No matter what style of flooring you have in your home or business, you want to keep that flooring sparkling clean.
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We bring you this guide today to talk about tile flooring, and how to keep it showroom-fresh. More specifically, we will be discussing and reviewing the best mops for tile floor.
Tile floors are extremely commonplace both in homes and businesses.
Tile has some incredible advantages over other flooring types, so it is easy to see why it is a lead one contender for so many designers and builders.
Even in this single category of flooring, there are myriad different styles to choose from and each of them have slightly different needs when it comes to care and maintenance.
Types Of Tile Flooring
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Noted for its resistance to moisture, easy maintenance requirements and exceptional durability, tile is a building material that has withstood the test of time.
Tile is most commonly used in the kitchen and bathroom though you can often find it throughout whole buildings as well.
Natural Stone Tiles
Many people have tiles made from natural stone in their homes. Granite, slate, limestone, marble and travertine are all used as flooring choices and they are all very different from one another.
Granite is extremely hardy and, once polished, it’s nearly impenetrable. Because of this and the fact that it resists scratches, it makes a great choice for areas such as kitchens that get a lot of foot traffic.
Slate is smooth and durable. It was once a common material for chalkboards in schools. Slate is another natural stone that is an excellent choice for kitchen flooring.
Limestone is not as rugged as other options. Limestone is very easily scratched and it soaks in stains before you even get a chance to realize you’ve spilled something. While it can be used for flooring, it shouldn’t be used in areas that will attract a lot of traffic.
Marble is very porous and prone to staining and breakage. It is rarely used for floors anymore but you might find it in much older homes. It has to be filed and polished quite frequently.
Travertine is also rarely used for flooring anymore as it has large natural holes and dents in it. It can be scratched and stained and it takes highly specialized care to keep up with it.
Ceramic And Porcelain Tiles
These days, ceramic tiles and porcelain tiles are the most common types of tile used in home building and they both have distinct pros and cons.
Made from water, sand and natural clay, ceramic tiles are formed into squares and then fired in a kiln so that the moisture is removed.
Porcelain tiles are also made from sand, natural clay and water but they have an additional type of sand in them. Also, porcelain tiles are fired in the kiln for much longer and at a much higher temperature. Having a longer time to dry out helps the porcelain become much harder than ceramic tiles.
Glazed ceramic or porcelain tiles are sealed with a protective layer that helps them to be water resistant. Unglazed tiles need to be sealed if they are to be used as flooring in case they soak up stains and get damaged from regular use.
Ceramic and porcelain tiles are very tough and durable. It is difficult to break a porcelain or ceramic tile but in the unfortunate case that you do break one, it is easily replaced.
If you’re on a budget, ceramic tiles will be your best bet but be sure to shop around for a good deal on porcelain. Both of these tile choices are more affordable than other available options. Depending on how handy you are, you can save a bundle by installing the tile yourself as well.
Ceramic will be much easier for the weekend DIYer but if you’re more proficient with special tools, you can probably knock out the porcelain cuts yourself too.
Both ceramic and porcelain tiles can come in a variety of looks as well. Gone are the days of plain, solid colored flooring – unless that’s what you want, of course! You can now find tiles that look like wood, tiles with painted designs or to look like the less durable natural stone flooring.
When properly taken care of ceramic or porcelain tile floors can last for 20 years or more. Porcelain will last longer than ceramic due to the differences in the way they are manufactured.
To take care of your tile floors, they need regular cleaning.
Luckily, both porcelain and ceramic tiles are very easy to clean and maintain properly. Because they are glazed with a protective sealant, all the dirt, dust and grime simply sits on top of the tile waiting to be swept or mopped away.
Cleaning Tile Floors
Speaking of how easy it is to clean and care for tile floors, we should probably get down to the nitty-gritty of getting rid of that dirt!
When it comes to cleaning your tile flooring, you have a few more options than with other floors. Because of the way tile has been manufactured and glazed, it is nearly impervious. This means that water won’t destroy it like some other flooring options. Nevertheless, you still don’t want standing water on your floor. That’s just an accident waiting to happen.
While you can do it the old-fashioned way, getting down on your hands and knees with a bucket of hot sudsy water and a scrub brush, spending hours scrubbing the floors, things are a whole lot easier these days.
You can use just about anything to clean your tile floors but the best choices will be between a scrub mop, a steam mop, a microfiber mop and a spin mop.
- Scrub Mop: A scrub mop is similar to a traditional sponge mop but instead of using a sponge to clean the flooring, it has a brush full of hard bristles that scrub away dirt and sticky grime. These scrubbing mop heads will lift away more dirt than a traditional mop, saving you time
- Steam Mop: A steam mop is an electric mop that cleans your floor with the power of steam. That’s it. No harsh chemicals. No major scrubbing. The heat from the steam cleans and disinfects your floors in one swift motion
- Microfiber Mop: Microfiber mops are great for picking up dirt, dust, pet dander and other tiny bits of gunk of your floors. You can use microfiber mops dry to simply dust your floors or wet to easily clean them
- Spin Mop: Spin mops use a special bucket that uses centrifugal force to spin the excess water out of the mop head. This ensures you are actually cleaning your floor not simply pushing dirty water around
It is not advisable to use a traditional sponge mop or string mop to clean your tile floors. These mops are not very good at getting the floors truly clean.
