Protecting and maintaining timber and tile flooring

Information to help maintain and clean your tile floor

Good quality timber or tile flooring is a great feature in your home, which means you need to take good care of it in order to retain its quality and aesthetic. We’ve listed loads of great tips to help you to do this – check them out below!Information to help maintain and clean your tile floor

• Keep tiles and grout in original condition by cleaning regularly with a soft, clean mop and boiling water.
• Avoid abrasive cleaners and bleach based cleaners, as these can cause the grout to discolour.
• Ensure liquid spills are cleaned immediately to avoid permanent stains on light coloured surfaces.
• Glazed floor tiles are best kept with regular sweeping or vacuuming and washing with warm water and a soap free detergent.
• Glazed wall tiles should be wiped regularly with a soft cloth to remove soap before it dries. Harsh abrasive and corrosive cleaners should not be used, particularly on decorated tiles.
• Unglazed floor tiles have a slight porosity to their surface and can be lightly textured, which means more attention is required to keep the floor clean.
• With grouting, soap build up and mould in wet areas can cause discolouring. Gentle scrubbing with a nylon scouring pad or brush will help restore discoloured areas.

Cleaning and protecting your timber floor

Protection

• Use mats or rugs in walkways to protect heavy traffic areas.
• If you have kids, get them to make a fun sign to hang up by doors to ask guests to remove their shoes before they enter your home (this means kids will remember to as well) – and if you don’t have kids, do it yourself and pretend a child did it – that way it comes across as fun rather than strict.
• Place mats in wet areas such as in front of the sink in the kitchen or laundry area to avoid water spillages.
• Place protective pads under furniture or items that are directly touching the timber floor.
• Tinting windows or drawing shades will prevent unfiltered direct sunlight from fading or changing the colour of your floor.
• Ensure your home is adequately ventilated to minimise humidity and excess moisture, which can cause movement in the timber.
• Do not use a steam mop or hot water as this can cause the timber to expand.
• Deal with spills promptly as to avoid excessive water on the floor.
• If you keep pets inside then you’ll need to keep their claws trimmed (if they let you!). There’s no need to trim the nails of a cat that goes outside as well as inside, but if it’s indoors only then it’s probably worth setting yourself a reminder – you usually only need to trim off the very end (the sharpest bit) but I would advise asking your vet about the best way to do this and how often.

Cleaning

• Sweep or gently vacuum your floor regularly and use a micro-fibre mop with a mist spray rather than saturating your floor with water.
• Use a PH neutral specialist cleaner for your timber floor – don’t use vinegar, lemon or water as the acidity can damage the properties of the wood.
• To find a specialist timber cleaner for your floor, we suggest referring to the manufacturer’s manual – they will usually offer specific cleaners for their products.

Timber Decking

To keep your timber decking in long-lasting, good condition, we recommend re-oiling twice a year, in the autumn and spring. You can purchase a specialist product to seal and protect your decking from your local hardware store, and should also follow the steps listed for protecting your timber floor.