How to clean the joints between the tiles on the floor: practical tips

The tiles on the floor, and especially the joints between it, become soiled very quickly. This happens in connection with its daily use, and after the ongoing repair work. In any case, it looks unaesthetic, which means that we need to solve this problem.

Practical tips and little tricks for tile care will be covered in this article.

Causes of pollution

Before you begin to describe the means of combating pollution between the seams, it is necessary to understand the causes of their occurrence.

Dirt between the tiles on the floor appears for the following reasons:

  • Particles of building and finishing materials fall into the cracks during repairs, both in the bathroom and in other rooms.
  • The cause of pollution can be residues of detergents, as well as particles of dirt from the water that washed the tile. After the moisture dries, all the rubbish remains in the joints and is pressed.
  • Compressed dust can also cause severe contamination and darkening of the seams.
  • The fungus in the tile joints creates not only the appearance of a dirty floor, but also causes an unpleasant odor indoors.

Depending on the cause of their contamination, a specific method of cleaning the seams should be chosen. It is also worth noting that often the seams darken simply from time, for example, when the tile has not changed for more than 10 years. But in all these cases, the floors can be reanimated by the same methods.

Necessary means and tools

Of course, that cleaned contaminated floors should not be barehanded.

Therefore, in advance it is necessary to stock up the following items:

  • floor cloth;
  • tough old brushing teeth;
  • broom for sweeping the floor:
  • some rags:
  • clean warm water;
  • hydrogen peroxide;
  • vinegar or citrus juice;
  • soda;
  • salt;
  • solvent;
  • mustard powder;
  • ammonia;
  • whitening detergent with abrasive particles;
  • small metal stiff sponge;
  • old small knife.

To clean the seams, not all of these items may be needed, but only a part of them. The choice of a specific method of purification should be chosen on the basis ofwhich led to the appearance of dirt in the seams.

It all depends on the choice of a particular method of purification, but it is better to keep all the items at hand.

After repair

Usually, after repair work, cement mortar, paint, lime or varnish particles may remain between the tiles.

The sequence of actions in these cases will be as follows:

  • Warm the tiles with warm clean water and wipe them dry.
  • Determine the number of spots and their origin.
  • If cement stains, they must be carefully cleaned with a knife or blade.
  • In all other cases, the solvent or kerosene is diluted with water in a 2: 1 ratio and the solution is plentifully applied to the stain. In this form, leave for a couple of minutes, and then intensively scrub.
  • If the pollution is poorly erased, then you can use a metal float.
  • After that, the polluted place is again thoroughly wiped with a damp cloth and clean water, after which it is dried.
  • If the seams are heavily soiled, steps 4 to 6 can be repeated once more.

Using this method of cleaning, it is worth remembering that not all tiles can be cleaned with aggressive agents. Therefore, to get started is to read the recommendations of the manufacturer.It is also necessary to scrub the dirt very carefully, so as not only does not damage the tile itself, but also the seams between it.

Work on cleansing the seams involve the use of fairly aggressive means. Therefore, it is not superfluous to use gloves and face masks.

Traditional ways

If the seams between the tiles need to be cleaned from ordinary dirt, then you can resort to the traditional methods used by our grandmothers.

Such cleaning options, despite their simplicity, are very effective:

  • Using baking soda and lemon juice can not only remove dirt, but also bleach the seams. In this case, the space between the tiles on the floor is slightly moistened with water and quite abundantly filled with soda. In this state, the seams are left for 10 minutes. Then, using a conventional sponge or cloth, wipe them thoroughly, remove excess soda, and in its place lemon juice is poured, which in a couple of minutes is washed off with water. Usually, two or three repetitions of such a procedure are enough to completely clean the sutures.
  • Ammonia, diluted in warm water, also allows you to remove almost any kind of dirt.To do this, 100 ml of alcohol is diluted in 1.5 liters of water and applied to the place of pollution for 20 minutes. After that, carefully wipe with a sponge and wash off with warm water.
  • Toothpaste with a whitening effect also perfectly helps to clean the joints between the floor tiles. A small amount of it is applied to an old toothbrush and rubbed with intensive movements, then washed off with water. If desired, the paste can be exchanged for kitchen scouring powder.
  • If you mix in equal proportions mustard powder and baking soda, you can get an excellent detergent. Having added to it a little water, we receive paste which we put on seams with a sponge. Then carefully three places of pollution and wash off with clean water.

These methods of cleaning the joints between the tiles on the floor are the most environmentally friendly, low cost and effective. It should be understood that it is not always possible to remove all the dirt at once in one cleaning session.

In some cases, three consecutive cleaning procedures may be required.

Modern methods

If you do not have the ability and desire to use old methods of cleaning, you can resort to modern methods of purification:

  • Steamer. Not surprising, but judging by the reviews, the intense effect of hot steam on the seams can remove many of the contaminants. This method is best suited in cases where the dirt is small and it is fresh.
  • Cleansing marker pen is one of the most modern cleaning methods. To use such a pencil is simple - all that is needed is to paint over the seams. At the same time, not only the dirt disappears, but the seams themselves look new. This invention allows you to clean and update the seams between the tiles immediately.
  • Oxygen bleach. This tool is diluted in warm water to the consistency of a slurry and applied to dirt for half an hour. Then shovchiki carefully wiped with a damp sponge, and then the tile is washed completely.
  • Bleaching gelssuch as “White” is often used not only to remove dirt between the seams, but also to disinfect and whiten the tile itself. The gel is diluted with water, applied to the dirt and left for a couple of minutes, then washed off with water.

All these methods of cleaning the seams of the floor tile are certainly good and effective only if the cause of the pollution is not a fungus.

How to remove the fungus?

But if the cause of contaminated seams is not in the dust and residues of detergents, but in the mold, you should use a few other methods:

  • If it has just begun to appear, then you can prepare yourself a disinfectant from a bleaching gel and liquid ammonia with water. To do this, mix 100 g of "Whiteness" and 50 g of ammonia. This solution is poured into a liter of hot water, and then sprayed onto the fungus with a spray and left for half an hour. After this time, the seams are wiped with a damp sponge and washed with warm water. Then once again wash with water, but with the addition of vinegar in it per liter of water 100 g of 9% vinegar.
  • If the mold appeared long ago or appears regularly and progresses, then it can be cleaned only by a radical method. To do this, the seams between the tiles are cleaned with a scraper and treated with a special antiseptic, which can be purchased at a plumbing store or pharmacy. After it is completely dry, the seams are sealed again and again treated with an antiseptic solution.

Clean the joints between the floor tiles from the fungus should be timely. Otherwise, the mold will start to grow and can not only disfigure the entire room, but also cause serious harm to health.

Useful recommendations

Cleaning the joints between the tiles on the floor is a necessary and responsible exercise, but even it can be done with pleasure. Choosing traditional cleansing methods, you can add essential oils of tea tree or lemon to water. They not only allow the air to be nourished with a pleasant aroma, but also are additional fighters with mold and fungus.

All work is best done with gloves, because even from prolonged contact with mustard powder and soda, not to mention aggressive cleaning products, skin of the hands may suffer. During work it is better to provide fresh air into the room.

It is necessary to clean the tile joints at least once a month. And in order to make them less dirty, you can add lemon juice, vinegar or a couple of tablespoons of ammonia mixed with aromatic oils to the last floor washing water.

These practical tips will help you quickly and easily bring the tiled floor in perfect order. Resorting to them, you can forget not only about the dirt on the floor, but also about fungi and mold.

For practical tips on how to clean the joints between tiles on the floor, see the video below.

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Information provided for reference purposes. For construction issues, always consult a specialist.

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