Are Glossy Tiles or Matte-Finish Tiles the Best To Clean?

If you are planning on decorating your bathroom or kitchen, one of the things that you will be asking yourself is how easy will it be to clean the tiles.

After all, you want to keep that decor looking good for at least a couple of years, and you don’t want to create a lot of extra work for yourself either!

 

Matte vs Glossy

Glossy tiles have a nice shine to them. A lot of people like them for this reason. They reflect light, creating the illusion of a larger room.

They are popular for bathrooms and other smaller spaces, and yes, they are easy to wipe clean.

Glossy tiles, however, do show up imperfections more easily. Stains, wet spots and smears can become quite a problem.

If you have hard water that leaves limescale residue, then you will find yourself having to wipe the tiles clean quite frequently.

In addition, glossy surfaces don’t offer much grip, so may not want to use gloss tiles on the floor in the bathroom, or for anywhere that gets a lot of foot traffic, such as your hallway.

Matte tiles, in contrast, are often slip-resistant because they offer better grip.

Slip-resistant tiles usually have a pattern on them, by design, which helps to improve the grip even if the floor is wet.

However, this isn’t always guaranteed particularly in kitchens and bathrooms.

Matte tiles also reflect less light, so they don’t show up smudges or stains quite as much either.

When you do come to clean them, however, it can be a little more time-consuming.

 

Cleaning Your Glossy Tiles

One of the most common issues that people have when cleaning glossy tiles is that the detergent they use, or even the water itself, leaves streaks after the cleaning is done.

The good news is that if you use the right kind of cleaning cloth, you can prevent this from happening.

You usually don’t need fancy detergents to clean glazed tiles. Hot water and a mild cleaning agent should do the job.  

For porcelain tile floors you may even have success with a solution of water and white vinegar.

If there are any spillages, just make sure that you mop up them up straight away with a sponge mop, and then wipe the floor clean with a microfiber cloth to buff it to a nice finish.

 

Cleaning Matte Tiles

Cleaning matte tiles can seem like a tricky job as the rough finish means it collects dust and grime more quickly means you can’t just wipe it clean with a wet cloth.

In some cases, especially with matte tiles that have a darker appearance, you may find that particles of soap collect on the surface.

So no matter how hard you scrub with soap, it’s almost impossible to get that brand new look.

The trick to cleaning matte tiles is to use a mild solution of water with a very small amount of detergent and some vinegar.

In most cases, 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tsp of dish soap to about 4 litres of water should do the trick.

From there, use a stiff brush to scrub the tiles, rinse the area with water, and then wipe it down with a lint-free cloth for a good finish.

If you are worried about mould or mildew in the room, you can let the vinegar sit on the tiles for a while to kill off any mould.

To get rid of the vinegar smell, moisten a cloth with water and wipe the surface down after an hour or so.

You should be left with fresh looking, sparkling tiles!

 

Choosing Tiles for Your Room

As you can see, both glossy and matte tiles are easy to clean when you know how.

Therefore, the tiles you choose for your bathroom or kitchen comes down to personal preference.

One common choice is matte for the floor, and glossy for splashback areas, to help make the room look bigger.

So there you have it. The choice is now up to you as to which tiles you choose based on not just how they look, but how easy they are to clean and maintain.

If you are looking for a professional and highly specialised tile and stone care company, then look no further than us at Slique.

Slique has highly-developed systems and processes, which means we provide a tile cleaning service that is second to none.

Please call us today on (02) 9648 0395 or contact us through our website https://www.slique.com.au/contact-us/ for all your tile cleaning needs.