How should porcelain tiles be cleaned? Stains and marks on porcelain tiles? Answers to all your questions

Very often, we receive questions about cleaning porcelain tile floors. This material, used more and more frequently in our homes as it is considered to be very resistant and easy to care for, actually often shows problematical stains and marks against the light that will not go, even after very frequent washing.
In this article, we have put together the most frequent questions and relative answers about cleaning porcelain tiles.

PROBLEMS WHEN CLEANING WOOD-EFFECT PORCELAIN TILES

stain-porcelain-tiles

TIZIANA WRITES: Hi, I have a floor in wood-effect porcelain tiles, laid 2 years ago. This floor currently looks very rough against the light, with marks that look like dirt… could you advise what product I should use? Thanks in advance

FRANCESCO WRITES: Good evening, after my floor in wood-effect porcelain tiles was laid I followed the manufacturer’s instructions for initial cleaning, but not long after I now always have the same problem with annoying stains against the light and as soon as we walk on it you can see all the footprints. Each time I wash it the problem seems to disappear, but after just a few hours, when the floor is perfectly dry, it returns.

SIMONA WRITES: Hi, I have a floor in wood-effect porcelain tiles. My problem is that when I go to wash the floor, footprints appear. Once it’s dry they disappear but you can see them against the light and the marks stay. I have used lots of different products but can’t seem to solve this problem. Now I only wash the floor with water. After the floor was laid, the installer washed it with hydrochloric acid diluted 50% in water. Did he do the right thing or was this the cause of my problem?

MARIA PIA WRITES: Good morning. I have a floor in fabric-effect porcelain tiles that we basically can’t walk on!!! If my children walk on it barefoot, that’s it…. is there a detergent that gives a minimum protection?
Thanks a lot

SOLUTION: WASH WITH DETERDEK DETERGENT OR FILAPS87 DEGREASER

MARKS-PORCELAIN-TILES

Stains and marks seen against the light on a porcelain tile floor are usually caused by residues that accumulate on the surface, which may have one of 2 origins:
Laying residues that have never been correctly removed and which form an invisible patina on the surface that is invisible to the naked eye, but which holds onto dirt. In this case, you need to wash thoroughly with specific DETERDEK PRO detergent. This is most likely the cause if the floor is new and has had this problem of marks since it was laid.
• Or residues due to “polishing” effect maintenance products that leave waxy substances on the floor, which, over time, create a sensitive layer. In this case, you should use PS87 PRO degreaser. This situation is most likely to occur on a floor that is not new, laid years previously, where the problem of the marks has come about gradually, becoming slowly more evident.

How to keep porcelain tiles clean

Once you have removed the stains from the tiles, it is important to use the right product for ordinary maintenance, to prevent the problem recurring. For this, we recommend CLEANER PRO: a neutral detergent that leaves no residues on the surface, preventing the formation of marks. CLEANER PRO: can be used on any surface and a little goes a very long way! Just one 1-litre bottle is enough for up to 40 washes.

Read here how to clean any kind of floor with FILACLEANER

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21 Comments

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21 Replies to “How should porcelain tiles be cleaned? Stains and marks on porcelain tiles? Answers to all your questions”

  1. Would sealing with one of your sealers help to keep hard water stains from forming?

    1. We have some detergents that can help the cleaning from hard water stains that can be used on different material.

      As you can understain we cannot stop hard water stains apply on a surface, but a protective treatment can surely better the following cleaning making maintenance much more easier.

      We need to underdstand the type of Porcelain you need to protect.

      For instance, if the location is a shower box, where this problem is more often, and the porcelain tile wall covering is made of glazed porcelain porcelain tiles/ceramic, a possible solution could be to clean the surface with FILAVIA BAGNO, a limescale removing spray detergent and to use regularly FILANO DROPS, a water mark repellent protective detergent (ideal for shower cabins), which, making surfaces hydrophilic, permits water run off without leaving limescale residues.

      In any case, if our reply is not sufficient to answer your request, you can send us further information and even some pictures showing the issues you are interested to solve and we will reply you asap with our best solution.

      ATTENTION: Clicking on the name of the above mentioned product(s) you will be automatically redirected to the product page. We invite you to read it carefully. There you will find all the instructions relative to the product application, the Technical Data Sheet and the Safety data Sheet in order to use it correctly and obtain the best results.

      In order to find the nearest retailer click on https://www.filasolutions.com/eng/resellers

  2. Hi there, I have a floor that I cant be sure what material it is but I leave a detergent for bathroom tiles to dry off and it made the same stain that like in the pic you show the one that is naked to the eye but is obvious at the light and also with water you can’t see it but when the floor dry is again there. Do you have any advice on how can I remove the stains? Thanks I will appreciate

  3. Hello, love your product and reviews! I currently live in Newfoundland and would like to purchase a container of the neutral cleaner. We have a matt porcelain tile (charcoal grey) and as soon as you are done cleaning with vinegar and water, not long after, there are smudges, throughout the floor. Tiles look dirty even though they are not, I believe.
    I am looking for a product such as yours which I think will help.
    Am I able to order through a seller here in Canada and have it shipped to our home?
    Much appreciated.

  4. It helped a lot when you mentioned how you should take the time to understand how to properly maintain your tiles in order to avoid recurring issues with it. I understand that taking the time to do some research and consult with a professional can help you find the best way to care for your floors. We are planning on installing tile in our bathroom and want to make sure we know how to properly care for it, so I’m glad I found your post.

  5. Hi,
    I have glazed porcelein tiles “wood like” that are always stained, do you reccomend fila stop dirt or filajet for glazed porcelein tiles or some other protector?
    Thank you,
    Barbara

    1. This kind of stains are normally caused by commercial detergents for porcelain tiles which generally contains some wax components foreseen to give a glazed aspect to the floor. Indeed these components create during time residueal accumulations. The causes of the halos and marks on porcelain tiles usually depend on these residual accumulations on the surface of polishing-effect maintenance products that leave on the floor the waxy substances that over time create residual accumulation and a sensitive layer.

      In these cases, we recommend an extraordinary cleaning to be done:

      a) first with FILAPS87, a degreasing stain removing detergent.
      b) and then with DETERDEK, a buffered acid removing inorganic stains.

      For ordinary manitenance:
      We would like then reccommend FILACLEANER, a concentrated neutral detergent without waxy components.

      Protection:
      In case the floor will result particularly sensitive to dirt, you can treat it with FILASTOP DIRT, a protective barrier against dirt.
      • It mproves the material’s resistance to dirt caused by traffic.
      • Protects the material against watery or oily stains.
      • And facilitates cleaning of the surfaces.

      In order to find the nearest retailer click on https://www.filasolutions.com/eng/resellers

      We remain at your disposal for any further information you may need.

      Best Regards,

      Chiara

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