.
Can You Use Vinegar on Tile Grout?
Generally, you can clean tile grout with vinegar. Vinegar is a safe, natural cleaner that you can use to clean away dirt on your tile grout. However, do not use vinegar on grout that is not sealed or in poor shape. If vinegar penetrates the grout’s pores, it will weaken the material.
But, if the grout is in good condition and the only problem is dirt or mildew, you can use vinegar to remove it. Just spray or pour white vinegar into the affected area and leave it for about 10 minutes. Use a toothbrush and brush away the dirt in a circular motion. Rinse the grout to finish the procedure.
If you don’t want to use vinegar to clean your grout, read our article – Does Hydrogen Peroxide Clean Grout? to learn how to use hydrogen peroxide instead.
Does Vinegar Clean Tile Floors and Tiles in the Shower?
Absolutely! However, cleaning shower tiles is tricky because they can accumulate large amounts of grime. If you want to clean your shower tiles with vinegar, follow these steps:
Things you’ll need:
- spray bottle containing 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar mixed
- toothbrush
- terry cloth
- squeegee (optional)
Step 1: Close the door or curtain of the shower area. Run the hot shower for a few minutes as you get ready to clean the shower tiles.
Step 2: Use the vinegar and water solution to clean the grout and tiles of the shower. Scrub them with a toothbrush in a circular motion to remove tough stains.
Step 3: Rinse well. You can use a squeegee to remove any streaks.
To minimize your grime problems, wipe down the walls after you shower using a clean, dry terry cloth. Pay attention to the corners of the shower, including the bottom of the walls, to prevent the buildup of water that causes grime.
Can Vinegar Damage Tile?
It depends on the type of tile floor. For tile floors made from ceramic, porcelain, vinyl, and laminate material, you can use vinegar to clean them, whether glossy or not.
For other types of tile floors like granite, marble, and terracotta, it is recommended not to use vinegar on them. Instead, use a neutral type of floor cleaner.
How Long Should Vinegar Sit on Tile?
Vinegar can do wonders when it sits for about 10 to 30 minutes. As such, you can safely leave this solution around this time. For stubborn dirt, you can leave the vinegar on the tile floors and grout overnight.
Practical Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining Floor Tiles
Tiles are one of the best flooring choices in the house because of their beauty and ease of maintenance. Cleaning them may sound like a tiresome house chore, but it is satisfying once you start doing them, especially when you see the result. Here are practical tips to keep your tile floors squeaky clean.
Schedule a Time for a Cleaning Session
If you don’t want a major tile cleanup, regularly schedule cleaning of your tile floors. Prevention cleaning is the best for long-lasting floor tiles.
Use Natural Cleaners
Preferably, use natural cleaners like vinegar, baking soda, or lemon to clean your tile floors. These household ingredients can safely and effectively eliminate dirt.
Mop the Floor Weekly
Make it a habit to mop your tile floors at least once weekly with one of the natural cleaners. And don’t forget to dry the floor after mopping them to avoid accidents.
Change Water Frequently When Cleaning
Change the water frequently to ensure you are effectively cleaning your tile floors. If the water you use to mop the floor turns dark, change the water.
Use a Floor Mat
Place floor mats at every door of the house. This will prevent the buildup of mud or water in the home, especially in inclement weather. If your bathroom has floor tiles, you can use a bath mat to dry your feet and prevent water from dripping on the bathroom floor.
Conclusion
Are you surprised by the answer to the question – Does Vinegar Clean Floor Tiles? To reiterate, yes, vinegar can clean floor tiles, and it’s because of its acidic properties.
Follow our guides above to learn how to clean floor tiles and grout in your home with vinegar. But do not use vinegar on natural stones like marble, travertine, terracotta, and granite.
Remember, once you have cleaned your floors with vinegar, maintain them using our tips above.
Vinegar is an affordable, safe, non-toxic, and versatile cleaner for your home. Read our article Can Vinegar Clean Makeup Brushes? to learn how to clean your makeup brushes with it.
Read our article – 10 Non-Toxic Floor Cleaners: Our Guide to Floor Cleaning Products to learn about other non-toxic floor cleaners you can use at home.
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