Cleaning Old Terracotta Floor Tiles

[Oola]

Hi all

In our dining room we have the original turn of the century (20th!) terracotta tiles on the floor, covered by an old rug. I'm going to try and steam clean the rug, but I think it's had it.

I also want to clean the terracotta tiles. They're laid straight onto earth and to my knowledge have never been glazed. They also have no grouting inbetween. Mum and Dad took up the carpets over 10 years ago, however the tiles were never cleaned properly and so look quite grubby these days. They also have a funny white sort of staining on some of them.

Does anyone know how I can clean them effectively? I'd rather use natural cleaning products than harsh chemicals if poss. I'm not afraid of a bit of hard graft, but if there's an easy way to clean them, I've love to hear it.

Thanks

Lucy

[dragonfly]

Oola I used to have a terracotta floor in my other house, not sure if they were glazed or not, but it was on dirt. I had an electric scrubber, like an upright hoover, you can fill the bottle on it with any substance you like then press a button and it scrubbs the floor. It saved me hours of scrubbing. I used to just mop the floor most days but give it a good scrub once a month. I used to get white marks, I think it is damp coming up through the floor, but the scrubber got rid of it. It only seemed to happen under rugs so I stopped using them, I think they were holding in the damp. The scrubber was made by hoover, hope they still make them, if not I have seen them at car boot sales.

[lily]

I used some products from LTP to renovate ours (1870s). The first one I used was to remove old cement, grout and efflorescence- there's a lovely word. The second which I no longer have was a sealer/polisher type as best I can remember. You've reminded me, they could do with another treatment. I've just checked and they do have a website, so you could see how "chemically" the products are.

[Oola]

Thanks for your ideas, will look into both of them :)

[jazzactivist]

We laid new terracotta tiles on our dining room floor when we moved in, and especially chose a style that looked marked and distressed with some efflorescence to fit in with the age of the house! I am not sure about natural cleaning methods, Oola, other than a damn good scrub. Try that first, I would say. There is a product that you can buy in any DIY store that is for cleaning and then sealing slate and natural floor tiles. It isn't too expensive and a little goes a long way. But a good scrub and buff should work wonders. What about trying to get an old, working, hard floor polisher on freecycle?

[Ivy]

Good old soap flakes dissolved in hot water and a scrubbing brush bring superb results am not sure about your back though.

[Healing Hands]

Oola the other day I brought some Red Tile Polish which is brillent for terracota tiles. It can be used to give colour and lustre to the tiles. Ensure that the suface is clea from dust and dirt and apply with a cloth or brush. Allow to dry and buff with a clean cloth.

It does not say what is in it, but I remember my Nanny using it and I found some the other day in my hardware store. So give this ago.

[Sarahc]

We also have tiles that go through the hall, dining room and kitchen in a 1906 house. They were in a terrible state when we moved in covered in plaster, grout, and really nasty sticky tape where they had stuck down the carpet (which the underside had disintergrated and turned to dust). I did a lot of scrubbing, white spirits was pretty good on the sticky stuff, but the scrubbing just didn't do the trick so we resorted to nasty chemicals. And they were really nasty, the most noxious fumes, worse than using paint striper on the fireplace. Used a type of brick cleaner then a sealant to stop moisture getting in and they have come up pretty good. Definitely recommend leaving the house for a couple of days if you do resort to them. Good luck and watch your back, I seem to recall you have had problems with it in the past.

[souter girl]

I think the red tile polish was called Cardinal, I remember my mother using it. I used to have lovely Edwardian/Victorian tiles in our hall in our old house - it was great - pram/bicycle/doggy pawprint etc friendly and a lovely surprise when we moved into the house as we couldn't afford carpets and when we viewed it had been carpeted! My daughter now has a Victorian house with almost identical tiles and I wonder if anyone has suggestions for a sealant or polish which isn't too shiny, but will just keep them looking nice with the MINIMUM of effort? Suggestions gratefully received!