Searching safely in Porcelain
Porcelain Tile Cleaning, Sealing & Maintenance
Welcome to XO2's most popular cleaning and maintenance products for porcelain tiles. Porcelain tiles can be either unglazed or glazed and available in a variety of colours, textures and finishes. Porcelain tiles are much harder than ceramic tiles which is why they're a popular choice for indoor, outdoor and commercial use. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are both made in a similar way from a clay mixture that is fired in a kiln, but porcelain is made with a more refined clay and higher temperatures are used when firing. This process makes porcelain denser (almost no water absorption) and more durable (longer lasting) which is why it's generally more expensive than ceramic tiles. Most porcelain tiles have a strong resistance to acid and alkaline chemicals.
Clean Porcelain Tiles With C-A-T
CAT stands for Chemical, Agitation and Temperature. Choose the chemical that's suitable for your surface and soil. Select the right agitation method (eg. floor pad, brush, high pressure) and temperature you will clean with (heat often cleans better).
Recommended Products For The 4 Types Of Porcelain Tile Maintenance
*Always test products first before use
- Initial - Cleaning newly laid floors... Use Bobby Dazzler (pH neutral). To remove grout haze and plaster dust use Crackerjack or Phos Power. And for factory wax removal use Porcelain Pro.
- Regular Maintenance - Use Bobby Dazzler (pH neutral). This is for everyday cleaning. For regular cleaning of wall tiles, you can clean them just like glass with a squeegee or with Wow Fast Dry and a microfibre cloth.
- Periodic Cleaning - Use Bobby Dazzler or Too Easy. Periodic cleaning may occur monthly, quarterly or yearly.
- Restorative / Salvage Cleaning - Use TKO or Crackerjack. This is when things have gotten a little out of hand and the surface needs a reset! For difficult stains use Poultice Pro and for rust stains go with Rust Daddy.
Precautions
Avoid harsh chemicals and abrasive cleaners where possible. When using heavy chemicals neutralise with Bobby Dazzler afterwards to avoid fast re-soiling.
Sealing Porcelain Tiles
Use Pro Seal Ultra for sealing porcelain tiles and grout (test first, don't use too much, and remove any residue immediately). This penetrating sealer (also called 'invisible impregnating' or 'natural look' sealer) is not a coating that will sit on top of the surface and it will not change the look, colour, texture or slip resistance of the porcelain. XO2 does not recommend the use of any sealer coatings or enhancers on porcelain tiles.
And check out this blog article... 7 Reasons Why Sealing Ceramic Floor Tiles Is Almost Always A Bad Idea
Etched Or Dull Porcelain Tiles?
In most instances when a porcelain tile is etched or dull and professional cleaning is unsuccessful it is considered permanent. Porcelain is not like marble and limestone that can be polished onsite.