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Coastal Cleaning Systems
Coastal Cleaning Systems is proud to provide the best in cleaning services for the Hancock and Washington county Maine areas including Bar Harbor, MDI and Ellsworth. We provide VLM (very low Moisture) Carpet cleaning, hard surface floor care (hard wood, laminate, tile and so on), furniture and mattress cleaning and sanitizing as well as many other services.
We at Coastal Cleaning Systems would be happy to help you with any of your cleaning needs. Contact us at www.coastalcleaningsystems.com or 207 479 4673 for a free estimate and consultation.
This article may also help and was reprinted for your benefit.
Thank you,
Sean Qualls
Coastal Cleaning Systems
Don't Wax That Ceramic Floor!
By Rawi Tabbah
Guidelines for the care of ceramic tile floors are applicable to most porcelain and quarry tile flooring. Many restroom floors are composed of 1"x1" or 2"x2" ceramic tiles grouted with standard sanded grout.
The color of the grout varies according to the color of the tile and is usually white, off-white or gray. The ceramic tile itself has little porosity; however, the grouts very porous and susceptible to stains.
Traditionally, most restroom tiles are installed "honed". The term "honed" refers to the reflectivity and smoothness of a tile. Honing is the action of abrading the surface of the tile. A honed tile usually refers to a tile which has been abraded up to a certain grit and is not highly polished.
Many architects choose such honed tiles for two basic reasons: they are less slippery than highly polished (or glazed) tiles; and for aesthetic reasons. Dirt and stains do not show up as much on polished tile as they can on less polished tiling.
Maintenance Concerns
If the building owner or manager were to instruct maintenance staffs to keep the honed look of the tile, the procedure would be as follows:
Examine the grout closely. Spot-clean if needed with a phosphoric acid cleaner.
Clean and neutralize the floor with a mild, synthetic, slightly alkaline, biodegradable detergent, and rinse well
Seal the tile and grout with a penetrating, water-and stain repellent sealer.
This penetrating sealer should not add any shine or color to the tile or grout. A recommended sealer would be one that is a non-silicone, non-urethane and non-acrylic penetrating sealer which is water-and oil-repellent and stain-and mildew-resistant.
However, this sealer will not resist acids such as urine. Two applications of this kind of sealer are recommended (for optimum results, wait 8 hours between applications). A yearly application of this sealer is advised for long-term maintenance procedures.
