When I discuss tile cleaning with customers they normally think of the ceramic or stone tiles you find in Tile shops. Interestingly our equipment, products and techniques also work well on other hard surfaces as well including Vinyl floor tiles.
Things brings me nicely onto this customer in the London suburb of Worcester Park who had chequered Vinyl tiled floors in the bathroom and kitchen that were well overdue a deep clean.
Cleaning Heavily Soiled Vinyl Tiled Floors
I approached cleaning the Vinyl in the same way as tile by applying a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and leaving it soak into the floor for around ten minutes. I then scrubbed the solution into the tiles using a black scrubbing pad fitted to my 45kg buffing machine which had to be lowered down to the basement. Some houses are really difficult to get the equipment into. I like to run marathons when I’m not cleaning tiles so consider myself quite fit but this job was felt across my shoulders for days.
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The cleaning process released a lot of dirt from the floors which was rinsed away with water and then extracted using a wet vacuum. Once the floor was clean I was able to check the floor and repeat the process for any stubborn areas that needed extra work.
Sealing a Victorian Tiled Floor
The next step was to seal the floor however it had to be dry first so I installed an industrial blower machine to speed up the drying process. Once the floor was dry I applied a coat of Tile Doctor Seal and Go which adds a layer of protection to the Vinyl that will prevent dirt becoming ingrained.
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One cleaned and dry the dark squares contrasted well with the white which was appreciated by the customer who left the following feedback.
“Anita and I were both delighted when we got home last night and saw the results of your work – you really have brought the tiles up beautifully and the results are better than I’d hoped or expected. I hope you didn’t hurt your back too badly humping the machine up and down the stairs. We are both most grateful. Thanks again.”
We recommend using a specialist cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner for the regular cleaning of sealed tiles and grout. Never use a steam cleaner on a sealed surface and if you wish to use another product always read the label in detail first, most supermarket tile cleaners are only suitable for Vinyl tiles as many are acidic and this will erode and reduce the life of the sealer over time.