When a polished porcelain tile appears to be stained, it is more often the result of these crevasses filling up with liquid or grime rather than the tile being stained. It is very difficult to stain a porcelain tile due to their impervious nature.
Porcelain offers highly stain-, scratch-, and moisture-resistant properties that make it a popular choice. Whether you need a rustic wood look tile or more modern flooring, you'll find exactly what you need thanks to the wide range of styles and colors available.
Remove Stains from Glazed Porcelain Tiles
You can use a commercial product safe for glazed porcelain tiles or use white vinegar. Use a warm-water wash with vinegar at half strength to remove the stain completely. Mop the area and allow it to sit for ten minutes, and then rinse with a clean warm water bath.
Porcelain tiles tend to be harder, more resilient and more stain-resistant than ceramic tiles. They are one of the easiest types of tile to maintain but their surface can eventually be eroded by the regular use of corrosive chemicals such as ammonia, bleach or acids that can also damage the grout and loosen the tiles.
Whilst the right solution is a completely safe, natural, and vegan-friendly cleaner for your floors, you do have to be careful with how you use it. This is because too much exposure to strong vinegar could strip away the finish on your porcelain.
You can safely use vinegar to clean ceramic or porcelain tiles, whether they are glazed or unglazed. For other types, however, like terracotta, marble or grante, we recommend you look for ph neutral cleaner that will not harm the material.
As they are not liquids, they are very unlikely to stain. However, leaves and dirt do contact acids which could penetrate the porcelain and change the colour.
Porcelain is a highly durable material for dental restorations, but it is not entirely indestructible. Stains will not penetrate the surface of quality porcelain restorations unless the porcelain has been damaged by: Highly abrasive toothpastes that wear away the outer glaze of the porcelain.
For most types of tile, including porcelain and ceramic, you only need one key ingredient: A DIY mixture of warm water and dish soap will do the trick. Follow these steps to clean tiles: Spray the water and dish soap solution on the tile surface. Wipe the area with a damp microfiber towel or cloth.
Though popular for being gentler alternatives to harsh chemical cleaners, baking soda, Borax, and even salt can harm the finish of your porcelain fixtures. As gentle as they are, these compounds are still abrasive and will scratch your finish, especially with regular use.
Porcelain tile is very durable. Unglazed porcelain tile is normally durable, but even thought technically it is impervious, it can stain. During the manufacturing process there are out-gassing that creates microscopic pores that sometimes can trap in stains.
You may have guessed where this is going: porcelain tiles are not waterproof, they are water resistant. That means that if you submerge them in water long enough, then they will eventually allow that water to seep through.
When it comes to mopping tiles, they can collect a lot of dust and dirt. If we don't brush this away before mopping, it can build up and cause the tiles to look unclean. Even when not mopping, we recommend doing this anyway as part of a regular maintenance cleaning process.
It is always recommended to deep clean porcelain and ceramic tile floors once or twice a year, particularly in the kitchen, where oil and grease stains are common, and exterior floors, which are more easily stained.
Unglazed Porcelain Floor Tiles
In its raw manufactured state, porcelain is a strong but somewhat porous material that can be subject to staining discolorations over time. These materials need to be treated with a certain level of delicacy, be monitored for spills, and receive a sealing treatment annually.
The brown stain is from a large amount of iron in your water.
As the water flows out of the bowl when you flush it, the minerals it contains slowly etch away at the porcelain's sheen. This creates small holes where the contaminants start to accumulate and turn the bowl yellow. The two most common impurities that cause yellow stains are hard water minerals and tannins.
For white porcelain only, bleach can be used to remove stains; never use chlorine bleach in colored or vintage porcelain, as it can damage the finish. For both white and colored porcelain, liquid oxygen bleach (such as hydrogen peroxide) is a good alternative.
Discoloured grout can ruin a porcelain installation and it's a particular problem outdoors where tiles generally aren't protected.
It can take off the shine of your porcelain tiles and make them look dull. If you use it for stain cleaning, then the only tile, on which vinegar is used as a cleaner, will look dull. This will make it look misfit and ugly.
Moisture-Resistant
The great thing about this is that it means porcelain slabs will not stain. All the cleaning that will be required is a quick wipe over with some warm and soapy water. This will then remove any debris or organic matter such as grass, soil, leaves, bird droppings, etc from your porcelain flags.
While hydrogen peroxide is not normally used for cleaning surfaces, there is nothing in normal glazed porcelain that it would damage.
While vinegar is safe to use on laminate, vinyl, porcelain, and ceramic tile, it is best to use it sparingly since the acid in the vinegar can dissolve the finish on your floor. Therefore, when you are using it on tiled floors, you want to make sure you cut it with water or rinse it completely with water.
However, Real Simple provides a very simple and gentle solution that won't damage the surface of your porcelain tiles. Start by scrubbing your grout lines with warm water to remove any surface dirt or grime. Next make a paste by using hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.