How do I clean and maintain my Terracotta tile Floor?

Terracotta tile floors can look so beautiful in your home, they especially look lovely in Kitchens, but like most natural stone floors, they do need a fair bit of maintenance and care.

You should always protect this type of flooring with a high-quality terracotta tile sealer, this helps prevent any staining to the tiles.

Be sure to keep all furniture that stands on the floor has some form of the pad on the bottom. You should place things like plant pots and pet bowls on mats to prevent any staining or scratching to the floor.

We use specially formulated solutions for cleaning these types of tiles.

Here are some simple steps you can take to maintain your terracotta tile floor:

• You should vacuum your Terracotta tile floors daily to remove surface grit and dirt to reduce the chance of scratches. 
• You should mop Terracotta tile floors with a damp mop once a week even daily on heavy traffic areas to remove surface dirt and soil. Only use cleaners specially formulated for terracotta floors.
• Remove spills Spills immediately. Always blot, never wipe as the act of wiping can spread the spill as Terracotta is a porous stone.
• Terracotta tiled floors should be deep cleaned and resealed on a yearly basis.

If you don’t fancy the stress of cleaning and would prefer a deep clean, you can always call a professional for help.

Art of Clean offers 3 different options for cleaning and sealing your Terracotta floor:

• Topical sealant: will scratch over time but easier to maintain, it makes mopping easier. Gives a shiny finish but this will dull over time.
• Impregnator: will penetrate the Terracotta and enhance colour but won’t be as easy to maintain the floor compared to the topical sealant will leaves a rougher finish making mopping more difficult.
• Oil and wax: The oil penetrates the stone giving the tile a warmer colour. The wax gives a protective sheen. Please be aware that after a prolonged amount of time, wax can build up. If you find this is happening we always recommend maintenance for this.  Have a look at our video on how we clean wax and oil the terracotta.

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