How To Clean Outdoor Tiles
It is getting close to the end of the summer and that means there only one thing on everyones mind; How do I get my beautiful outdoor porcelain tiles to look good as new after the weather has had a full season of dumping dirt and debris all over them?
In this short article we are going to help you understand the proper way to clean your outdoor tiles and get them looking ready for the next season. It is important to do this right, using the wrong techniques or cleaning products could damage your tiles and no one wants that! You have made a significant investment in your garden by laying outdoor tiles, make sure they look great all year round by following the steps outlined below.
What equipment do I need?
You will be glad to hear that cleaning your outdoor tiles is not as big a task as you may think. Having the right tools ready to go can go a long way to making this a task you won’t be fearing next time round.
- Soft Bristled Brush
- Stiff Bristled Brush
- A Bucket
- Ruber Gloves
- Garden Hose (not essential)
- Power Hose / Pressure Washer (not essential)
- Leaf Blower (not essential)
Which cleaning products should I use?
Depending on how long you have left your tiles since their last cleaning, and what they have been subject to in that time, you may need a range of different products. You may want to head to your local gardening shop and ask for the following;
- Outdoor Stain Remover
- Residue Remover
- Grout Cleaner
Before Cleaning
Before you start throwing buckets of water all over the place, you should make sure that your tiles don’t have garden debris on them. This can be branches from trees, leaves, stones or even something less appetising left by your dog or cat. Use your hard bristled brush to give the tiles a once over and remove most of this debris. Depending on the type of year you may have different types of debris to deal with. If it is Autumn time, don’t forget to collect all those leaves and put them in your compost bin. This might be where a leaf blower could come in handy!
Removing Organic Matter from Outdoor Tiles
When you have gotten rid of all the garden debris from your outdoor tiles, you might reveal a hidden layer of moss, algae or rust etc. For this type of cleaning task you are going to want to use an acid-based residue remover, make sure it is safe to use one porcelain, ceramic or natural stone tiles depending on what you have in your garden. Checking this will ensure you don’t damage or stain your tiles.
Rinse the surface of the tiles using a garden hose or power hose depending on what you have available. Use the residue remover on a small section of tiles to work out how much you need to use. Leave the residue remover on the tiles for around 5 minutes and then scrub with a hard bristled brush. Rinse the tiles with plenty of water and make sure you have rinsed away all of the chemical solution before you move on to the next section of tiles.
Removing Stains From Outdoor Tiles
Stains like limescale or oil/grease will require something a bit more powerful than the residue remover used in the previous step. For this you will want to use a stain remover. Again make sure the stain remover is safe to use one porcelain, ceramic or natural stone tiles depending on what you have in your garden.
To clean any stains, first rinse down the area then apply the stain remover solution (usually mixed with water) and leave for 5 minutes or so (more specific instructions may be found on the product packaging). Use a cloth and a soft bristled brush to work in the stain remover then rinse away with your garden hose or power hose. For more stubborn stains, you may want to apply some undiluted stain remover to the area and leave until completely dry, then rinse away.
Cleaning Grout Between Outdoor Tiles
So you have cleaned your tiles and they are looking great, but the grout is still looking messy. There isn’t much point spending all that time cleaning your tiles if your grout is going to distract from how great they look. This is where you will want to use a grout cleaner, to make sure you are getting the optimum cleaning solution for the surface. Once again make sure you use a grout cleaner that is safe to use one porcelain, ceramic or natural stone tiles depending on what you have in your garden.
Apply the grout cleaner using the directions on the product packaging as a guide. You may want to get in those grout covered joints with a hard bristled brush to scrub away any remaining residue. You can use a garden hose or power hose to blast away residue too (this is usually more fun than the brush method). If after cleaning with grout cleaner you still have some stains, you may want to use some undiluted residue remover on the area also. Don’t forget to rinse away when you’re done.
In Conclusion
So now you know how to clean your outdoor tiles properly and as you can see, it’s not too hard of a task! If you don’t have outdoor tiles but have been convinced by how easy they are to maintain, please have a look at our outdoor tiles on our website or give us a call to see what options we have for you!