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Can Baking Soda Damage Tiles

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

The short answer is no. Baking soda is one of the best natural cleaners for your tiles and grout. Whether the wall tiles of floor tiles, kitchen tiles, or bathroom tiles, no matter where they’re present, you can use baking soda to clean your tiles and make them as fresh as new.

One of the best things about using baking soda to clean your tiles and grout is that there is no risk posed by synthetic chemicals. 

There are also many green cleaning product alternatives are available in the market today. Companies from Seventh Generation to large enterprises like Johnson and Johnson offer environmentally pleasant cleaning products. 

But in this article, we’re only going to talk about baking soda to clean the tiles and grout, and sometimes other natural cleaning agents like vinegar or lemon, which are also green, environment-friendly, cheap, and easily available.

In this ultimate guide on cleaning tiles, you’re going to find what type of tiles can you clean with baking soda? How to clean tiles with baking soda? How to clean grout with baking soda and a few other tips to keep your tiles and grout maintained so that you don’t have to do this laborious work that is cleaning the tiles very often and still enjoy a clean and fresh space, without having to put in too much of effort.

What Type of Tile are You Cleaning?

Before we go any further, it’s super important to know which type of tiles you are going to clean with baking soda to make sure it won’t cause any damage to your tile.

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are the most common tiles for homes, and chances are you have this type of tiles only.

Both the tiles are easy to clean with most of the cleaning products and solutions, but be careful with marble, as it may get damaged with baking soda. As baking soda is alkaline in nature so you should only use it with caution. It is also a mild abrasive, so you should use it gently rather than applying elbow grease. 

And because of these circumstances, baking soda should not be used on marble every day. Frequent use could dull your marble.

Even acids like lemon and vinegar (not just baking soda which is basic) can ruin your marble. The same goes with abrasive cleaning cloths, so you have to be very careful about the type of cleaner you use in different areas of your house.

To learn more about how to clean your marble for everlasting shine read my in-depth article. It will teach you everything about marble cleaning the right way so that you enjoy the cleaning process as well as the fresh and clean marble in your house on a daily basis.

Let’s come to the tiles part now.

How to Clean Tiles With Baking Soda?

Before attempting to clean your ceramic or porcelain tile, it’s important to know what not to use. 

Avoid abrasive products, as these can scratch the tile’s surface. 

Products with bleach can alter the color of your tile, as can ammonia. 

Don’t use a sponge mop on the floor or you’ll simply deposit the dirt directly into the grout lines. 

Be sure to sweep the floor well before cleaning, because sand and dirt left behind can scratch the tile.

At first, you need to pour water over the tiles you are going to work on. Next, spill baking soda over the tiles and quickly scrub it in using a scrubbing brush. 

Now let that sit for around twenty to thirty minutes. This waiting time will help lift stains and mold up. After this time, use your scrubbing brush to give them another scrub. 

Up next, you will need to boil some water. Use the boiled water to eliminate the baking soda from the tiles. If you are cleaning a tiles room that does not have a drain, you will need to remove the water using a mop. A spin mop would work best for this.

During the cleaning process, the baking soda has been working as a natural deodorizer and will leave your room smelling fresh and clean.

If you have black or white tiles in your kitchen you can read my in-depth article on cleaning white kitchen floor tiles here (insert the article) and black kitchen tiles here. (insert the article) The same applies to bathroom tiles.

How to Clean Grout With Baking Soda?

Some perfectionists say that the best way to clean grout is with hot water and a toothbrush, but according to me, that’s a laborious and time-consuming approach. Baking soda and white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide make for a secure and relatively powerful cleanser, as the chemical reaction does a lot of the work for you. 

For the worst-case scenario of stubborn grout stains, use oxygen bleach, chlorine bleach, or commercial grout cleaners. However, these produce potentially toxic fumes and may burn your skin. Avoid applying these products unless completely necessary, and then only with chemical-resistant gloves and ample ventilation.

Start by wetting the grout with water and scrubbing it with a brush that has medium stiffness, non-metal bristles to loosen any dirt or grime that is already present.

Combining baking soda with vinegar is an excellent cleaner that removes calcium buildups. Such buildups are also notably common in the grout.

Create a paste with 1/2 cup of baking soda and 3-4 tablespoons of water and apply it to the grout between the tile. Then sprinkle vinegar on top of the paste.

Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Then scrub it gently with a long handled grout brush, and rinse off with water. The calcium would be eliminated and your grout will be sparkly clean and white.

  • Bathroom grout: Major problems with bathroom grout are from mildew or mold. Clean the bathroom regularly to remove the mold and prevent discoloration.
  • Kitchen grout: Dirt, food, and common grime get stuck between the tiles, accumulating particularly around appliances and in the cooking areas.
  • Floor grout: Dirt from outside gets carried into the house and piled onto the floor grout as it is walked over every day. Stronger products or steam cleaning are often required to clean the deeply rooted dirt from the grout.
  • Outdoor grout: There are scraping tools for grout just for outdoor use. Remove mold, moss, and dirt with a scraper and clean off with a pressure washer.

Tips to Keep Your Grout Clean and Maintained

Once you’ve recovered your tile and grout to their former beauty, take steps to help to keep them looking good. A glazed tile (a liquid glass coating baked within clay), is already stain-proof. Unglazed tile must be sealed using a penetrating sealer. 

No matter which type of tile you have, sealing grout lines will block stains and make cleanup a breeze. You can purchase grout sealer at your local hardware store or from Amazon here.

Hence you’ve sealed the surfaces, avoid using stiff brushes or abrasive cleaning tools, as you’ll remove the sealer and be right back where you started.

Following this useful tip will ensure that you will maintain and keep your tiles clean and free from dirt and bacteria. And that using green products like baking soda which is easily available in your home.

Summary

In this guide, we discussed baking soda as a natural cleaner for your tiles, whether its damages the tile or not, types of tiles you should know before cleaning them with baking soda, whether to apply baking soda and other acids like vinegar or lemon on marble or not, etc…

We went into a deep discussion on how to clean tiles and grout with baking soda, and also discussed few tips like sealing tile grout to maintain the quality of your tiles for longer which also slashes your cleaning process/ work in half.

I tried to help you with this article as much as I could to make you confidently clean your tiles with baking soda. I hope you found this article helpful, and if you still have a few questions or queries you can leave me a comment below and I will do my best to respond to you as soon as possible.

And also share this article with your friends and loved ones who always complain about cleaning the tiles and grout. They will thank you for this.

Lastly, to become a cleaning wizard, join the Cleaner Clubhouse here.

The Cleaners Clubhouse is packed full of help. My cleaning routine, worksheets & printables will make you confidently clean the home that you love and cherish.

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