Terracotta floors: 4 ways to keep them clean and 1 way to polish them

In some rustically styled homes, a terracotta floor is a main feature. In fact, terracotta gives an environment a very special, warm and unique look and feel. But terracotta floors requires special attention, especially when it comes to cleaning them. For example, you cannot use just any common floor cleaning products on them.

Special terracotta-cleaning products can be purchased, of course. But there are also DIY cleaning solutions that you can prepare at home.

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Since it is a porous material, terracotta tends to absorb any detergent and substance you use on it, which means that you need to avoid some standard cleaning products that would be fine for other floors. And, irrespective of cleaning solution employed, the use of copious amounts of water is important. Use one of the below-described cleaning methods:

Coarse salt and vinegar: if you need to thoroughly degrease your terracotta floor, heat 200 ml of vinegar, dissolve the coarse salt in it for a minute and remove from the heat. When the mixture is luke warm, or even cold, pour it into a bucket and add three liters of water. With this mixture, you can now wash the floor.

Denatured alcohol and Marseille soap (or dishwashing detergent): pour 150 ml of vinegar and a spoonful of Marseille soap or dish soap into three liters of water.

Vinegar and dish detergent (or yellow soap, the soft potassium type): heat the vinegar a little before pouring it into three liters of water, then add the soap (a level teaspoon is enough, or even a little less if you think it will make too much foam).

If you want to tackle individual stains that have recently appeared, you can also use a solution of water and baking soda, possibly adding just a drop of dish soap or Marseille soap. Mix 60 grams of baking soda in a liter of water, and wipe the mixture on the stains with a rag or mop.

You also need to pay attention to the finish of the terracotta floor: some floors tend to have a rough and opaque appearance, others are more shiny. Although there are special products to maintain the shiny finish, you can try an ancient method using olive oil. You just need to put a few drops on a soft cloth (such as those used to spread wax) and rub it on the floor (obviously after having cleaned it perfectly beforehand).

After cleaning, it is always advisable to dry off the floor immediately using a flat mop covered with microfiber cloths, such as those used for sweeping wooden floors.