Porcelain tile care guide
How to clean and care for porcelain tile
Porcelain tile is one of the easiest surfaces to keep clean. It absorbs almost no water, it never needs a sealer or wax, and a simple routine keeps its finish for years. This guide covers daily and weekly cleaning by finish, a stain removal chart, what not to use, care for busy commercial floors and the questions we hear most: bleach, vinegar, steam mops, grout and outdoor pavers.
Why porcelain tile is easy to keep clean
Porcelain is made from fine, dense clay fired at a very high temperature. The result is a tile that resists stains, scratches and moisture, so most of the work is simply keeping grit off the surface.
Daily and weekly cleaning by finish
All porcelain cleans the same way at heart: remove grit, wash with a pH-neutral cleaner, rinse. The finish changes the details. Check the finish of your design on its product page.
Polished
Daily: dust mop or vacuum with a soft brush head (no beater bar) to pick up the grit that dulls the shine. Wipe spills as they happen.
Weekly: damp-mop with warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner, then dry with a clean microfiber cloth or mop for a streak-free shine.
Tip: felt pads under chair legs and a mat at every entrance protect the gloss far more than any product.
Matte
Daily: sweep or dust mop. Matte porcelain hides dust and water spots well, but grit still wears on any floor.
Weekly: damp-mop with warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner. Drying is optional; rinsing is not, because leftover soap shows as a dull film.
Tip: if a matte floor looks grey or cloudy, it is almost always cleaner residue. Mop once with plain warm water.
Textured
Daily: sweep or vacuum. Textured and anti-slip finishes hold dirt in their grip, which is what makes them safe when wet.
Weekly: wash with a pH-neutral cleaner and a soft-bristle brush or deck brush, working into the texture, then rinse with clean water.
Tip: a mop alone pushes dirt into the texture. Brush first, then pick up the dirty water with a wet vacuum or a clean mop.
How to deep clean porcelain floors, step by step
A few times a year, or after a party, a renovation or a long winter, give porcelain floors a full clean. It takes about the same time as a regular mop, with two extra steps.
- —Step 1: Dust first. Dry-mop or vacuum the whole floor so grit does not turn into mud or scratch the surface while you wash.
- —Step 2: Mix the cleaning solution. Warm water with a pH-neutral porcelain tile cleaner, measured as the label says. More cleaner is not cleaner: it leaves a film.
- —Step 3: Mop with a microfiber mop wrung out until damp, not soaking, so water does not sit on the grout lines.
- —Step 4: Treat what is left. Spot-clean marks with the stain chart below, and scrub grout lines with a nylon brush.
- —Step 5: Rinse with clean water. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that removes the haze.
- —Step 6: Dry with a clean microfiber cloth or mop, especially on polished porcelain, to avoid water spots.
Porcelain tile stain removal chart
Porcelain resists stains, so a mark usually sits on the surface or in the grout. Start with the gentlest option, test any new product in a hidden spot and never mix cleaners.
Wine, coffee and tea
Blot right away, then wash with warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner. For a dried mark, leave a paste of baking soda and water on it for 10 minutes, scrub gently with a soft brush and rinse.
Grease and cooking oil
Hot water with a degreasing dish soap or an alkaline tile cleaner. Let it sit a few minutes, scrub with a soft brush and rinse well so no soap stays behind.
Rust
Use a rust remover labeled safe for porcelain tile. Test it in a hidden spot, keep it off cement grout as much as you can and rinse thoroughly.
Paint
Wipe fresh latex paint with a damp cloth. Lift dried paint with a plastic scraper; a little mineral spirits on a cloth softens oil-based paint. Wash and rinse afterwards.
Hard water and soap scum
Diluted white vinegar or a tile cleaner made for hard water, left on for a few minutes only. Rinse well and keep acidic products off cement grout.
Ink and marker
Rubbing alcohol on a white cloth, dabbed rather than rubbed so the ink does not spread into the grout. Rinse with clean water.
Grout haze after installation
A grout haze remover recommended by the grout manufacturer, used within the time on its label. Cement and epoxy grouts need different removers.
Scuffs and metal marks
Rubber soles, chair legs and pots can leave grey lines. A melamine sponge or a non-scratch cleaning cream with light pressure removes them. Test first on polished tile.
Want this chart on the wall of a utility room or in a project binder? Download the printable porcelain tile care sheet (PDF).