Sponge mops and string mops tend to soak up excess water and it is difficult to get it all out. When using these types of mops, your floors will never look or feel clean because you are just pushing the dirty water around instead of cleaning it up.
Also, avoid using abrasive cleaning products on your tile flooring. While the tiles may be extremely durable, you do not want to scratch the sealant on them. If the sealant is scratched, water and other grime can seep into the scratches and stain your tiles making your floor appear dirty, and making the tiles wear out much faster than they should.
5 Best Mop for Tile Floor Reviews
Now that we have all the basic information out of the way, let’s move on to our selection of the best 5 mops for this singular surface…
1. O-Cedar UltraMAX Microfiber Mop
O-Cedar makes many different options for cleaning floors and this UltraMAX Microfiber mop is an excellent choice for cleaning tile flooring.
This system comes with a bucket so you can wring out and re-wet the mop as you clean your floors allowing you to keep your hands clean and dry.
The mop handle is telescopic meaning it extends and retracts so a person of any height can use this mop to clean the floors comfortably.
The head of the mop swivels around to give you the ability to get into more areas and get them clean. Now you can get the mop into corners, over baseboards and under furniture, cabinets and appliances to clean them all.
The head of the mop also has a special “PowerZone” area with extra little scrubber to get your floor ultra-clean.
The mop uses a microfiber cloth that can be removed, washed and re-used making this an eco-friendly mop that is easy on your pocket.
2. Hurricane 360 Spin Mop
Helping you to dust, mop and polish your tile floors, this Hurricane 360 Spin Mop is just what you need in your cleaning arsenal.
This mop saves you time as you don’t need to sweep beforehand. Using a dry mop head will pick up all the dirt, dust, pet dander and more so you can go right behind it with a wet mop head to polish your tile floors.
The mop bucket is dual-sided with one side containing a spinning basket that utilizes centrifugal force to pull the excess water from the mop head. This cleans the dirty water from the mop and dries it up without you ever having to touch it.
You can choose from several packages with and agitator bucket, a different number of dusting mop heads or wet mop heads, a dolly for the mop bucket and much more.
The mop is lightweight and easy to maneuver making cleaning a breeze. The mop head spins a full 360° to give your floors a cleaning like they’ve never had before.
3. Bissell 1940 PowerFresh Steam Mop
You know when you use a Bissell, your floors are going to sparkle.
This steam mop allows you to make your floors shine without using any chemicals or cleaners whatsoever. All you need is water and somewhere to plug this steam mop in.
With a 23-foot power cord, you won’t have to stop mid-mopping and you’ll have plenty of freedom of movement.
When you are cleaning, you can stop at any time to fill the water tank on the top of the PowerFresh Steam Mop. You can use tap water but never add chemicals or cleaners to the water reservoir.
Killing 99.9% of germs while scrubbing up your sticky messes, the steam from this mop will not only clean your floors but will sanitize them as well. You can adjust the rate at which the steam comes out of the mop ensuring the mop works just the way you need it to.
The microfiber pads will clean and shine your sealed tile floors and will sanitize even further with the inbuilt Microban antimicrobial protection.
With 2 mop heads to choose from – one for simple, everyday cleaning and one that has integrated scrubbing strips – you can use the one that works best for whatever cleaning task you’re handling. The mop pads are washable and reusable allowing you many years of shiny, clean tile floors.
This mop is guaranteed to deliver.
4. Libman No Knees Floor Scrub Mop
If your floors have seen better days and need a good scrubbing, this Libman No Knees Floor Scrub Mop is a great way to put that to rights.
Libman has been making cleaning products for 114 years and with the quality the produce, they won’t be going anywhere for a long time to come.
Attached to a classic Libman steel mop handle, this tough scrubbing brush is made with recycled PET bottles. It has 171 groups of scrubbers covering its large surface (13 x 5 inches of cleaning area).
You won’t have to get down on your knees and scrub the floor with this brush in your floor-cleaning arsenal. Just wet the brush with a little water and cleaning solution and start scrubbing.
The head of the brush swivels so that you can get a 360° clean and the pointed head of the brush allows you to clean in those tough to reach corners.
While not a mop you want to use for every day cleaning, this is a good one to keep on hand for cleaning up those tough messes people and pes can leave behind.
5. Spritz and Shine Deluxe Mop Set
When ordering this Deluxe Mop Set, you get absolutely superb value for money.
This set includes the following:
- Telescoping Mop Pole: This mop pole adjusts to be up to 72 inches long meaning even the tallest person in your house can help mop the floors with no excuses
- Single-Sided Mop Head: The single-sided Velcro head of the mop allows the mopping pads to be securely attached for cleaning
- 2 Dust Mop Pads: The 2 included dust mop heads are made from microfiber allowing you to clean up all the dirt, dust, hair and other small particles that get into every corner of your rooms. The microfiber holds on to the dust instead of pushing it around the floor
- 2 Wet Mop Pads: The wet mop pads are made from microfiber as well. When scrubbing the sticky messes off the floor, the microfiber securely holds the messes until you rinse the mop pad
All of the wet and dusting mop pads can be removed, washed and reused hundreds of times.
This mop will efficiently clean your tile floors saving you time and money into the bargain.
Wrap-Up
Tile floors can last the distance but you have to make certain you take care of them properly. Make sure you clean them frequently and choose the very best mop for the purpose.
Get in touch any time and we’ll get back to you as promptly as we can.
Thanks for reading and come back soon for more home-related articles to make your life easier.
Happy mopping!