Installing new tile is an exciting time. It’s a wonderful experience that adds beauty to your home. It took some time to pick out the color and type of tile you wanted and you take pride in the investment for your home or place of business. Now that it’s installed and finished, you want to maintain the beauty of that investment for years to come. No matter what type of tile you have, there are some basic maintenance tips to ensure your tile’s longevity.

Since dirt adheres pretty easily to the surface of tile, especially if you have a the type of tile that has a textured surface, regular sweeping will need to be done on a regular basis depending how much traffic you have in your home. If you are having trouble getting the dirt up around the hard to reach areas like along the edges, in the corners, or between the tiles; don’t be afraid to use your vacuum and its attachments to suck up that dirt.

Most are advised to wait 72 hours after installation in order to let the tile and grout dry before you apply water or any other chemicals. But once the waiting period is over its back to business as usual. We suggest your tile floors be damp-mopped weekly at a minimum, but can be done more if needed. For heavy soil, you can spot clean with a sponge. When cleaning it’s a good idea to employ the dry to wet method; do all the household cleaning chores that require dry cleaning such as dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming. Then do the wet cleaning such as glass cleaning, wall washing and mopping. If you employ this method, there will be less dirt floating around in the room to cling to your freshly mopped floors.

Another way to protect your tile is to use floor mats at the entrances and exits of your home to reduce the wear on the tile. The mats collect and trap the outside debris such as sand, dirt, or asphalt. It also is a good idea to put mats in front of constant pressure or heavy pivot points such as kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, and your stove to help trap any spills that might happen. The same idea of protection goes with the furniture you have on your tile. It should have felt or protective pads on all of the legs, especially any metal furniture you might have that rests on the tile floors to avoid scratching, breaking, and possibly even staining them.

Some people like to use a sealer on their tile floors in order to further prevent wear, but make sure you get the facts straight about your tile before doing that. You shouldn’t apply any type of sealer on a freshly installed tile floor for at least 28 days. Most glazed tiles do not need sealing, but its important to check with the company if you’re considering this option to find out if the tile you have chosen needs sealing or not. Always ask the tile experts before attempting to do it at home!