GUIDE TO THE PROFESSIONAL CLEANING OF CERAMIC TILES
1. PRELIMINARY REMARK
Ceramic tiles are distinguished not only by their aesthetic and functional quality, but mainly by their special ease of maintenance. This makes them suitable for use in private as well as semi-public and public areas.
All the tiles distributed by us captivate with their high quality. In order to maintain this high quality, you should always follow the relevant notes and instructions of the respective manufacturers when using cleaning agents.
Cleaning agents containing hydrofluoric acid or fluorides damage the surfaces of ceramic tiles even in diluted form. For this reason, you should generally refrain from using them.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept any liability for any damage that may occur due to the improper or incorrect use of cleaning agents.
2. PRINCIPLES
The following applies in principle to the cleaning of glazed and unglazed ceramic floors:
- Choosing a proper cleaning agent. Allow detergent to act for a long time to achieve high efficiency.
- Support the cleaning mechanically with brushes, microfiber covers for wipers or similar, but refrain from using so-called pads or brushes with abrasive grain additives.
- Before the dissolved dirt dries, you should pick it up, rinse it away or vacuum it.
In addition, wiping grids, entrance mats, clean zones or dirt locks can be used to prevent the worst contamination from occurring in the first place.
3. INITIAL CLEANING
Once the tiles are laid and grouted, the first cleaning of the covering should take place. This initial cleaning, also called final or final construction cleaning, has the purpose of removing both the construction dirt and the cement haze. The best way to remove coarse dirt is to sweep it off. After that, you can remove the cement haze, which consists mainly of residues of laying and grouting material, with an acid cleaner. To prevent the acid from also affecting cement-based joints, you should pre-wet them and rinse them thoroughly after the cleaning process or neutralize them with suitable agents.
4. MAINTENANCE CLEANING
The easiest way to remove dry everyday dirt is to sweep or vacuum, as needed. Light soiling can be removed using standard household cleaners, such as neutral cleaners, or with alkaline or acidic cleaning agents.
You should not resort to cleaners containing care products. In the long term, these build up sticky layers of grease, wax and plastic, which can have a negative effect on the appearance, slip resistance and hygienic and cleaning properties.
5. BASIC CLEANING
If the floor is more heavily soiled, intensive basic cleaning should be carried out. You can thoroughly clean ceramic coverings with special cleaners, increased exposure time, and mechanical assistance reinforced by brushing and, if necessary, scouring powder.
Cleaning types
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Final cleaning of the building
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Maintenance cleaning
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Basic cleaning
- Small areas
- manual cleaning with brush, mop, microfiber pad or mop
- Larger areas
- Scrubber-driers with disc or high-pressure cleaners,
- High pressure cleaner with spray injector for heavily soiled and non-slip surfaces.
Basically: After cleaning, rinse with clear water and pick up and remove loosened dirt, e.g. with a washing vacuum cleaner After cleaning, the surface must be dry.
1. final construction cleaning – cleaning after the completion of construction work.
a. Clean the surface of construction dirt and laying and grouting residues. Use cement residue remover (cleaning agent with acid content pH < 6) Pay attention to the solution of the cleaning agent so that the grout is not attacked or brightened.
b. For paint, varnish, silicone or epoxy stains, please use special cleaners.
2. maintenance cleaning
a. Sweep, vacuum and damp mop with suitable neutral detergent (pH 6.0 to 8.0) according to the respective manufacturer’s instructions.
3. basic cleaning
a. Use alkaline cleaning agents (pH > 8) to remove grease stains.
b. Used acidic detergents (pH < 6) to remove water scale deposits.
Detergent
- Neutral detergents (pH 6 to ≤ 8) for normal, regular cleaning in dry rooms (kitchen mirrors, bathrooms, WC, changing rooms, etc.).
- Weak alkaline cleaners (pH 8 to ≤ 10) for cleaning sanitary areas, row showers, etc. Pay attention to the correct dosage. These agents dissolve body fats, cosmetics, grease and dirt deposits.
- Strong alkaline cleaning agent (pH > 10) for basic cleaning of surfaces heavily contaminated by grease, oil and paint residues. Aluminum, glass or plastics may be attacked or destroyed by prolonged exposure. Make sure to cover adjacent painted surfaces.
- Weak acid cleaners (pH 3 to ≥ 6) for the removal of cement haze, e.g. calcium efflorescence, urine scale and other water-insoluble mineral precipitates (silicates, sulfates, phosphates) and deposits. As a preventive measure, thoroughly pre-water the pavement surfaces to reduce the absorbency of the joints.
- Strongly acidic cleaning agents (pH < 3) for very heavy cement haze. Here, too, please pre-water the surface thoroughly and clean it again with water after cleaning.
NEVER USE cleaning agents containing hydrofluoric acid
PLEASE DO NOT USE any film-forming and non-recommended cleaning agents either.
Cleangold, platinum and mother-of-pearl elements with water and neutral agent only. Do not use sharp objects or chemically aggressive cleaning agents
Metallic surfaces
- Removal of grout residues and dirt stains, pre-water the joints first, then degrease with an alkaline cleaner and clean with water afterwards
- Clean further contamination with acidic cleaning agent and rinse with water.
The combination of the two detergents can provide perfect cleaning. Do not use impregnations or unknown cleaners for metallic surfaces!
Slip resistant ceramic coverings
Contaminants (sand, grill grease, snow and ice residues) reduce the slip resistance. For greasy surfaces, please use alkaline cleaning agents and rinse thoroughly with water.
For cleaning larger area, special equipment is more effective than manual cleaning. Surface water on anti-slip tiles, (e.g. on swimming pool edges or commercial kitchen floors) can be removed with special tools (e.g. flitters). On polished porcelain stoneware, after installation and cleaning, apply an impregnation as protection, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Cleaning process
Normal ceramic surfaces
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All data without guarantee.