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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @SaviS. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about cleaning tiles.
Of all the tiles varieties out there, black glossy tiles would have to be one of the hardest to keep clean. Even walking over the floor barefoot will leave oil marks that show up when the light hits them in the right direction.
One of the issues you are likely experiencing is that you'll need to use clean water when mopping; otherwise, when the water evaporates, it will leave a dirty film on the tile surface. After a few square metres, you'll likely need to refresh the water in your bucket. Products like the Karcher FC3 Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner do an excellent job of resolving this issue by continuously using fresh water. I've also seen great feedback on using a Karcher SC3 EasyFix Premium Steam Cleaner for difficult-to-clean tiled floors.
Do you have a dog, or does your family walk over the floor barefoot? The oil deposited across the surface will continuously make it appear dirty. This is a very common complaint with dark tiles. If so, you might need to isolate your pet from the area and start a socks on in the house policy.
After you've mopped the floor with a water and detergent mixture to break down the oils, you might like to go back over with Windex to see if that improves the finish. Using Windex seems to be a popular choice on difficult-to-clean tiled floors.
I'm keen to hear more about the issues you are experiencing. You might like to post some images of the dirt you're seeing, so our members have a better idea of the issue. I understand that it might be hard to capture the issue through photographs. Let me know if you need assistance uploading images.
Let me mention one of our knowledgeable members @prettyliving to see if she has any techniques to share.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hi @SaviS,
Can you please do a test for me? Try cleaning an individual tile and see if you have the same results.
Are you able to clean the tiles, and then they become dirty very quickly, or can you not clean them at all? We need to determine whether this is dirt or whether they are oily smudges on the surface.
Were you able to take a picture for us? Without further details and investigation, finding a solution might prove to be difficult.
Mitchell
Do the oily smudges appear to be stuck to the surface of the tile, or do they smear when you try and wipe them away @SaviS?
Can you please let our helpful members know the products that you've used so far?
Mitchell
i have attached pictures
Hi @SaviS,
Those are oil marks from bare feet; you can see the partial footprints in some areas. If someone with bare feet or a pet walks over the tiles after you have cleaned them, they'll pick up these marks immediately. Unlike white tiles, these oily marks really stand out on black tiles. White tiles pick up these marks as well; you just can't see them.
It sounds like you might need to try and minimise the number of bare feet on this floor. You could implement a socks-on policy, get everyone a comfy pair of house slippers or add a carpet over this area.
Mitchell
