How to Clean Travertine Floors - 5 Simple Steps

If you are planning to go for a complete makeover of the house by switching to travertine flooring, you are in for an experience of a pure aesthetic look of your home. You have probably installed Travertine flooring in your home or are contemplating doing so. So, it becomes imperative to say that Travertine comes with lots of holes and hollow spaces and tends to accumulate dirt in its gaps quickly.

Now the question that is probably clouding your mind is how to clean travertine floors. Well, there are specific techniques and proper cleaning rules to be adopted and adhered to get back the shiny, clean look of your dear travertines. Read along to clear away the mists of confusion from your mind and gear up to start with the cleaning process. Let’s begin!

What is Travertine?

Like other forms of stone flooring (say, marble or limestone), Travertine is a type of stone used for flooring purposes in residential properties. Its uneven, rough surface replete with hollows and pits enhances its beauty.

Travertine can create wonders and make your home take up a charming and posh appearance. Its main constituent is calcium carbonate and is formed from limestone remnants and as a by-product of solidification of the hot springs.

The best part about the Travertine is that it often resembles marble flooring and gives an overall splendid look to your living space. Oh, did we say that Travertine also comes in a plethora of rich colors such as emerald, ivory, walnut, silver, golden, and brown? Spruce up your home with this beautiful and vibrant stone flooring.

Since Travertine is susceptible to getting dirty, you need to take slight pains to ensure that these stay highly polished and well-maintained so that not even a little shade of dust gets the scope of accumulating on it.

Follow the cleaning instructions that have been tailor-made only for the Travertine floors and get the feeling of staying in a place filled with royalty just as you feel special while seeing the picture of the Roman Colosseum. Yes, it too has Travertine as its flooring!

Travertine Cleaning Gear

Make sure you have got these cleaning items handy before commencing with the task of deep-cleaning the travertine floors.

- A good quality broom having super-soft bristles


- A soft mop with not-so-rough fabric


- A cleaner solution having its pH as ‘neutral,’ that is, neither acidic nor alkaline


- A bucket


- A mini scrub to keep away the dirt materials from settling in the hollows of the tiles


- A soft washing piece or towel


- Sufficient amount of warm water


- Baking soda


- A stone cleaner from a good brand

Travertine Cleaning Instructions/Steps

Step 1



Kick-start your travertine floor cleaning by beginning with sweeping away the dust and dirt accumulated on the floor tiles. For this purpose, you may use a vacuum cleaner or broom. However, the best option will be to use a dust mop as its soft bristles smoothly remove the dust, strands of hair, and dirt from the floor.

If you wish to use a room, make sure you have a dustpan to collect the dust quickly and dispose of it later. Else, the dirt may get scattered, and you have to start from point zero all over again.

Step 2



After removing the dust from the floor, prepare the solution you will use for mopping purposes. It is recommended that you use warm water as it has more extraordinary cleaning powers of eradicating even the stickiest dirt from the floor.

Pour a sufficient amount of warm water into a bucket and mix a few drops of your preferred cleaner solution in it. If you prefer a stone cleaner, you can add that to the bucket of warm water.

A neutral pH cleaner is also an excellent option to go for as it ensures deep cleaning of the Travertine floor. Go by the usage instructions mentioned in the product label and add the required amount in the water to form the perfect solution.

Step 3



Now that the solution is prepared, start mopping the floor. Be careful to wring out the mop so that the extra water comes out of it. For this, you may want to use a spin mop. It doesn’t inflict too much pressure on your hands while retaining the required amount of water for washing at the same time.

Another excellent option to choose is to use a spray mop. It looks like a dust mop but has a built-in spray nozzle with it. The amount of solution you wish to sprinkle depends upon you as you will be in charge of releasing the trigger for the nozzle.

Here is a very important cautionary fact regarding travertine floor washing. Never make the mistake of making the floor excessively watery. The more saturated the tiles get, the greater the chances of these getting discolored or faded. The excess water will seep down through the grout lines and hollows and may stimulate mold growth, thus enhancing the chances of putting your tiles at a far greater risk.

Step 4

It’s time to start with the vital task of mopping the floor. The most effective mopping plan will be to start from the most remote part of the room and then reach the entrance or exit area. Make sure not to saturate the area with water. Keep wringing the bristles of the mop every time you dip it into the bucket of warm solution.

Pay attention to the drops of water that keep on dripping from the mop streaks. If you see water drops falling on the ground incessantly, take action immediately to prevent it.

The problem gets worse if you have a large room to cover. To avoid over-saturation of water on the tiles, divide the room into two halves and use one bucket for each half of the room. In this way, the solution in the bucket is getting replenished, and the tiles are getting washed more effectively.

Step 5

After giving the travertine floor one mopping coat using the warm water, go for another round of washing, but this time using cold water. Yeah, it is a bit of a back-breaking task, but the results are beautiful!

Start with mopping the entire room with cold water and look for any extra drop of water that falls on the floor. Wring the mop properly and change the water at the very instance when you see it getting blackish or dirty.

Step 6



This step of drying the floor is crucial. If you don’t carry out this step correctly, all your efforts in washing the travertine floor will be futile.

You can use any towel for drying purposes. In this way, you will be assured that no imprints of the wet mop streaks are left behind. Even if there were any presence of accumulated water on the floors, it would get swept away while you will be cleaning the tiles with a dry, tidy towel.

How To Seal Travertine Floors?

Sealing the travertine floor tiles is a significant task to jazz up the brightness of the color of the tiles. With the passage of time and the mounting effect of liquid spills and water splashes, the tiles undergo discoloration and take up yellowish stains. To save the tiles from getting degraded, sealing the floor at regular intervals is essential.

- For sealing, you have two options at your disposal. You may choose the penetrating material that permeates deep into the floor and block the openings. In this way, no moisture can enter into the tiles, thus eradicating the chances of mold growth at its very root.

The other option involves coating the surface of the floor tiles so that any liquid spill doesn’t affect the beauty of the travertine floor. After you have applied the sealer at the below surface level once, make sure that the coating of the barrier surface is applied periodically for long-term maintenance of the travertine floor.

- The travertine tiles have a pale and faded appearance. If you wish to give a rich, shiny, and vibrant look to your room, applying sealer frequently is a good idea. Else, if you wish to keep things simple and beautiful, apply the sealer once or twice a year.

How to Protect and Maintain Travertine Floors?

Cleaning the travertine floors periodically is an obligatory step. But that doesn’t mean that you will stop caring for it on other days, right? Here we have compiled some of the most fantastic tips that you need to know for the proper maintenance of the Travertine Floor.

- Since the travertine floors tend to pick up dirt and dust, they start looking dull and whitish. You can use a broom, mop, or vacuum cleaner with a soft attachment. Take out time so that you can go sweeping at least twice a week.


- Use a mild cleaner and a properly wet mop to get rid of stains and dust from the floor. Mopping weekly will be good enough to maintain the luster of the Travertine floors.


- Cover the areas of the floors that are centers of great activity with a carpet or doormat. In this way, the beautiful floors will be saved from getting stained by juices or other liquids.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to clean travertine floors, ensure that the tiles keep emitting ethereal beauty by proper maintenance. Wash the floor with a neutral solution and keep resealing it as per your needs. Your beautiful travertine floor deserves all of your pamperings. So, take out a little time for your lovely floors and enjoy having an aesthetic standard in your house. Happy Cleaning!
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