Why Tiles are inherently hygienic
In the post-Covid era, I think many people are more aware of the need for keeping our homes clean and hygienic and although it seems inconceivable that we will ever face another pandemic, the likelihood is that in our lifetime, that is a distinct possibility. So how can we prepare for that and just keep our homes clean day-to-day?
If you are doing up your house, considering taking on a renovation or working as an interior designer then here are some things to think about. Carpet and wood absorb bacteria, allergens and mould, whereas porcelain and ceramic tiles do not. Tiles are resistant to moisture, which is why they work so well in rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens. They are easy to keep clean and hygienic with general household cleaners – no specialist maintenance is required unless you have real stone or marble. Tiles work incredibly well in high traffic areas such as hallways, because they are low maintenance and easy to clean and with the advent of under floor heating they feel warm and cosy as well.
It’s not just the Tiles: Grout matters!
When you are purchasing your tiles, you will be having a conversation about grout. What colour should I use? Can I use epoxy or pre-sealed grout for mould and bacteria resistance? These are all questions you should ask before you finalise what you buy. Other things to consider when it comes to keeping you home clean is the size of your tiles – the bigger the tile, the fewer grout lines you will have which means that cleaning time will be dramatically reduced. And this is not just on the floor, but the walls to, so consider an outsized tile which will not just give you a clean, sleek look but will also make it easier to maintain.
What types of Tiles are best for Hygienic spaces?
Tiles come in all sorts of different materials, shapes, sizes and finishes and all of these factors has a bearing on how easy they are to keep clean.
King of low maintenance and cleanliness is porcelain – it is non-porous, stain, scratch and heat resistant and incredibly durable. It will look as good as the day it was installed, literally years later.
Glazed ceramic tiles tend to be smaller format wall tiles. They are durable, are often a cheaper option and easy to keep clean.
Glass is a great product for hygiene. Glass tiles tend not to be large format, but they can work very well as splashbacks in kitchens and bathrooms, are non-porous and easy to wipe clean.
Natural stone or marble is beautiful but presents with some maintenance issues. They are porous so on installation will need to be sealed and then carefully maintained with specialist cleaning products. They are definitely higher maintenance than any other material we’ve discussed so far.
Finally, the finish on your tile will also have a bearing on how easy it is to keep clean. Highly polished or very smooth matt tiles are easy to clean and keep looking good. The
higher the slip resistance, the more difficult they are to clean as small particles of dirt gather in the rougher area of the tile but in wet rooms and bathrooms you don’t want a slippery floor, so there are compromises to be made. If you do have a lot of stone or tile floors in your house, an annual deep clean by a specialist company is a good way of keeping them looking good and they will also advise on any ongoing maintenance issues with real stone or marble products.
Designing Rooms with Tiles making them more Hygienic
Bathrooms
People nowadays don’t just tile their bathroom floors as there so many more options for walls than there were even10 years ago. Slab tiles which can be as much as 1m x 3m are ideal if you have the height. Fewer grout lines, easy to clean and made of porcelain, these enormous tiles have so many advantages when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness.
Kitchens
Kitchens are likely to hotbeds of dirt and bacteria by the nature of cooking and the daily grind of life. But with a porcelain tile floor, porcelain work surfaces and tile splashbacks around hobs and sinks, you can greatly reduce the amount of work involved in keeping everything clean. By using large format tiles on the floor, such as 120x120xcm, there won’t be so many grout lines to manage and a porcelain worktop is stain, scratch and heat resistant so not only will it stay looking good for years, they come in huge pieces so fewer joins on your worksurface to keep clean.
Laundry and Boot Rooms
These need to be practical and low-maintenance. They are going to get lots of use and there is likely to be surface dirt and mud particularly in boot rooms. So although the floor needs to have some slip resistance it needs to be easy to clean and disinfect and be a realistic colour – no white tiles needed here!
Halls and Entrances
Entrances and hallways are high traffic areas in every home so chose a tile that is easy to clean and won’t show the dirt. Although a cream floor looks amazing when it’s clean, it will also show every paw and footprint plus all other marks and you may find yourself cleaning it multiple times a day, So a practical colour that works with the family life you lead must be a consideration for your sanity! This is where wood-effect tiles can work really well as the movement in the planks helps to hide marks and they are incredibly realistic and durable. If you are looking for something a little more traditional, a limestone-effect tumbled tile can work well. Using a random pattern adds depth and the aged look of the tiles helps hide the day-to-day dirt that inevitably works its way into our homes.
So when you are choosing your tiles, be realistic about your life and how much work you want to do to keep them clean, hygienic and looking good.
Maintenance Tips
If like me, you run a tight ship when it comes to cleaning then a plan needs to be in place to keep things running smoothly!
With tiled floors in high traffic areas such as hallways and kitchens, a quick hoover daily gets rid of the kind of dirt that if left, can get into grout lines and higher rated anti-slip tiles. A good wash every other day using the recommended cleaning product for your floors is usually enough, unless it’s been wet and you have dogs and/or small children, in which case it may be an everyday thing. If your grout is looking grubby, then it’s a hands and knees job – I use a scrubbing or nail brush and sometimes bicarbonate of soda, to get stubborn marks off. This is not a solution for a large floor area, more about isolated marks and getting rid of them. Do not use abrasive cleaning products on a tiled floor to avoid damaging or scratching it. Once a year, we get in a specialist floor cleaner, who does the whole ground floor in one go, getting the grout really clean and bringing the tiles up so that they look as good as new. Take advice on resealing natural stone or marble as if you’ve had a deep clean, they may need to be sealed again to protect them.
With all this cleaning, you will be pleased to know that you are contributing to cleaner air quality in your home! Tiles are excellent for this, no microfibres or filaments and so a good choice if anyone has a condition such as asthma or allergies in your household.