Cleaning travertine can be a difficult task for many DIY tile cleaners especially if it has unfilled holes and voids.

If you have travertine that has voids and unfilled holes then it may help to have a shop vac available to extract the dirt from the voids during your cleaning process.

Travertine is a natural stone made from terrestrial deposits of limestone that were formed when cooling, carbonated groundwater was exposed to the air.  Travertine tiles therefore naturally have voids in them from the trapped air.  Many travertine tiles are filled with an epoxy resin before they are installed.  Some travertine is installed prior to filling the voids and these voids can make unfilled travertine tile difficult to clean.  Travertine tiles are dense tiles and are generally resilient to most types of alkaline and acidic based cleaning products.  Still with travertine being a stone tile it is recommended to first test the surface before using any type of acidic cleaning products on travertine.  

The dirt and stains on travertine tiles is of an acidic nature.  Therefore it is necessary to use an alkaline cleaning product to react with the acidic grime on the tiles to dissolve it and make it easier to clean.  An alkaline tile cleaning product specifically made for cleaning tile, grout and stone should be used for your cleaning process.

Mix the alkaline clear with the hottest tap water available in the ratio on the instructions of the cleaning product.

Apply the alkaline cleaning solution mixed with water liberally to the travertine tile surface and allow it to dwell  for at least 20 minutes.

While the cleaning solution is dwelling on the ceramic tile surface you should agitate the tile with a stiff brush or scrub pad.  Do not use any aggresive scrub pads on travertine tiles as you could scratch the travertine surface.  Always test your scrub pads on the travertine surface to insure no scratches will occur.

You should generally scrub the tile surface until you are confident that all of the dirt, grease and grime and any other contaminates are loosened and dissolved from the tile surface.  It may be necessary to use a shop vac to help you extract some of the contaminates from the travertine voids to assist you in cleaning your travertine.  Also be sure to mop and rinse up all the dirt and excess cleaners from your travertine tile surface.

After you have cleaned your travertine tile surface you may notice that the grout is still not as clean as you had hoped for.  It may be necessary to do extra scrubbing on the grout lines with your scrub pad.  There may also be some types of alkaline type stains like urine, red wine or other alkaline based stains in the grout.  It may be necessary to use a mild acidic cleaner to clean the grout lines to their fullest.  Travertine tiles could potentially be damaged with acidic based tile and grout cleaners so test your travertine before using an acidic tile cleaning product.  You can read more about how to clean grout in our grout cleaning section here.

Travertine tiles may need periodic professional honing or polishing to maintain their finish.  Depending on the look you desire from your travertine there are various types of matte or glossy polishing options available.  Polishing or honing travertine is a difficult task and should only be done by trained professionals.  You can read more about hiring a stone restoration contractor in our tile cleaning service page.