Bathroom Design, Bathroom Remodeling, Bathroom Contractor, & Special Needs Bathrooms

If your ceramic bathroom tile is located within a historic property, before undertaking any work, it is recommended that a professional bathroom remodeling, bathroom renovation expert, an historical architect, an architectural historian, or a chemist with particular knowledge and experience in this field be consulted.

You want to make certain that your historic ceramic bathroom tile is done in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Ceramic bathroom tiles are fro the most part a low maintenance material. Even glazed bathroom tiles are somewhat porous, and can get dirty and stained, especially in heavy traffic areas such as bathrooms and shower areas.

Although heavily soiled areas may be difficult or impossible to clean completely, in most instances, cleaning ceramic bathroom tile floors is relatively easy. Cleaning should always begin with the gentlest means possible, which may be as simple as warm water. Regular maintenance of your bathroom and shower tiles should include sweeping, or preferably dry or damp mopping or vacuuming to reduce grit. Bathroom and shower Tiles can usually be cleaned with a non-soap-based household floor cleaner. There are many available at area Washington DC super markets. Make certain whatever product you choose to utilize states that it is safe to use on bathroom and shower ceramic tiles. If you are uncertain a quick call to a professional bathroom remodeling company or bathroom renovation expert can assist you. W2W Bath.com has professional bathroom designers and bathroom remodeling experts available to help you. Located in Kensington Maryland, our bathroom designers and bathroom renovation experts are very familiar with most of the ceramic bathroom and shower tiles commonly found in historic homes in Washington DC, Bethesda Maryland, Chevy Chase, Maryland, Silver Spring Maryland and Georgetown Washington DC.

All cleaning and stain-removal products used to clean bathroom and shower ceramic tiles should always be tested on a small, inconspicuous area before using. Abrasive cleaners (including powdered cleansers and even "mildly" abrasive creams) and mechanical equipment can damage and wear away the protective surface of bathroom and shower tiles, as well as the decorative design on the bathroom tiles, and should not be used on ceramic bathroom tile floors.

As bathroom remodeling and bathroom renovation experts we recommend that acid-based cleaning solutions should not be used on ceramic shower tile or bathroom tile floors. There are some acid-based cleaners specially developed for cleaning and removing coatings from ceramic shower tiles and bathroom tile floors that may be acceptable, but even these we recommend to use with caution.

You may wish to consider using an acid-based cleaner to remove discoloration or staining caused by lime or cement mortar. It should be tested first, used with caution, and applied only to a thoroughly wetted tile floor from which excess water has been removed. Pre-wetting a bathroom or shower ceramic tile floor before cleaning is a smart idea with all bathroom and shower tile cleaners. Water saturates the porous tile and prevents chemicals or other cleaning agents from penetrating into the tile body. Bathroom floor tiles should be always rinsed thoroughly after cleaning. If in doubt the bathroom designers and bathroom renovation remodeling experts at W2Wbath.com can usually help address any questions you may have.

Plastic bathroom scrubbers may be effective in loosening and removing superficial dirt without abrading the glazed or vitrified surface of the bathroom floor and bathroom shower tiles.

If you are trying to remove asphalt or oil stains, scuff marks, or soiling can sometimes be removed with ammonia or one of the household spray products intended for cleaning kitchen or bathroom tiles. If necessary, a solvent may be applied carefully to pre-wetted tiles, but it should not be left on the surface for a long amount of time as it could cause discoloration. If possible, a stain should always be identified first in order to select the material best-suited to remove it.

Organic growth, such as mold or mildew, can be eliminated with a dilute solution of household bleach and a neutral household detergent, or a dilute (5-10%) solution of tri-sodium phosphate (TSP). A lot of bathroom shower and bathroom floor tile cleaners meet these specifications. After applying either of these solutions, it may be necessary to scrub the floor with a natural bristle or nylon brush, and then rinse with clear water.

Even a dilute bleach solution should not be left on a ceramic tile floor for more than a few minutes; this could lead to the formation of a white efflorescent deposit. Efflorescence (a whitish haze of water-soluble salts) may stain and streak the tile, or may even cause minor spilling around the joints.

Regular maintenance of a ceramic bathroom tile floor should always begin with vacuuming to remove loose dirt and grit. Then, a mild bathroom floor and shower tile cleaning solution may be applied and left on the floor and shower walls for 10-15 minutes, without letting it dry on the tiles. Heavily soiled areas may be scrubbed with a natural bristle or nylon brush to loosen dirt from the tile surface. Finally, the floor should be thoroughly rinsed with clean, clear water, preferably twice, and dried with terry cloth towels, if necessary. Make certain that any proprietary cleaning product should always be used in accordance with the manufacturer's directions. Once again if you are uncertain of what cleaning solution to use, contact the bathroom shower remodeling and bathroom renovation experts at WWbath.com and they will be more then happy to assist you.

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Cleaning and Remodeling Historic Tile Tips