If you have tile in your home that you’ve found yourself having a hard time keeping clean, you’ll be glad to know that with a little knowledge and some quick and easy effort, you can clean your tile and have it looking great.

To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for cleaning the tile in your home.

Know What Type Of Tile You’re Working With

The first thing you have to know before you start cleaning your tile is the type of tile that you have in your home. Different tiles are going to require different types of cleaning. If you use certain cleaning agents on certain types of tiles, you could wind up staining or otherwise ruining the look or feel of that tile. So if you don’t know what type of tile you have off the top of your head, do a bit of research to find that out.

Once you know what type of tile you’re working with, you can know what you can or shouldn’t use to clean it. For example, you can wash porcelain tiles with a vinegar solution, but this should be avoided with other tile materials. And with some tiles, you can let them air dry, while other tiles should be dried off with a soft towel so that they don’t get water spots on them.

Start With A Dry Clean, Finish With A Wet Clean

For all tiles, you’re going to want to do a dry cleaning first before you move forward with a wet cleaning.

For the dry cleaning, you’ll want to sweep, vacuum, or use a dry mop duster to pick up any debris off of the floor. Be careful with this step that you don’t use too much pressure to drag sharp debris along the surface of the tile, as this could scratch it.

For the wet cleaning, you’ll want to use whatever solution is safest for the type of tile you have. Spot cleaning may require a bit more elbow grease, and you should leave the grout cleaning as a separate task.

Clean Grout Using A Toothbrush

To really get your tile looking great, you really need to give the grout attention, especially if it’s a lighter color.

The best way to clean grout between tiles is to use a toothbrush and your chosen grout-cleaning solution. While there are some that you can purchase, you can also make your own and see how that works for you. Things like water, baking soda, lemon and vinegar can all be used to clean grout.

If you’re needing to get the tile in your home really clean, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how this can best be accomplished with the type of tile and the color of grout that you have.