Ceramic floors are one of the most popular investments these days, and it seems like everyone wants to have ceramic tile flooring that will shine bright like a star. Best of all, ceramic glaze is impervious to moisture. This makes them one of the top flood-resistant floors on the market, provided the seal between the tiles is tight enough to prevent water from getting underneath.
However, keeping your ceramic tile floors clean and shining can be a time-consuming process, and if you want to have a perfect-looking ceramic tile floor, you will need to invest a lot of time on it.
These are some of the ways you can make floor tiles shine and keep your home looking perfect:
- Daily maintenance
- Cleaning and scrubbing
- Protecting and shining
- Removing stains & spots organically
“Shining ceramic tiles without any damage is all about nursing it with the right products and a gentle touch. Always opt for a pH-neutral cleaning solution, and use a chamois-type mop instead of a sponge mop. The latter tends to push dirt into the grout, causing more harm than good. Above all, remember that your tiles require regular care – neglect can lead unpredicted degradation.”
Tiberius Maximilian, Certified Ceramicist
How Can I Make My Ceramic Floor Shine?
If you want to get amazing ceramic tile floor shine, you will definitely need to put some effort into it and take extra care of your floor tiles.
Keeping them clean and shiny is the key to creating a clean and enjoyable environment, and you will want to try out all of these ways to keep it looking amazing.
Maintain it daily
Once you install ceramic floor tiles into your home, you need to start taking care of them immediately if you want the tile floor to keep looking new and clean.
This means that the only way to make tile floors shine is to start taking care of them the moment they get into your home.
Clean your tile flooring, find adequate cleaning solutions for it, and consider spraying them with products you usually use for mirrors or window glass, as these tend to perform well on ceramic surfaces.
If your ceramic tiles are in a part of the house that tends to accumulate a lot of dirt from outside, you should definitely try your best to clean glazed ceramic tiles as frequently as you can. Make sure everyone in your household is aware of the importance of maintaining these floors.
Use wax
Even though most people don’t realize how wax could make tile floors shine, this is a common solution for different areas you want to keep looking clean and shiny.
If you go over your ceramic tiles with wax regularly, you can definitely give these dull tile floors a new life and bring a lot more shine into them.
As long as the tiles are kept clean, and your tile floors get rid of residing and then get glazed with some wax over it, they will be able to keep looking shiny just like the first day they were bought.
Soap solution
The easiest and most common way to keep your ceramic tile floors clean and shiny is by using different types of soap solutions on them.
You can get shiny tile floors with regular dish soap or hand soap. For an easy DIY solution, mix soap and hot water in a spray bottle and use this to clean the ceramic tile floors. This method is effective and budget-friendly.
The easiest way is to mix it with water and then spray the cleaning solution onto the tiles and keep cleaning it with steel wool or any sort of cleaning product that works best for you.
It is the cheapest and easiest way to clean dull floors, and soapy water is something you will be able to make whenever you want, without having to worry whether you have the right ingredients or not.
Also, it can do an even better job than those commercial cleaners that consist of harsh chemicals and cost a fortune, so I would make this my first option, especially if I want to make sure I don’t damage the tile surface.
Baking soda
While it may sound like we’re delving into DIY territory, a baking soda paste can be an excellent solution for cleaning floor grout without scrubbing, as long as you mix it with hot water, not cold.
It removes stain spots gently, and since it is a bit harsher than regular soap, it will remove all the dirt and make your ceramic stone tiles look new.
The tile shine you will get will be the same that you saw when you first bought these tiles.
You can go over the tiles with it once, and they will receive their original shine back, but wait until excess moisture and excess liquid have dried out before you decide to step over these ceramic tiles again.
This can be done over the whole room of ceramic tiles, and after 5 to 10 minutes, just go over the room with a dry mop and continue to take proper care of it in the future too.
White vinegar
I know, this too sounds like way too much for you, but white vinegar has turned out to be an excellent solution for all kinds of stains in hour households.
The vinegar solution doesn’t have to be anything special; just make sure you mix 1 cup of white vinegar syrup with some hot water and start using it for cleaning stains on your ceramic tiles.
Let it air dry completely, and your tiles should look perfect!
Floor Cleaning Machine
This is a more automated method that will save you time during the cleaning process. Unlike wood, ceramic is very durable. Therefore, different types of floor cleaning machines can be used for this application without worrying too much about damaging the ceramic.
Even basic and inexpensive machines will do the job well on this material. So there is no need to overthink which brand to get and whether one with all the bells and whistles is required.
The ceramic tile floors might be impervious to moisture, but one can not ignore the drawbacks they present when it comes to cleaning. I’ve found heavy grout lines can become dirt magnets if not properly sealed and maintained. Remember that glossier tiles may show up footprints and smudges more readily than their less shiny counterparts. Also, while it might resist water, ceramic isn’t scratch-proof; moving furniture or dropping heavy items can cause unsightly chips or cracks.
As someone who has installed numerous ceramic tile floors, I must say they still hold up pretty well when treated properly with the use appropriate sealants; even high traffic areas can withstand wear and tear convincingly.
I concur with your observation, Xenia. Using proper sealants can certainly increase the longevity of ceramic floors but I’d add that routine maintenance plays an equally important role – regular cleaning minimizes grit accumulation which can otherwise cause unnecessary wear.
Incorporating both your points – sealants and routine care, I’ve found using a homemade solution of vinegar and water once a week helps maintain shine without harming the sealant. Adding half a cup of white vinegar to a gallon of warm water creates an effective, natural cleanser that won’t degrade the sealant nor dull the ceramic glaze.
Swift, I tried your vinegar and water solution – the results were phenomenal! My tiles are gleaming without any residue left behind like those commercial floor cleaners.