Wood-look tile floors are currently trending, and it’s easy to see why. With this type of flooring, you get the beauty and warmth of wood with the durability of tile.
But if you’ve never had them before, you might wonder how to clean wood look tile floors.
Wood-look tile floors are incredibly easy to clean. Thoroughly sweep or vacuum them and mop with a gentle cleaning solution. You can also steam mop, use a Bissell Crosswave, or a combination of water and vinegar for a deep clean.
Here’s what else you should know.
How to Clean Wood Look Tile Floors: Step by Step
Start with a Thorough Sweep
One of the most important things to keep your wood-look tiles clean is sweeping or vacuuming them daily.
Both porcelain and ceramic tiles are durable and don’t scratch easily. Still, you want to make sure dirt and debris are off the floor to lower the possibility of wear.
You can sweep your wood-look tiles with a broom and dustpan, dry microfiber mop, or a hard-floor vacuum.
After you thoroughly sweep, you’ll be ready to mop.
Mop with Your Favorite Gentle Cleaner
Once you’ve swept the floors, it’s time to mop.
Wood-look tile floors are incredibly durable, meaning most store-bought multipurpose cleaners are fine to use.
You can use a general cleaner such as Mrs. Meyers, Fabuloso, or Pine-Sol. Or, if you’d like, you can try a cleaner specifically for tile, such as Bona Hard Floor Cleaner.
Now, grab your favorite hard floor cleaner, properly dilute it, and use it to mop the floors.
The best mop is one with a microfiber head. The microfiber pad will grab onto the dirt as you clean.
Other Ways to Clean Wood Look Tile Floors
Since wood look tiles don’t damage easily, you have many options when it comes to cleaning them. Try one of these ideas if you’re looking for an alternative to a traditional mopping solution.
Clean them with a Steam Mop
If you often have sticky or gunky messes on your floors, try cleaning them with a steam mop.
Steam mops release steam on the floor, which loosens up stuck-on dirt. The mop pad then picks up and traps the messes.
As long as you’ve sealed the grout on your wood look tiles, a steam mop is a safe and effective way to deep clean.
Use a Bissell Crosswave
The Bissell Crosswave is a vacuum and mop combo, specifically for hard surface floors. It will sweep and mop your floors at the same time.
The only downside to using a Bissell Crosswave is that you have to use the Bissel line of mopping solutions.
The biggest upside? You can even use the Bissell Crosswave to clean your area rugs.
Try Vinegar and Water Occasionally
The biggest reason wood-look tiles lose their shine is due to cleaner build-up. And fortunately, you can eat through that build-up by mopping them with diluted vinegar.
To do this, mix a solution of one-half white distilled vinegar with one-half water. Then, mop the floors with the solution.
However, as good as vinegar is at cutting through grime, it is acidic. So, if you haven’t sealed your grout yet, don’t use vinegar. And even then, only use a vinegar-water solution now and then for deep cleanings.
If you use it too often, the acidity from vinegar may begin to eat through your sealant.
Mop with Swiffer WetJet
You can use a Swiffer WetJet on your tiles. Consider using the WetJet tile solution as it’s safe for all hard floors.
Using a Swiffer WetJet is a fast and easy solution to clean your flooring.
Spot Treat Pet Messes
Tiles are a great flooring option for families with pets since messes won’t soak into them. Still, it’s crucial to clean pet urine as soon as possible to eliminate lingering odors.
For wood look tiles, clean up pet messes with a paper towel and then treat the area with a cleaner like Nature’s Miracle. To do this, spray the solution on the affected area and wipe it off with a rag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does wood-look tile scratch?
Wood-look tile is usually ceramic or porcelain, both of which are hard to scratch. (Porcelain is the more durable of the two options and the least likely to show wear.) However, even though wood look tile is hard to scratch, it’s not impossible.
To reduce scratching on your floor, put furniture pads under chair legs and sweep regularly.
Can you use Dawn to mop tile floors?
Yes, you can use Dawn to mop tile floors. Dawn is a very gentle PH-neutral cleaner and won’t harm most surfaces, including porcelain and ceramic.
To mop with Dawn, fill a bucket full of warm water and add a drop or two of dish soap.
Are wood-look tiles hard to clean?
Wood-look tiles are one of the easiest flooring surfaces to clean. They’re durable and can handle most types of mopping solutions without issue.
Final Thoughts
If you want durable flooring that’s easy to clean, wood look tiles are one of the best options. Since this tile is usually ceramic or porcelain, it will stand up to wear, and you can use almost any type of cleaner on it.
The best daily cleaner for your floors is a gentle cleaner that’s adequately diluted. If you want a deep clean, try a steam mop or occasionally mop your tiles with a vinegar and water solution.
