How to Clean Sticky Tile Floor
Stepping into a sticky spot on my kitchen floors might rank at the top of my least favorite things. Those leftover food spills are such an unpleasant surprise. And then occasionally, when sticky floors are left behind after mopping, and you realize you need to re-mop.
These little annoyances can be a pain, but fortunately, I have a few tips and tools that can help you clean sticky tile floors.
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Why Are My Floors Still Sticky? I Just Cleaned Them!
Too Much Cleaning Solution
If you unknowingly use too much cleaning solution, you might end up with sticky floors. It’s important to dilute with water as needed to make sure you aren’t oversaturating your floors with a cleaning solution. Or, you may need to rinse your floors with clean water after cleaning.
Wrong Type of Cleaning Solution
Using the wrong type of cleaning solution can leave behind a sticky residue. You’ll want to use a solution that is appropriate for your tile floor. When used on flooring, some cleaners can leave a soapy film behind even when dry.
Missed Food Spill
Have you ever cleaned up a sticky food spill and realized later after stepping in a sticky spot that you did not, in fact, get all of it clean? Fruit juices are a common offender.
Helpful Tools for Cleaning Sticky Tile Floor
Mop and Bucket
- HANDS-FREE WRINGING: Our exclusive mop bucket design features a built-in wringer that allows for hands-free wringing while Splash Guard keeps water splash and spray inside the bucket when wringing or…
- MACHINE WASHABLE: The EasyWring Microfiber Mop Head is machine-washable and reusable! We recommend replacing the mop head refill every 3 months for optimal floor cleaning results
- DEEP CLEANING MICROFIBER: O-Cedar’s EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop & Bucket Floor Cleaning System uses millions of strands of advanced microfiber to effectively capture dirt and grime with just plain…
Your mop and bucket of choice is a must-have to tackle your sticky tile floors. Need a recommendation? Check out our post on the 4 Best Spin Mops.
Scrub Brush
- Tough bristles for grout, soft for tile
- Iron shape for easeir scrubbing
- Stands up for faster drying time and less bacteria
A scrub brush is another handy tool for tougher, sticky stains. While it’s best to tackle messes as soon as they occur because they’re easier to clean up, life happens! A scrub brush can help you get into the tile grooves and the grout lines for any stubborn messes.
RELATED: Best Grout Brushes
Cleaning Towels
- VALUE PACK- Set includes 12 kitchen bar mop cleaning towels generously sized 16 x 19 inches with hemmed edges to prevent unraveling.
- PREMIUM QUALITY – Our bar mops are manufactured with premium quality 100% ring spun cotton making them elegant yet functional.
- LUXURIOUS AND FUNCTIONAL – The kitchen towels are designed to give out luxurious experience while ideally fulfilling needs in general cleaning or washing.
Absorbent cotton rags are great for drying floors once they have been mopped to ensure you’re not leaving wet floors behind.
Tile Cleaning Machine
- Every Purchase Saves Pets. BISSELL proudly supports the BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets.Specific uses:Hard Floor
- Powerful Spinning Mop Pads. Restore your floor’s natural shine with rotating mop pads that do the work for you.
- Safe On Sealed Hard Floors. Powers through tough, sticky messes on wood, tile, linoleum, and other sealed hard floors.
A tile cleaning machine can be a handy tool in your cleaning arsenal. There are a variety of different types of tile cleaning machines, including those that do and do not use cleaning solutions.
Check out our round-up on the best tile-cleaning machines if you’re in the market for one. Spoiler alert — steam cleaners are a favorite for their disinfecting capabilities without harsh solutions needed (just water!).
RELATED: Best Tile Cleaning Machines
Choosing the Right Cleaning Solution
Using the right cleaning solution for your type of flooring is essential. I’ve rounded up a few recommendations for you, focusing on DIY solutions.
You don’t need to purchase specialized commercial cleaners for most everyday cleaning needs. This is great because DIY solutions tend to be better for your wallet and better for the planet. For additional recommendations, check out our post on Eco-Friendly Floor Cleaners.
Natural Stone and Ceramic Tile Floor
For a DIY solution, try adding a few drops of dish soap to a gallon of warm water. Be sure to use a pH-neutral cleaner that is not abrasive, avoiding acidic and harsh cleaners such as vinegar, ammonia, lemon juice, and bleach. These can cause etching or erosion to your tile.
Porcelain and Glass Tile Floor
You can use a DIY solution of a gallon of water in a bucket combined with around a ¼ cup of household vinegar. Add a couple of drops of dish soap for extra cleaning power.
RELATED: How to Clean Matte Porcelain Tiles
Linoleum, Vinyl and Rubber Tile Floor
For these types of flooring, like porcelain tiles, you can use a bucket of water filled with a gallon of warm water. Add about a ¼ cup of household vinegar and a few drops of dish soap for cleaning power.
Cork Floor Tile
To clean cork floor tile, use a DIY solution of four parts household vinegar to one part water to create a damp mop mopping concentrate. Fill a spray bottle with this cleaning solution. Spray the solution on your cork floor and mop it dry with a flat mop or a Cuban mop.
How to Clean Sticky Tile Floor
Once you have the right tools for the job and your cleaning solution ready to go, follow the steps below to clean up your sticky tile floors.
Step 1: Mix your mopping solution
Grab your commercial mopping solution or mix up your favorite DIY recipe suitable for your flooring type.
If you’re spot cleaning, you could mix up a small batch of solution in a spray bottle. If you’re doing a full-blown mopping session, mix up your solution in a bucket.
Step 2: Mop tile
Begin mopping with a damp mop. If you have cork tile, use very little water.
Focus on areas that are particularly sticky. You may need to make multiple passes or come back to a particularly stubborn spot after cleaning the rest of your floors.
Step 3: Dry tile
Dry the tile with a cloth so the wet cleaning solution does not sit and accumulate on the tile. Some tiles may be more porous than others.
Final Thoughts on Cleaning Sticky Tile Floors
Cleaning sticky tile floors can be a breeze. Just keep in mind what kind of floor you have when choosing your mopping solution, and then you’re set.
If you have multiple types of tile flooring in your home, make it easy on yourself by sticking to one DIY recipe when possible.
Keep in mind that if you have natural stone tiles, you won’t want to use vinegar or other acidic cleaners.
Also, remember to use less water than you may think, using some elbow grease to clean your floors rather than flooding the floors with cleaning solutions.
Lastly, to make it easy on yourself, you can write down your DIY cleaning recipes for different household purposes on your phone or a little notebook.
As you can see, you have various options depending on what fits your home and lifestyle to ensure you have sparkling-clean floors.
