If you have travertine that has voids and unfilled holes then it may help to have a shop vac available to extract the dirt from the voids during your cleaning process.
Travertine is a natural stone made from terrestrial deposits of limestone that were formed when cooling, carbonated groundwater was exposed to the air.
Travertine tiles therefore naturally have voids in them from the trapped air. Many travertine tiles are filled with an epoxy resin before they are installed. Some travertine is installed prior to filling the voids and these voids can make unfilled travertine tile difficult to clean. Travertine tiles are dense tiles and are generally resilient to most types of alkaline and acidic based cleaning products. Still with travertine being a stone tile it is recommended to first test the surface before using any type of acidic cleaning products on travertine.
Cleaning a travertine shower takes special attention due to the soap scum buildup and the constant water source. You can read more about cleaning a travertine shower on our travertine tile shower cleaning page here. If the grout lines are extremely damaged and dirty then it may be necessary to regrout your travertine tile grout lines to restore your grout to like new condition. Many times travertine tiles require a professional tile polishing and restoration procedure to restore the travertine tile surface. You can read more here about polishing travertine tiles.
The dirt and stains on travertine tiles is of an acidic nature.
Therefore it is necessary to use an alkaline cleaning product to react with the acidic grime on the tiles to dissolve it and make it easier to clean. An alkaline tile cleaning product specifically made for cleaning tile, grout and stone should be used for your cleaning process.
Mix the alkaline clear with the hottest tap water available in the ratio on the instructions of the cleaning product.
Apply the alkaline cleaning solution mixed with water liberally to the travertine tile surface and allow it to dwell for at least 20 minutes.
While the cleaning solution is dwelling on the ceramic tile surface you should agitate the tile with a stiff brush or scrub pad.
Do not use any aggressive scrub pads on travertine tiles as you could scratch the travertine surface. Always test your scrub pads on the travertine surface to insure no scratches will occur.
You should generally scrub the tile surface until you are confident that all of the dirt, grease and grime and any other contaminates are loosened and dissolved from the tile surface.
It may be necessary to use a shop vac to help you extract some of the contaminates from the travertine voids to assist you in cleaning your travertine. Also be sure to mop and rinse up all the dirt and excess cleaners from your travertine tile surface.
After you have cleaned your travertine tile surface you may notice that the grout is still not as clean as you had hoped for.
It may be necessary to do extra scrubbing on the grout lines with your scrub pad. There may also be some types of alkaline type stains like urine, red wine or other alkaline based stains in the grout. It may be necessary to use a mild acidic cleaner to clean the grout lines to their fullest. Travertine tiles could potentially be damaged with acidic based tile and grout cleaners so test your travertine before using an acidic tile cleaning product. You can read more about cleaning grout on our grout cleaning page.
You can read more about our recommended tile and grout cleaner products in our tile and grout cleaners section.
Travertine tiles may need periodic professional honing or polishing to maintain their finish. The cleaning, polishing, honing and maintenance requirements of travertine tile are just some of the pros and cons of travertine tiles to consider before choosing travertine tiles.
Depending on the look you desire from your travertine there are various types of matte or glossy polishing options available. Polishing or honing travertine is a difficult task and should only be done by trained stone restoration professionals. Cleaning and restoring travertine tile can be a difficult and laborious task. Even with the proper techniques it can still take a long time to complete and not look as clean as you wanted. You may want to hire a professional tile and grout cleaning and restoration contractor to clean your travertine tiles for you.
You can read some valuable information and tips on how to hire a tile, grout and stone cleaning and restoration contractor at our contractor information page here. . Travertine cleaning and polishing contractor.