Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile is the easier of the two to maintain because it is not a porous material. Usually it's dried in a kiln setting much like an average piece of pottery. This is also the most popular type of tile flooring in America today. It is thought that this type of tile can be cleaned simply by buying a bottle of Pine Sol and everything will be fine. Well, the truth is that the tile will be just fine, but what about the grout? This is most often overlooked on prebuilt homes but anyone who has ever put in their own choice of tile knows that the grout color is specific to preference as well. This is where we run into some difficulty.

You may have noticed that the grout has changed color since you installed it. It can be such a gradual change, though, that you may NOT have noticed it at all. However, instead of being a vibrant color, you notice that it is now grey (if you put in grey grout to begin with, your grout may look darker than you remember) and pale or dingy. The reason this occurs is that your grout is very porous. Over time it gathers and absorbs all the dirt, grease and grime that settle on it. Many people who notice it just consider it one of the downsides of owning tile and pay no particular attention to it. However, this too can be cleaned!

Natural Tile

When you get into quarry tile or natural stone, then you have the same problem. Now its the tile AND the grout that have an issue, though, and both need to be cleaned and sealed.

To check if your tile and grout have been sealed simply put a drop of water on the tile and/or the grout. Give it about 5-10 minutes dwell time and see if it goes away. (hint: Water doesn't evaporate that fast) If it is gone then you have no sealed surface. This indicates that the floor is subject to moisture and food stuffs getting into it and literally dampening the color.

Why should you care about this condition if you don't care about the color? Well, what would happen if you spilled water on an unsealed wood floor?

Think of a wooden deck in the back yard -- Then think of the surface underneath the tile.

In many cases it's subflooring. Moisture rots wood out. When it comes to the food stuffs (this is an easy one), germs and bacteria grow and expand. Perhaps even mold will form! And you may not want to even THINK about how many times you and your family have walked across the floor in your bare feet!

A properly-cleaned and sealed floor will make your kitchen smell better, not just mask it, and it will protect the integrity of your home so that when you choose to go in for a full remodel or change of flooring, you will have the peace of mind to know that the subfloor is OK.

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