Professional Limestone Cleaning Tips From the Experts

 

At Tile Cleaning Agents, we are experts in stone restoration and tile cleaning and our goal is to offer the very best service in the industry. When we’re not delighting our customers, we’re creating blogs like this one to educate our readers.

We’ve been in the professional stone cleaning business for many years, so we’ve picked up a few nuggets of wisdom along the way. In this article, we’ll be giving you some helpful tips on how to keep your stone and ceramic tile areas looking their best. 

So, let’s get started…

 

Cleaning Tiled Floors

 

We often get asked by our customers about the best way to keep their stone floors clean in between enjoying our professional stone floor cleaning services. That’s what we’ll be covering in this section, but please note that we do not endorse any of the products mentioned and it’s always best to follow manufacturer guidelines before getting advice elsewhere. 

Limestone is particularly susceptible to harsh chemicals, and so this article focuses on limestone cleaning.

If the method is safe for limestone, it will also be good for every other type of stone and ceramic tiles. 

 

The Best Way to Sweep Stone Tiled Floors

 

For larger rooms in particular, the best way to dry-sweep tiled floors is with this 80cm broom that can be bought on Amazon. That said, its bulky size might make its use difficult in furnished rooms so if this is a challenge we’d recommend looking for one that’s about 60cm. These brooms are great because unlike traditional brush brooms they don’t flick the dust into the air and you can wiz around the room in just a few minutes. 

When the fluffy head gets too dirty it can be machine washed, however to reduce the regularity of having to do so we’d advise that you first wipe away damp areas such as sticky spillages that would otherwise clog up the fibres of the dry-broom. If you have a busy lifestyle and don’t have much time to be perfectly clean every day, you can simply sweep the dirt into a corner of a room and leave it there until you get around to using a dustpan or small vacuum.

 

 

The Best Way to Clean Stone Tiled Floors

 

In order to keep your floor clean and hygienic in between professional stone cleaning appointments, you need to mop it with a neutral pH cleaning detergent e.g. HG or Lithofin which can be found on Amazon. These neutral pH marble cleaners are gentle and therefore suitable for almost any floor-type, from man-made ceramics and porcelain to softer stone such as limestone and travertine.

 

When using this type of cleaner, a capful should be enough for a bucket of warm water and you should ensure that it’s not too hot, as you could end up eroding the tiles, the grouting or even the sealer.

 

The Best Mop For Stone Tiled Floors

 

As any reputable provider of professional stone cleaning services will tell you that when mopping tiled floors, the best mop is a flat one made from thick microfibre cloth. This will allow it to soak up all the dirt and lift it away.

Should there be any grease stains to deal with, then you should avoid heavy scrubbing or grease removal products, as they could also remove the sealant. 

Ideally you want to prevent any grease build-up by mopping regularly or as soon as an oil spillage occurs. When freshly spilled, grease is still soft and easy to clean so don’t wait for it to get hard. Also, use a stronger concentration of the neutral pH cleaning solution, rather than any other stronger products.

 

Removing Stains from Stone Tiles & Grout

 

If you do find a grease stain that you can’t remove, don’t worry too much about it, as it’s likely not permanent damage and can probably be removed during a professional stone cleaning or sanding service.  Do note that sanding restoration is only for natural stone and not ceramics. If you have a stain in a ceramic tile you can contact us, let us know what the stain could be and we might be able to help you.  

We recommend a service every two years, depending on the traffic that you have in your home, as by this time there’s bound to have been dirt and oil build up in the stone. The only way to remove this is with a grease remover - which we can’t recommend because it will remove the sealant and expose the floor to more dirt. Leave this one until your next professional tile clean.

 

What’s the Best Stone Tile Sealer for Limestone?

 

Sealers are good for stone tiles because the natural process of rock formation results in a porous solid, whereas man-made ceramics tend to be less porous so the sealant will not soak into the surface. You can apply a sealant to stone or ceramic, but the latter will simply allow the sealant to slide off over time. 

To apply a sealant use a very clean microfibre cloth, and just like that 80's karate flick, wax it on and wax it off until you see no residue. Then let it set for a few hours before touching it again. Store the cloth in an air-tight bag next the tin of sealer for future use, but don't try to wash it out because you’ll end up with sealant all over your sink! 

A few more important points to note:

 

• Good impregnating sealers will make the whole room smell potent for many hours.
• Do not spill this stuff on anything else.
• Colour Enhancer sealers will darken the stone and cannot be removed until a professional stone cleaning service provider strips it off again.
• Impregnating sealers don’t give the floor a shine, rather it simply soaks into the stone and provides a protection that should last until the next professional tile clean.
• If you’ve applied too much sealant, simply buff it off before it dries, and don’t touch it for at least two hours.
• Impregnating sealers don’t stop harsh chemicals or hot solutions from soaking through to the stone. We recommend a water-based sealer as a temporary solution because it dries quickly. Again, Lithofin has a selection to choose from.

 

And some stone tile maintenance tips to leave you with...

 

• Don’t spill acids or hot liquids onto the stone floor e.g. vinegar, tea or wine. This will etch the floor.
• Don’t use any cleaning solution that’s not appropriate for stone (eg Domestos, limescale remover, bleaches etc) These have acids which could etch or turn the stone yellow.
• Don’t use heated mops on the floor as this will remove the sealant and also degrade the stone and the grout.
• Keep the floor free from sand and dust particles to prevent scratches where dirt can get trapped.
• If you scrub too hard, don’t panic, just seal it afterwards.

 

Need Some Advice or Guidance - Just Give Us a Call!

 

So, there you have it. Lots of great info to help you keep your stone tiles clean and well maintained in between visits from our professional stone cleaning services team. If you’d like to get a quote for our services, all you need to do is click here and fill in your details. Upon receipt of your enquiry, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

 

Alternatively, if you’d like to speak to our team directly, call us today on 01344 374671 and we’ll do our utmost to assist you in any way we can.