Tile is a beautiful and common choice in homes all over the world. Tiles are more resistant to scouring and abrasion, which makes them a famous choice.
It has a rising market demand because it has classy flooring options. With the passage of time, tile floors lose their shine because of stains, dirt, and wear.
The dull floors make the whole room appear old and outdated. Give the room a new life instead of ignoring dull floors to restore their shine and glory.
Tile can be used for both bathrooms and flooring. The tile is very durable and cleans up properly and nicely. With the passage of time, the tile loses its shine.
The products available commercially might not be in range, and it is very hard to determine which one of them cleans the best. To help protect the environment from dangerous chemicals and save money, go for the natural ingredients to clean the floors of your home and make the tile shine and glow.
In this article, we will focus mainly on how to make tile floor shine without wax and what are the natural ways to make tile floor shine?
What makes tile floors dull?
The most common causes to turn tile dull are dirt, dust left by footwear, and everyday wear and tear or masking by stains. Some polished and glazed tiles are affected by the acidic substances that react with the shiny top layer giving a dull finish.
Tile sealers give tiles a highly glossy look, also make the tile floors appear dull when exposed to some kinds of solvents.
How to make a tile floor shine?
For shining tile floors, wax is the most common and popular option. However, you can stay on budget and save money along with restoration of tile flooring by using natural homemade solutions that are free of wax.
Here are some natural options to make tile floors shine without wax.
1. Use of natural vinegar
The solution of vinegar comes with many properties of cleaning. The main ingredient, Acetic acid in vinegar tile cleaner, dissolves grease, soap scum, grime, mineral deposits, and dirt, making the tiles shiner and cleaner in the method.
Take one cup of vinegar and 1-gallon water and stir to combine properly. Use the hot vinegar and water solution to mop the dull tile floor.
Use clean warm water to re-mob the floor properly, once the tile floor is mobbed with the solution.
2. Clean dull tiles with baking soda
For stubborn grout, dirt and stains especially, baking soda is an effective tile cleaner. It is the best substitute for the wax to restore the shine.
The steps of using baking soda to make tile floors shine are
- Take 2-3 cups of baking soda, ½ cup of the dishwasher, and warm water to make a paste
- Apply it to the tile and let it settle down for almost 10 minutes.
- Use a scrub or an old toothbrush or sponge to remove the marks and stains
- Take lemon juice and soak the cloth in it and wipe the cleaned tiles
- Use warm water to wash the tile and dry the surface for the removal of extra moisture.
3. Restore the shine using lemon
The excellent remedy for the restoration of shine on your floor tile is lemon. Take a spray bottle and pour lemon juice in it and use it on your tile floor. Use a damp cloth or sponge, to wipe properly till the glossy look appears. Soak the sponge or cloth in lemon juice alternatively for 10 minutes before wiping the tiles.
The acidic components of lemon juice will damage the tiles if left to stand for many hours. Ensure to clean your tiles when using lemon juice.
4. Clean the tiles with soapy water
Surprisingly, soapy water is an effective tile floor cleaner. Take 1-2 tablespoons of dish soap and mix in 4 liters of water. Use a soft sponge and mob the floor to gently scrub stains and grout.
On ceramic tiles and resilient flooring, cleaning with soapy water is effective. The resilient types of floors are made of materials like rubber, PVC, vinyl, and linoleum.
Avoid using soapy water on wooden floors as moisture might cause warping.
Disadvantages of wax finish on tile floors
To restore the shine of ceramic tiles and other flooring types, waxing can work well. But it wears quite easily with small dents left behind attracting a lot of grout and dirt.
It is an extensive process to remove wax as stripping agents are used to liquefy it.
Some of the disadvantages of applying wax finish.
- Difficult to strip off
- Works for selected types of floors
- Not durable
- High maintenance
- Vulnerable to heat
Can you restore dull ceramic tiles?
You might have a question about how to make dull ceramic tile shine. The tiles that have lost their original luster and shine, you can restore ceramic tiles because of dust, dirt, stain, and everyday usage. Using Mop & Glo Multisurface floor cleaner or baking soda you can remove any soiling on the tiles and clean those in one go.
There are a number of other methods to restore the dullness of ceramic tiles. It is dependent on how damaged and dull they appear and your personal choice.
The natural tile floor cleaners available are highly effective and safe. If you don’t like to use heavy-duty, you can think of trying the options we will discuss later in the article.
The Bottom Line
With basic knowledge of how to make a tile floor shine, can help you to make a cleaning solution on an effective budget. You can choose any of the above-mentioned techniques to maintain the shine of the tile surface. The methods are simple and easy to use at an affordable price. You can use commercial cleaners if you are not sure of how they work out.