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How to clean my floor tiles?

chubb

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Can someone please tell me what this is??

I can get rid of them with the steam cleaner but always comes back.

It has gone through the whole house.

I have tried everything. I got a product from specialist at bunnings and that didn't work either.

Im in a rental and I never had this for 3 years but all of a sudden .. its getting worse.

Please help?

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Cleaning

Comments

KatieC

Hi @chubb,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community! It is awesome you have joined and thank you for asking about cleaning your floor tiles. Our resident DIY expert @EricL will be online this afternoon to assist but I'll also tag our great Workshop members @diy_hausdesigns and @raymond265 who have tiled floors of their own and may have some great tips.

What products have you tried so far? This can help us narrow down the suggestions. In the meantime, I suggest checking out this great Bunnings video guide How to clean tile floors.

Katie

EricL

Hello @chubb

It's possible that your steamer has been contaminated with a bit of oil in it and has left a film of oil and grease on the surface. I suggest trying this experiment. Spray one tile with Simple Green 750ml Glass Cleaner and use a paper towel to dry the surface. Don't use any cotton or polyester cloth to clean it just the paper towel.

Use a second sheet of paper towel to thoroughly clean the surface of the tile. If successful there should be no indication of the oil film on top of the tile.

However, if there is still a residue left on the surface of the tile, I suggest trying the next procedure with detergent and hot water. I propose using very hot water in a bucket with washing detergent and wiping the surface with a new Oates Massive Four Post Squeeze Mop.

After washing the surface with hot water and detergent, rinse the floor with plain hot water to remove the soap. Do not use any other rags or wiping cloths on the floor. Repeat the procedure until all the soap is gone. Allow the surface to air dry and finish it off with Morgan Microfibre Cleaning Cloth.

In regards to your steam cleaner, I suggest soaking the steam head cloth in hot water, bleach and detergent to to remove all contaminants. I also suggest rinsing the reservoir of the steam cleaner to remove any oil contaminants in it.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your tiles free of blemish.

Eric

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/28031#Comment_28031

Thank you so much Eric

I will try these steps tomorrow and definitely get back to you.

Fingers crossed 🤞

I've been scrubbing floors with a gout and tile cleaner today with no luck. So im heading to bunnings 1st thing tommorrow lol 😆

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76590#Comment_76590

Hey there

Window cleaner and paper towels didn't work 😭 I thought it did but when I got home and walked on it . Footprints came back..

I will try the hot water and soap tonight..

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/28031#Comment_28031

Hey Eric

Unfortunately the soap and water didn't work either..

I followed the steps and at first my tiles look beautiful until we walked on them. And again it went through the house..

I've moped again with just very very hot water but im exhausted 😩

Hope there is something else I can try?

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76614#Comment_76614

The only peculiar issue is that you haven't experienced this problem in three years, and now it's suddenly happening @chubb. When walking on glossy tiles with bare feet, it's to be expected that you'll see oil marks left on them. Unfortunately, that's just part of having tiles; some colours show it worse than others. You'd likely not notice if these were stark white tiles. Black tiles are the worst and show oily marks all the time.

So, some constants that we know: when you try to clean, you can remove the marks, and when you walk on the clean tiles, it leaves oily footprints. Now, if you're using the same product you always have, there is some other variable at play here. Have you changed the lights in the room recently, and could they be highlighting the issue that was always there? It could be something as silly as a change of footwear that's not so breathable, and when you are removing your shoes, your feet are a little damper leaving more noticeable marks.

I just wanted to point out that your first image shows that the floor was damp after being cleaned and then air-dried, leaving water-staining marks. This is a completely different issue than the footprints, though possibly related. That's the same reason why you need to dry a car with a shammy after washing, or you'll end up with watermarks on the windows and paintwork. Are you going back over your floor with a dry mop to remove excess water?

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102271#Comment_102271

Hi mitchell

Thanks for your reply..

The 1st photo is after I steam mopped..

The 2nd is what comes up all the time.. mainly in kitchen and bathrooms etc.. then people stand in it and goes through the house.

It comes off with hot water but then comes back with shiny marks similar to the 1st photo but in specks and then they leave shiny smudges.. and they all over the house ..

