How To Remove Food Stains from Floor Tiles? – Tips from Lavish Ceramics

Apr 2024

Stubborn food stains on your priceless tiles make you lose your mind, right? Don’t you know how to get rid of these unwanted stains and make your tiles shinier and brighter once again? Look no further because this post has got you covered! When it comes to cleaning spaces, maintaining the floors is easy but, sometimes getting rid of tough stains becomes challenging. In some cases, the stains on the floor tiles are too tough to remove with regular cleaning methods no matter how hard you try with scrubbing and wet wiping.

Tips to Remove Food Stains from Floor Tiles

Especially when it comes to the kitchen, you will find that the grout lines are appearing more prominent over time. Are you wondering why it is happening even when you are cleaning them regularly? It is happening because of the accumulation of dust, oil, grease, and other particles that get stuck. And finally, when they grab your attention they become quite bolder, darker, and tougher.

Here let us learn how to remove food stains from tile flooring and get clear floor tiles.

Tip 1: Know Your Tiles First

Tiles are made from different materials such as porcelain, ceramic, marble, granite, as well as other natural stones. Each one has its own type of wash and clean guidelines. You need to bear these in mind before you start scrubbing roughly. In case you are not fully aware of the specific care instructions, it is best to ask your seller about this before you start.

In most cases, man-made tiles such as ceramic and porcelain tiles are durable and easily cleanable even with basic cleaning techniques. However, when it comes to natural stones, these should be treated with extra care. You need to have complete knowledge about how to clean these, what type of cleaning surfactants to use, what are their effect on the stones, etc.

Tip 2: Have Patience and Take it Slow

You will see that most households choose the normally available floor cleaners. While some homes use phenyls, some other homes with kids use antiseptic liquids to mop the floors. While it is true that most of these conventional cleaners may not harm the tiles, these leave a consequential effect on natural floor tiles over time. You may come to notice that the stones are looking worn out, losing texture, color is fading and these are lacking their natural sheen.

To deal with this, especially in the case of stone flooring, it is important to switch to non-abrasive floor cleaners that are suitable for natural stone and are exclusively made for these. Do not use cleaners containing acidic agents such as vinegar, lemon or baking soda since these elements can react with the natural stone causing depletion.

Also, at the time of cleaning, remember not to use scrubs like steel wool or harsh brushes since these can be too hard on the flooring, be it stone or tiles. This causes scratches on the surfaces and ruins its finish and sheen. Consequently, these look dull and worn out.

Tip 3: Switch to Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide works wonders, especially on food stains that don’t go away with your normal cleaners. Hydrogen Peroxide is available in various strength compositions. For floor cleaning it is crucial to choose the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide. It is a powerful cleaning chemical and therefore, while using it,  always dilute it in water and use light dabs to clean the stains.

Since this agent is corrosive, you should wipe off the cleaned surface right away with water as soon as the stain disappears. If your stain is not going away even after dabbing, lay a small piece of cloth soaked in the solution on the stain. Let it sit for 1-2 hours before you proceed with mild scrubbing to clean the stain completely.

Here is a pro tip. Try a patch test in a corner spot first to ensure you don’t damage the most visible tiles. Hydrogen Peroxide is highly effective for coffee stains, nail polish, and tough greasy stains on flooring. It is also very useful to eliminate those stubborn grout lines and get clear floor tiles.

Tip 4: Try Some Bleach

Another common home cleaning chemical to remove food stains is bleach. Bleach is a strong acid that is always advisable to be diluted in water before cleaning. Clean the stained surface with the gentle dabbing technique and wash it with tap water right away.

Before using bleach on the surface, make sure that the surface is clean since bleach reacts with other chemicals. This agent is highly effective on stains left by ink, coffee, juice, or other tough stains. There are chances that if bleach reacts with the other chemicals on the floor surface, it could damage the appearance of the tile instead of removing the stains.

Tip 5: Get Magical Results with Borax

Borax is generally used as a cleaning agent for clothes. However, it is also effective in cleaning floors. Dilute Borax in water and use it to clean off stains from the tiles. This agent should be used only for tiles due to its reactive elements. If used as a substitute for floor cleaners, it is a great solution to maintain clean, sparkly, and shiny tiles.

Chemicals to Avoid When Cleaning Your Tiles

Tiles are durable and also easy to clean and maintain. However, this doesn’t mean that you can use anything to clean your tiles. Choosing a harsh product can cause irreversible harm to the tiles. Avoid the following:-

• Harsh agents such as lemon and vinegar should be avoided for routine cleaning;

• Colored cleaners that can be absorbed by the unglazed tiles and alter the initial color

• Wax-based cleaners may cause yellow stains and build-up, and tiles may become slippery.

• Abrasive materials, scouring powder, etc might scratch the tiles and damage their finish.

Be it porcelain tiles, ceramic tiles, or natural stone tiles – their surface can be eroded by the regular use of harsh chemicals. Therefore, follow the above tips and also check out other blogs from Lavish Ceramics to stay updated. They are one of the best ceramic tile manufacturers in Gujarat.