How to Clean Terrazzo Floors

How to Clean Terrazzo Floors | Make Your Floors Shiny

ByChristopher James Reading Time: 6 minutes

The terrazzo floor is the most common, shiny, durable, and affordable type of floor worldwide. Terrazzo is a glossy type of tile that is designed in Italy using high-quality material. Now almost all countries of the world design and use these tiles because of their importance to increase the floor’s beauty.

However, on a similar hand, how to clean terrazzo floors is an attention-grabbing issue. The reason is that most people face some problems cleaning their terrazzo floors.

Down in this post is a step-by-step guide on cleaning the terrazzo floors and how to clean terrazzo floors yourself without any hurdles. But first, you need to understand what a terrazzo floor is to understand all the aspects to clean it.

What is Terrazzo Floor?

It is a durable material that consists of marble and resin in one tile. Overall, or basically, this material is helpful to make the floor and all other buildings smooth, shiny, and attractive in look.

It consists of two parts, including marble and resin. Although it is durable, its binder part, other than marble chips, has pores and can catch wetting specifically when used on the floor.

So, it is necessary to know how to clean the terrazzo floor using some homemade remedies and professional ways. Furthermore, when any liquid or chemical falls upon the floor, it is widespread to catch stains and other substances.

It is recommended to clean it regularly to avoid any complications. If you want to learn how to clean terrazzo floors yourself, then here is a complete guide for you.

How to Clean Terrazzo Floor – A Four-Step Guide

Generally, its regular cleaning includes sweeping and dry mopping, which are easy and we recommend implementing.

But if you face some severe issues and want to make your floor shiny and new, then here is a step-by-step and easy guide for you!

Step#1: Carefully Remove All Debris and Large Dust Particles

Don’t ever think that the terrazzo floor never catches large dust and debris, but it can easily see all waste and the largest dust particles. So, to remove debris and dust particles, you need to remove these particles by sweeping away the largest parties using a dry mop or a smooth cotton cloth. You can also rely on soft foam for this.

Make sure to clean the terrazzo floor in this way regularly at least once a day. If you have more time, then you can implement a dry mop twice a day. Remove all the dust and debris; otherwise, the floor will give a dull appearance.

Step#2: Mop the Floor to Eliminate Dust Particles

It is the next step where other dust and small dirt particles are removed carefully.

  1. Here mop the floor with a wet cloth and sweep the floor surface.
  2. Now mix the terrazzo cleaner in warm water carefully. Please don’t use acidic or basic cleaner as it causes severe damage to the floor by decreasing its shine. Choose a cleaner by keeping an eye on the instructions or its content so that you can use it free of any feelings of fear.
  3. Now pour the whole solution on the floor gently such that all the particles are dissolved with the dust. Wait for 5 minutes so that solution is ideally sat and then disbanded on the surface.
  4. Now wash the floor and make sure that it remains wet for a few minutes; otherwise, its chances of catching dust and debris are widespread.
  5. After 15 minutes, mop the surface using a specific mop or sweep away with a smooth cloth. Allow to dry the floor and see the differences.

Note: You can implement this procedure twice or week for netter cleaning and keeping the floor shining.

Also Check: Best Mops for Vinyl Floors

Step#3: Cleaning Grout Stains

Otherwise, there are fundamental reasons for permanent terrazzo floor issues. Grout parts are cement-based parts of the terrazzo floor that look dull and decrease the shine of the floor. And these parts are necessary to clean

Removing stains from the bottom is now more necessary. But don’t worry; these stains are easy to remove using the most straightforward way we mentioned in the next paragraph.

  • Take some amount of baking soda and mix it with some amount of water. After mixing both well, make a well-pasty mixture.
  • Now apply the whole paste or solution using a brush or an old cloth.
  • Now allow the paste to sit and work for some minutes of about 15-20 minutes.
  • Now remove the paste by using any electric scrub carefully or any other cloth you think can be effective for the scrubbing.
  • In last, cleaning the edges of the floor can be difficult, but putting some paste using cotton cloths can be effective.

Note: Baking soda with considered a homemade terrazzo floor cleaner. So, you can use it regularly.

Step#4: Rinsing the Floor

After you have implemented all the chemicals and cleaners on the terrazzo floor, the next step is to gently rinse the floor so that no dust and dirt particles can enter the floor.

You can use hot water to rinse the floor or mix baking soda in hot water. Never use any other chemical or cleaner at the end as it does not leave positive effects on the floor.

Also, you can check the below video for further information.

Also Read: How to clean concrete basement floor?

Things You Should Avoid While Cleaning Terrazzo Floor

Here are some tips and the things you should avoid while cleaning the terrazzo floor:

  • ❌ Don’t use vinegar or bleach on the floor. Both of these are acidic and basic and are the reason for permanent issues with the floor. So, any types of acidic or basic chemicals are discouraged to use
  • ❌ Don’t use granite chemicals or any other less smooth substance as they are a reason to decrease the shine of the floor (Although they can affect to shine of the surface temporarily these are not recommended due to their harmful effects)
  • ❌ Don’t allow any types of stains or liquids to fall on the surface. In another case, if they are lost accidentally clean them simultaneously

Cleaning Terrazzo Floors- Frequently Asked Questions

No, vinegar is not recommended to clean the terrazzo floor because it has acidic nature. And terrazzo floor can catch spots by any of the acidic or basic substances.

To remove stubborn stains from the terrazzo:

  1. Take a piece of cloth and then soak it in the peroxide.
  2. Keep the wet cloth on the floor where stubborn stains are present.
  3. Rinse the floor with hot water and allow it to dry.

Due to its essential nature, bleach is not recommended to use on the terrazzo floor.

Yes, you can use baking soda to clean the terrazzo floor by mixing it with water, as we mentioned above.

Yes, you can use steam to remove all debris and dust particles before applying a chemical or a specific cleaner. 

Final Verdict

Hopefully, now you learned enough about how to clean terrazzo floors. All the points and tips we mentioned above are based on our experience and testing different methods. Avoid using acidic or basic substances even if they are affordable and available (They are only good for temporary cleaning purposes).

If you still have any questions or face problems while cleaning the terrazzo floor, feel free to ask us in the comments. We would love to help you. 

Have a Happy Terrazzo Floor Cleaning!

Christopher James is the founder and chief content creator at Justiry.com. He is a content planner, editor, and expert with a passion to write about home cleaning solutions. He analyzes and reviews....Read Full Bio