Keeping Tile Floors Clean in Your Gainesville, Florida Apartment Home

Tile is the most popular floor covering in Gainesville, Florida apartments, especially in wet areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Apartment managers and residents alike appreciate their tile floors for their durability, beauty, and low maintenance. But to truly bring out their lovely appearance, tile floors should be cleaned regularly and handled with care.

The first step in cleaning tile is removing everyday dust, lint, and hair. This is easily accomplished with a weekly vacuum or sweeping. Dirt and “dust bunnies” tend to accumulate along walls and in corners, so a vacuum attachment is perfect for reaching the edges of tile floors.

The second step in cleaning tile is wet cleaning. The most common method of wet-cleaning tile is with an old-fashioned mop and bucket, but some Gainesville, Florida apartment residents invest in tools to make this job easier, such as a steam mop or other automatic hard floor cleaner.

As durable as tile is, it pays to be careful during the wet-cleaning process. Grout (the lines in between the tiles) is sensitive to detergents and other cleaners. Many store-bought cleaners are known to eat away at grout, damaging the floor and making it even harder to clean.

To avoid grout damage, try mopping your tile floor with very hot, plain water. Hot water and steam loosen dirt without damaging grout. For oily or very messy areas, it’s okay to use a mild, soapy cleaner, but try to avoid the grout lines.

The final step in maintaining tile floors in your Gainesville, FL apartment is avoiding scrapes and scratches. Again, tile is durable, but it still can be damaged by furniture and other heavy objects. Once tile is scratched, it creates a gully where dirt collects. This makes tile both hard to clean and unsightly.

For more tips on cleaning and maintaining tile floors, contact your apartment community management office.