Understanding how to clean porcelain tile can be a difficult task due to the many different types of porcelain tiles on the market today. The first thing that should be done before cleaning porcelain tile is to determine what type of porcelain tiles you have

There are many different types of porcelain tiles.  Most of the time porcelain tiles are used for floor tile installations but porcelain tiles can also be installed throughout your home or business.  Some porcelain tiles are through body porcelains where the tile is uniform throughout the body of the tile. Some porcelain tiles are glazed porcelain tiles where the top layer of the porcelain has a glazed pattern on it.

There are also many types of cheap porcelain tiles on the market. While there may be some porcelain in these cheap porcelain tiles they are just a cheap clay type of tile.  Many times porcelain tiles are porous and they may also look dirty when in fact they just have a dirty looking finish.  This dirty finish on porcelain tiles often is the result of grout haze left on the porous porcelain tiles.  This grout haze can usually be effectively cleaned with an acidic tile and grout cleaning solution.  Some porcelain tiles are porous while some porcelain tiles are extremely dense and will not absorb any water.

The fact that there are so many different varieties of porcelain tile makes the task of cleaning difficult.

To determine what type of porcelain tile you have you should put some water on the top of the porcelain tile and leave it there for 5 minutes. Then wipe off the water and if you do not see any type of darkening of the tile then you have glazed porcelain tile. The process for cleaning glazed porcelain tile is the same process used to cleaning ceramic tile. You can go to our ceramic tile cleaning section to read more about cleaning ceramic tile or you can also clean these glazed porcelain tiles the same way you clean porous porcelain tiles.

If you have through body or porous porcelain tiles then it is best to start cleaning the porcelain tiles with a good alkaline cleaning solution designed for cleaning tile and grout

Do not use any types of household cleaners or other types of products on the porcelain tiles.  Porous porcelain tiles will absorb your cleaning solution so it is best to use a cleaner specifically designed for cleaning tile and grout. Cleaners specifically designed for cleaning tile and grout will rinse clean out of the porous porcelain tiles. Many types of household cleaners will leave a sticky cleaning residue in the tile that can be difficult to remove and over time can accumulate in the porous tile.  Additionally these types of household cleaners can also damage your tile and especially the grout.

Mix the alkaline cleaning solution with the hottest tap water available in the strongest ratio given on the cleaning container instructions. 

Apply the alkaline cleaning solution to the porcelain tiles and ensure that the cleaning solution does not dry on the tiles. Keep adding cleaning solution if necessary to keep the porcelain tiles thoroughly saturated with cleaning solution. Let the cleaning solution dwell on the porcelain tiles for 20 minutes. While the cleaning solution is dwelling on the porcelain tiles you can scrub the porcelain tiles and especially the grout with a scrub pad or a scrub brush. If you have a delicate finish on your porcelain tiles then you should use a soft scrub pad to ensure you do not scratch the delicate finish.

After you have scrubbed the porcelain tiles and the grout clean then you should extract the dirty cleaning solution using a shop vac or similar type of wet vacuum.

This will help you to remove the embedded dirt in the porcelain tiles and also the grout. Then you should go back over the tiles and grout with a mop and bucked to rinse any remaining dirty and cleaning residue from the porcelain tile and grout.  If you do not have a wet vac then you can also just use a mop and bucket to rinse the porcelain tiles clean of the dirt and cleaning solution residue.

Ensure that you thoroughly rinsed the porcelain tiles to ensure there is no remaining cleaning residue inside the porous porcelain tiles.

When you use a professional alkaline tile and grout cleaning solution you should be able to rinse all the remaining cleaning residue from the porous porcelain tiles.  Remember to never use household cleaners or home cleaning recipes like bleach or vinegar to clean your porcelain tiles.  These types of cleaners can leave cleaning residue inside of your porcelain tiles and they can also damage some porcelain tile and grout.

Most porcelain tiles are acid resistant so you should be able to use an acidic cleaning solution to further clean up the grout.

Many times the grout will be extremely difficult to clean on the porcelain tiles.  Also many times the tile installer has left a grout haze on the porous porcelain tiles.  In these cases it is best to use an acidic cleaning solution to thoroughly clean the porcelain tiles, remove any grout haze and get the grout to its cleanest possible state.

Due to the different types of porcelain tiles you should test the acidic cleaning solution on the porcelain tiles to ensure that they are acid resistant.

Almost all porcelain tiles are resistant to acidic cleaning solutions but it is still a good idea to test the acidic cleaning solution on an obscure section of the porcelain tile installation  This will ensure that the acidic tile cleaning solution will not damage the porcelain tiles.  Using an acidic cleaning solution on porcelain tiles can provide excellent cleaning results on the porcelain tiles especially if there is a grout haze on the porcelain tiles.  It is usually worth the effort to try cleaning the porcelain tiles and grout with an acidic cleaning solution after you have finished cleaning them with the alkaline cleaning solution.

Apply the acidic cleaning solution mixed with water to the porcelain tiles and grout according to the manufactures instructions.

You do not have to let the acidic cleaning solution dwell on the porcelain tiles and you should see the grout fizz as it is being cleaning with the acidic cleaning solution.  Extract the dirty cleaning solution using a wet vac and mop bucket with water the same as with the alkaline cleaning solution.  After you have cleaned the floor with the acidic cleaning solution it is best to go over the floor and apply the alkaline cleaning solution so that you do not leave the grout in an acidic state.  If the grout is left in an acidic state then over time the cements in the grouts can start breaking down.

You can find more information about our recommended alkaline and acidic cleaners on our tile cleaner information page here.

After you have thoroughly cleaned your porcelain tile and ensured that they are totally rinsed then you should dry the porcelain tiles and grout with a clean dry towel.  This will help remove any last traces of dirt or cleaning solution residue from the porcelain tile and grout.

Additionally it is always get to seal your porcelain tiles as well as the grout with a quality tile, grout and stone sealer.  This will help to keep dirt and contaminates out of the porous porcelain tiles and also help to keep the porous grout clean.  You can read more about our recommended tile, grout and stone sealers at our grout sealer review page here.