They come in various shapes, sizes, and designs and, since most interlocking tiles are made from PVC, they are effortless to clean. In this article, we will look at some of the methods you can use to keep your floors looking pristine.
Sweep Your Floors
Remove the dust and debris from your floor with a brush. It is better to use a large-headed broom with soft bristles if working on an indoor floor, as you don't want to mark the surface of the tiles. Industrial-grade brushes often have bigger heads and will cover a greater surface area. Soft bristles will pick up the tiny particles that hide between the interlocking sections.
Use a Traditional Floor Mop
Picture the scene. You've taken the kids and dogs for a long walk in the rain. Despite your best efforts to prevent muck from being trailed through the house, the dogs have dirty paws, and the kids' mud-coated shoes leave tracks. Even if you limit the mess to the tiled floor in the garage, the marks will still need to be cleaned so they don't stain.
A brush won't quite cut it in these situations. You can wait until the dirt dries and brush the worst of it off, but a liquid detergent or professional formula such as the Handy Andy Floor Cleaner will cut through the grime more effectively. If the staining is persistent, adding white vinegar to your cleaning solution is a good idea, but you shouldn't need this if using a professional cleaner.
Get a bucket of warm water and add the required amount of detergent or floor cleaner. Fully immerse the mop head in the bucket and remove the excess liquid in the wringer before mopping the floor. Rinse and repeat until the floor is clean, or you need to refresh the water. Once you have cleaned the floor, use a dry cloth or mop slippers to dry it out. If you have very shiny tiles, it is essential to remember the drying part of this method, or you could end up with a streaky floor.
Vacuum Your Floor Tiles
Although a vacuum cleaner will not wash stubborn stains from your floor, it is quicker than manually sweeping away debris with a brush and will take care of loose dirt efficiently. If you are not a fan of mopping, you should invest in a wet vacuum cleaner to deal with tougher stains, although this considerably increases the cost of your cleaning equipment.
Heavy Cleaning Method
The beauty of interlocking tiles is that they are removable. If they have become filthy, there are slightly more rigorous cleaning methods you can employ before replacing parts of your floor. However, if your tiled floor is in your kitchen or bathroom, this is more of a last resort idea than a weekly cleaning plan, as it can be incredibly disruptive.
Cleaning interlocking tiles on your garage floor is slightly more achievable, but we wouldn't recommend it as a regular option. Thankfully, you are unlikely to need this level of cleaning anywhere other than your garage, as the indoor floors should never become dirty enough to warrant it.
To use this method, you will need to take apart the flooring and scrub each piece to remove the dirt, taking care not to damage the sections. Then, you can use a cloth to clean each piece with warm water and detergent. You will then need to remove the detergent using clean warm water.
Allow the pieces to dry fully for several hours before reassembling them. You can speed up this process by drying them yourself, opening windows, or using a dehumidifier. If you reinstall your floor while it is still damp, you may find yourself with a slipping hazard or defective tiles and a mould problem.
Mopping and vacuuming sounds a lot less taxing, don't you think?
Use a Hose
This method is better suited to your garage floor than your internal interlocking floors, as it can be messy and soggy. Cleaning floors with a hose allows you to use different attachments to control the water's speed and trajectory, and a wide range of attachments is available. There are nozzle and spray fittings and different hose lengths to accommodate your working area.
It is worth mentioning at this point that hose washing should not be confused with pressure washing. Pressure washing is best left for external cleaning solutions, such as brickwork and driveways, as high-pressure washing can cause damage.
Hopefully, this has given you some handy hints to clean your interlocking floor tiles. For further cleaning tips and lifestyle hacks visit Cleanipedia today!