No change in lighting and I did one time use a floor cleaner to my warm water and I thought may have been that..

I go over my floors with a dry mop.. it looks amazing for a little while until anything drops on it..

I dont know what else to do..😫

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118152#Comment_118152

Do you remember what that floor cleaner was that you used that one-time @chubb? Would it have been a "self-shining" floor cleaner? Quite a few floor cleaners, especially those that add shine, have an ingredient that sticks to the floor. I'm just wondering whether you coated the floor, and there is still a residual amount left which is highlighting the footprints.

Mitchell

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127441#Comment_127441

if it's a build up of product residue.. how do u get it off??

I've tried most things 😪

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133550#Comment_133550

I wouldn't have thought that type of cleaner had a wax or shine agent to it, @chubb. That product is water-soluble, so even if it did leave a coating, it would break down and be removed the next time you washed the floor.

The mystery continues. I feel the answer is going to lie in the details surrounding the sudden change after three years. There must be something different going on.

If you can't figure out the answer, perhaps a nice pair of house slippers could limit the footprints.

Mitchell

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137327#Comment_137327

So many boys in my house there's no way they gonna wear slippers lol..

I've seen many posts where people are having same problem with no relief. And I've tried everything I've searched hoping for a cleaner that could get rid of it but nothing so far. 🤷

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139927#Comment_139927

This is an extremely common problem, and thousands of others are also dealing with it, @chubb. Google is full of different recommendations to try and remove/prevent footprints on tiles. You might like to try Diggers 1L Lavender Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner. It's methylated spirits which is alcohol, and will evaporate very quickly. Being alcohol, it will also break down many surface residues. Try adding some of it to your normal cleaning solution or using it neat. I recommend doing at least one test square, and don't wait for it to dry; dry it with a rag yourself. See if that square reacts any differently to the surrounding ones where you've left them to air dry.

There seems to be a direct correlation between allowing the tiles to air dry and having footprints appear on them. My hypothesis is that when they air dry, it leaves a slightly opaque film on the tiles, which would be barely noticeable. They'll look beautifully clean. When someone walks on the tiles, the oil from their feet gets deposited on the film, sending that section more translucent or shiny. So, my theory is that these are not just oily footprints on the tiles, but oily footprints that are "cleaning" a small portion of the tiles. If you go to one of these footprints with a clean and dry rag and start from the middle of it and buff outwards, I would almost put money on you being able to clean the tile. If you look closely, you might even be able to see the haze being removed.

Mitchell

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141731#Comment_141731

Wow Mitchell

Thanks so much.. I will def try this 2moro..

I will let u know..

Thanks for the help 😀

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141731#Comment_141731

Hey Mitchell

Well it didn't work either 😫

I did exactly what u said and I was so hopefully.. I could see it working so i did the whole house and some shiny parts came back so I did again and it still coming back.. looks fantastic until a drop of water 💧 falls on on people walk through. The kitchen is the worst.

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/143103#Comment_143103

Hello @chubb

Sorry to hear that you're still having issues with your tile surface. It's good to hear that you've had some success using the Diggers 1L Lavender Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner. I'm afraid it will be a continuing issue even if you find the perfect cleaner. If there are a lot of people walking inside the house, smudges and waxy residue will continue to accumulate.

I suppose you could ask everyone to wear socks, but if the bottom of the sock is dirty, then it will be the one to spread the waxy film around. I recommend using a Hufflett 50 x 80cm Assorted Colours Indoor Mat for people to wipe their feet on before entering the house. It will possibly reduce the amount of waxy residue being spread on the tile.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

chubb

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144060#Comment_144060

Thank you for your reply.

I just don't understand how it all happened since it has never happened before. It's been 4 mths of washing daily. Sometimes 3 times a day.

At the moment my floors look clean and when i rinse the bucket there is no dirt and when the floor dries and then any water of substance drops on it. A shine comes through.

The socks don't work either 😭

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/144786#Comment_144786

Have you considered laying some rugs or runners around the tiled areas @chubb? At least that would minimise the number of tiled surfaces you need to clean.

Mitchell

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