Slate is a very popular flooring choice at the moment and it comes in many different colours and finishes (some smooth, others with more surface texture).

 

Slate usually has good resistance to mild acids so when cleaning slate you have a much wider choice of cleaning product than you do with acid sensitive stones such as marble or limestone.

 

So how should you go about cleaning slate floor tiles? First of all, is the contaminant mineral based? (Such as cement, grout staining, rust or other 'builders' dirt), if it is, you will probably need to use a mild acid such as Phosphoric Acid Cleaner.

 

For most other situations (including general dirt and grime, oil, wax or a general build up of old polishes etc) we would recommend a strong alkaline cleaner for periodic intensive cleaning and a mild, neutral cleaner for safe everyday or routine cleaning.

 

Below is our 6 point guide to slate care and maintenance:

1.Make sure your slate is protected with a good quality sealer like Sealer's Choice 15 Gold (for natural look, matt finish below surface stain protection or perhaps more popularly; Seal & Finish Low Sheen for a pleasant low sheen gloss which greatly aids on going cleaning.

 

2.Eliminate Grit - Grit is the main cause of wear to slate floors and to any surface seals or finish that may be applied. Ideally, a dust matt placed both inside and outside the room will help remove grit form shoes and thus prevent it from getting onto the floor.

 

3.Sweep or vacuum regularly -As well as keeping the floor looking clean this also removes grit.

 

4.Mop up isolated spills as they occur - Don't leave strong contaminants like wine or coffee to dwell, mop up immediately.

 

5.Wash the slate at regular intervals using a mild, neutral cleaner - this will clean the slate without harming the stone, grout or sealer.

 

6.From time to time perform a periodic deep clean - for this we recommend a high alkaline cleaner.

 

Detailed instructions for cleaning slate floors:

For cleaning slate floor tiles that are contaminated by cement or grout residue:

Pre-wet the floor with water

Apply a solution of Aqua Mix Phosphoric Acid Cleaner (mixed 1 part Cleaner to 5 parts water, may be used stronger if required) to the floor *ALWAYS CONDUCT A SMALL TEST IN AN INCONSPICUOS AREA TO DETERMINE DESIRED RESULTS *

Leave to dwell for a couple of minutes (unlike alkaline cleaners, acids work quite quickly)

Agitate with a nylon bristle scrubbing brush

Mop up dirty solution and rinse well with fresh water, scrubbing once again to remove any traces of the acid cleaner

May require additional treatments 

 

For routine slate cleaning use Concentrated Tile Cleaner . Concentrated Tile Cleaner is a mild cleaner that is safe for cleaning slate floors on a routine or regular basis.

 

For cleaning slate more intensively on an infrequent basis where the nature of the dirt is not mineral based, we would recommend the use of Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner. This a powerful degreaser and deep cleaning solution. When applied to the floor, leave to dwell for 5 to 15 minutes depending on the severity of the dirt. Then agitate by scrubbing with a nylon or natural bristle scrubbing brush. Mop up or wet vac the dirty solution and rinse well with clean water. The important things here are dwell time and rinsing; Alkaline-cleaning solutions need time to 'work'. The longer you leave the solution before scrubbing (without allowing it to dry out of course) the more 'work' it will do and the deeper the clean you will achieve. Once you have 'lifted' the dirt off the floor it will be suspended in the solution, so it is critical that you remove this dirty solution (don't allow it to dry naturally) otherwise the dissolved dirt will just go straight back onto the slate along with detergent residue!