Cleaning floor tiles so they are glossy as I think they are meant to be

[GreenGardenia]

We have large creamy tiles in the kitchen and hall and due to general muck, dogs, children, they end up being mopped most days, or when I am feeling lazy I aim a bottle of squirty stuff in their general direction and run a dry mop over that.

Looking back at photos of the house when we bought it the tiles seem to have been quite glossy back then, or the estate agent had some nice Photoshop filter...

Anyway is there some product or some method I should know about for cleaning floor tiles so that they actually shine?

Thank you!

Unless you want your family sliding all over the place! I'd continue with your own cleanin g and wait till they've left home for shiny tiles!

Maybe the previous owners used floor sealant on them - it does make a big difference. You have to give them a good clean and then paint it on, and let it dry for a few hours but they will look lovely. You don't need to do it very often though.

What are the tiles made of? I think it makes a difference as to what products to use.

I don't know what they are made of, the are cream coloured, large format or whatever you call it, they are very nice but they're not slabs of marble or anything!

I've been down on my knees inspecting them this evening and the grout is also crumbling away a bit so I think they also need regrouting... anyway, is the floor sealant a sort of temporary thing, I might have a snoop around about that.

Re. the family sliding around etc, let them, the ingrates!

Most floor tiles are intentionally designed to not be as shinny as wall tiles (so they are not slippery). If they are ceramic they should not be porous however - it should therefore be possible to get the dirt off the surface with a bit of elbow grease.

If they are natural stone or terracotta then, if not treated properly, they can absorb dirt an you will probably never get them properly clean again.