Well, I have spent 3+ hours scrubbing the ceramic tile in the kitchen. There has got to be a better way.

For those of you that have ceramic tile...
1. How do you clean it?
2. How frequently?

By Yjja123 on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 10:28 pm:

I use the envirosteamer. It is the ONLY thing that makes my white tile white.

By Pamt on Monday, December 26, 2005 - 11:01 pm:

I'll be doing that in the next two weeks. I'm planning on a toothbrush and elbow grease for the dark grey grout in the kitchen and Clorox bleach pen for the white grout in the bath. We have this horrible matte terra cotta colored Mexican tile in the kitchen. It looks okay, but shows every little water spot since it is a matte finish. I hate it!! I'm planning on some sore knees and arms.

By Paulas on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 01:26 am:

My knees and elbows are just aching. The grout is a dark color so it doesn't show much but the tile itself is a beige color. There are some little devits (sp) in it that seem to catch the dirt and turn my beige color tile in to beige with brown highlights

By Paulas on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 02:25 am:

Pam, how often do you get down on your hands and knees and scrub them?

By Pamt on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 08:28 am:

Paula, I've been in this house 4 years and I've never done it. It's long overdue.

By Heaventree on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 08:47 am:

A steamer on the tiles and grout.

Put some bleach on the grout, try the gel kind let it sit for a minute then scrub with a brush and use the steamer to finish it off.

By Kaye on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 10:38 am:

Pam after you scrub those floors you can reseal them with shiny sealant. My dad did these to his floors and it made them look amazing.

By Cat on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 10:46 am:

Is this what I'm getting myself into??? Our new house will have tile countertops and tile floors in the kitchen/breakfast nook and bathrooms. We pick out our colors this Friday. I guess I should invest in a steamer.

By Paulas on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 11:36 am:

Kaye, I'll have to tell DH about the shiny sealant. Maybe that will help.

Cat...I think if you keep up with it the job is less daunting. Like Pam, this is the first time I have done it. I've been in this house 2.5 years. I have just used my swifter in the past to mop the floors. I think from now on I will use my swifter for the spot cleaning but a traditional mop for the good cleaning once or twice a week.

I'm thinking about a steamer but our areas are rather small. You wouldn't know it today though as my shoulders are killing me.

3 more bathrooms to do. I figure by the time I finish, I'll need to start over again. I think I'll be happy that we have small bathrooms. However, I'll wait until my shoulders recover before attempting to do do them.

Heaventree...do you use bleach even on colored grout and tile???

By Heaventree on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 11:55 am:

Our grout is a light gray, so yes I do use bleach on it. Our tiles are sealed by the manufacturer so there is no problem using bleach on them, but it's really not necessary for the tile part as it is easily cleaned. If you have a darkly coloured grout just do a test in area you can't see, like behind the stove or behind the toilet.

BTW I have only cleaned my grout this way once in 3 years, it's a big job, be sure to seal your grout once you've cleaned it. I have not yet done the counter tops but it's time.

By Paulas on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 12:09 pm:

I spent more time on the tile than the grout. Didn't really concentrate on the grout. Now I'm thinking I might have to do it again. DH helped me a bit at the end with a bronze brush but it was somewhat dirty so when I mopped afterwards, it left some darker spots on the grout.

Our grout is beige.

By Conni on Tuesday, December 27, 2005 - 03:22 pm:

Paula- the people that clean my carpets 2x a yr- also steam my tile. It is very rough texture tile with crevices here and there like yours. In between professional steaming- about ONCE a yr I will clean the floor with a stiff brush and cleaner... Its a pain and I will never have this type of tile in my kitchen again. grrr... Next house will be all wood floors I think!!