What not to use on porcelain tile
Most damage to porcelain floors does not come from dirt but from the wrong product. Keep these away from your tile, and from the grout around it.
- —Wax, oil-based soaps and floor polishes: they leave a film that traps dirt and makes floors slippery.
- —Steel wool and abrasive scouring pads: they can scratch polished porcelain and leave metal marks.
- —Hydrofluoric acid and products that contain it: it is the one chemical that etches porcelain.
- —Undiluted bleach or ammonia as an everyday cleaner: they are not needed and wear on grout.
- —Mixing cleaners, above all bleach with ammonia or with acids: the fumes are dangerous.
- —Colored or dyed cleaners on light grout: the dye can stain the joints.
Caring for commercial and high-traffic floors
Lobbies, restaurants, stores and offices put more grit on a floor in a day than a home does in a month. Porcelain handles it, with a routine sized to the traffic:
- —Walk-off mats at every entrance, long enough for several steps, cleaned daily.
- —Dust mop or vacuum at least once a day, more often at entrances in wet weather.
- —Auto-scrubber with soft pads and a pH-neutral cleaner; skip stripping pads, which are made for wax floors.
- —Alkaline degreaser in kitchens and food service areas, followed by a clean-water rinse.
- —Wet floor signs and a dry mop on hand: textured finishes give grip, but a puddle is still a puddle.
Planning a commercial space? See our porcelain floors for matte and textured finishes made for heavy traffic.
Porcelain tile cleaning FAQ
Can you use bleach on porcelain tile?
Yes, occasionally and diluted. Household bleach does not harm the porcelain itself, so a diluted solution, mixed as the label says for hard surfaces, is fine to disinfect a floor or to clear mildew from the grout in a shower. Rinse with clean water afterwards. Do not use it as an everyday cleaner, keep it away from colored grout, which it can lighten, and never mix it with ammonia or with acidic cleaners.
Can you use vinegar on porcelain tile?
Yes, diluted. About a quarter cup of white vinegar in two gallons of warm water lifts hard water marks and soap scum from porcelain. Rinse afterwards and do not make it a daily habit: vinegar is an acid, and over time it wears on cement-based grout. For routine cleaning, a pH-neutral cleaner does the job without that risk.
Can you use a steam mop on porcelain tile?
Yes, on porcelain tile with grout in good condition. Steam does not harm porcelain, and it is a good way to clean textured finishes without chemicals. Use a low setting, keep the mop moving instead of parking it on one spot and check that the grout has no cracks, since steam can push moisture into a damaged joint. Follow the steam mop maker's directions.
How do you clean grout on porcelain tile?
Scrub the joints with warm water, a pH-neutral cleaner and a stiff nylon brush, then rinse. For darker lines, leave a baking soda paste on them for 10 minutes before scrubbing, and use an oxygen bleach cleaner for mildew in showers. Porcelain never needs a sealer, but cement-based grout can take a penetrating grout sealer to resist stains; epoxy grout does not need one.
How do you clean outdoor porcelain pavers?
Sweep, then rinse with a garden hose. For grill grease or food spills, wash with an alkaline cleaner or a degreasing soap and a deck brush, then rinse. A pressure washer can be used on porcelain pavers, keeping the nozzle moving and away from the joints. Porcelain pavers do not need sealing and do not fade in the sun. See our outdoor porcelain pavers for patios and pool decks.
Does porcelain tile need to be sealed?
No. Porcelain absorbs less than 0.5% water, so the tile never needs a sealer, wax or polish. The grout lines are the only part of the floor that may benefit from a sealer, depending on the type of grout your installer used.
How often should I clean porcelain floors?
Dust mop or vacuum a few times a week, daily in kitchens and entrances. Damp-mop once a week in busy homes and every two weeks in quieter rooms. A full deep clean, with a rinse, a few times a year keeps the grout and the finish looking new.
Care sheet and downloads
Everything you need to clean, install and specify porcelain tile, in one place.
Printable care sheet
The stain chart and the list of what not to use, on one page to print or share with your cleaning crew.
Installation guides
Step-by-step installation guides for porcelain tile, slabs and pavers, for contractors and installers.
Technical specifications
Water absorption, slip resistance and the rest of the performance data for our porcelain.
Easy-care porcelain for every floor
Every design below cleans with the routine in this guide. Open one to see its finishes and sizes, or browse by room: kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor spaces.
