How to clean tiles after a building work project

Getting a good start on the maintenance of your new tiles is essential to keep them in top condition for a long time.

Cleaning tiles correctly at the end of a building or renovation project is not only important from an aesthetic point of view, but it is also essential to ensure the correct maintenance of our floor or wall tiles. A good initial cleaning will help to keep the tiles in perfect condition from day one and will help to lengthen their durability.

No specific protective product is needed to clean tiles that have just been laid, but it is advisable to use a mask when removing dust, as well as gloves and safety boots or sturdy footwear when removing remains of construction material, depending on the state our work has been left in.

First, the dust

To begin with, it is necessary to remove all the remains of construction materials that you find in the different rooms. A scraper and a soft brush will be enough to remove the remains of the building work that you may find.

Once we have finished the superficial cleaning, all the dust must be removed. It is always advisable to ventilate the rooms and let the dust in the air fall on the surfaces, although it depends on the time available to finish the cleaning.

There are several options to completely remove dust from a freshly tiled room: we can do it with a hoover, better if it is a professional one, or manually with damp cloths and horizontal movements. We should rinse the cloth after each use and change the water constantly to avoid making an even bigger mess.

Professional or domestic products

The type of products used will depend on the type of dirt that we find in this newly built or renovated space. If we encounter the usual dirt found on any construction site, we will not need more products than a neutral soap such as the one used daily for domestic cleaning. If, on the other hand, the floor or wall covering has dirt from the grouting material, it will be necessary to use a special product to remove the remains of cement.

The next step is to prepare a bucket with clean water and neutral soap, which will be used to clean all the surfaces little by little. It is essential to change the water every few metres to ensure that the surface is thoroughly cleaned. Afterwards, just like in any other cleaning, we will pass a cloth dampened with clean water to remove the soap residue. Optionally, we can use a third cloth to dry all the surfaces.

Once the whole process has been carried out and the surface is completely free of dust and dirt from the building work, the floor can be mopped for the first time with the usual products.

How to remove the remains of grout

It is common for the building job to leave remains of the material used to grout the ceramic tiles. In this case, the recommendation is to always use products specifically designed to remove grout, since they are specially prepared for ceramic surfaces. Alternatively, we can use bleach diluted in warm water with neutral soap and a soft cloth to remove the remains of dirt.

And, with these steps, the pavement or ceramic coating would already be prepared for conventional use and maintenance. From that moment, you can clean it with the usual cleaning products in your home or business.

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