Guide to Rejuvenate & Deep Clean Mexican Saltillo Tiles

Keep Your Saltillo Tiles In The Best Condition

Mexican Saltillo tiles are a popular tile for homes and businesses throughout Arizona and the greater southwest United States. As a beautiful feature in any home, Saltillo tile provides a beautiful and vibrant color that is naturally appealing and adds character to enhance the appearance of your living space. However, when Saltillo tiles need deep cleaning, they can appear dull, lifeless, and dingy. Regular maintenance is key to keeping your Saltillo tile floors looking fresh and rejuvenated. Occasional professional Flagstone natural stone cleaning is also recommended to keep your Saltillo tiles in top condition.

How to Clean Saltillo Tile Flooring

Many homeowners are attracted to Saltillo tiles because of their natural beauty but don’t realize that cleaning and maintaining Saltillo tiles can be difficult with their extremely soft, porous composition.

Topical Sealant

In many cases, a tile installer has applied topical sealant to the tile. Although sealant helps protect Saltillo tiles, it can change their coloring and make them more challenging to keep clean. Sealant can also negatively affect the final appearance of the tiles even after they are clean. Gilbert natural stone restoration recommends the use of a quality alkaline cleaner on your Saltillo tiles whether or not they have been topically sealed.

In order to properly clean your Saltillo tiles, you’ll need to determine whether a topical sealant has been applied. You can usually determine this by looking closely at the grout lines. If a sealant has been applied in the past, you’ll be able to see a clear, glossy layer. If you’re unsure, you can also check to see if water beads are noticeable on the tile surface. Beading means it’s likely that a topical sealant has been applied.

If a sealant has been applied to your Saltillo tiles, you’ll essentially be cleaning the surface of the sealant rather than the tiles themselves. If your alkaline cleaner does not effectively clean the tiles, you will probably need to contact Phoenix tile and grout cleaning to remove the sealant from the tiles so they can be correctly maintained.

Cleaning Process with Alkaline Cleaner

Wash your Saltillo tiles by mixing alkaline cleaner with warm water, following the manufacturer’s directions on the package. Apply the solution directly to the tiles with a soft cloth and allow it to sit on the tile for up to 15 minutes to loosen up the grime and sand that has built up in and on the tiles. Do not allow the solution to dry completely; you may need to pour additional solution onto the tile in order to keep it sufficiently wet. Since Saltillo tiles are naturally porous, they will soak up a large amount of the cleaning solution, especially if they are not sealed, so it’s important to keep them saturated throughout the 15 minute soaking process.

While the alkaline cleaner does its job breaking down the dirt and debris in the tiles, scrub them gently with a soft brush that will not leave scratches on the tiles. Finally, rinse the Saltillo tiles thoroughly with clean water until all of the cleaning solution has been washed away. Many homeowners find a mop and bucket of hot water to be a useful rinsing tools. Alternatively, a shop vac can be used to remove the extra cleaning solution.

If some of the grout around your Saltillo tile appears stained, use a scrub pad and suitable cleaner to try to remove it. If this does not work, a deeper cleaning from Paradise Valley natural stone restoration may be needed to restore the grout to its original condition.

Cleaning Sealed Saltillo Tiles

If your Saltillo tiles have been sealed, you will end up cleaning the surface of the sealant rather than the tiles themselves. When alkaline cleaner is repeatedly used on a sealant, it will eventually begin to break down the surface of the sealant, marring its appearance and distorting the look of the tile. When cleaning the sealed surface of Saltillo tiles, you’ll want to use a soft scrub pad that is only strong enough to remove the embedded grime without damaging the finish.

Regular deep cleaning at home along with periodic professional Queen Creek natural tile and grout cleaning will keep your Saltillo tiles in beautiful condition for many years to come.

Quality Saltillo Tile Floor Cleaning in Phoenix

If your home or business has Saltillo tile, call Arizona Stone Care to restore it to its original beauty. Our team has the tools, knowledge, and expertise to care for your Saltillo tile the right way. Contact us today to get a free quote on your Saltillo tile!