Caring and maintaining ceramic tile is usually a breeze due to its durability and resistance to moisture. Routine cleaning wall tiles only involves wiping with a damp cloth or sponge. Floor tiles require sweeping and vacuuming (without a beater bar) and wiping clean with a damp cotton mop. All-purpose cleaners, like Mr. Clean, Spic ‘n Span, or Lysol, are fine to mop with. Be weary of cleaners that contain acid or ammonia. For heavy soil build up let the cleaning mixture soak into the dirt for 5-10 minutes before mopping (or scrubbing if the floor is that bad). Do not let the cleaning solution dry on the tile, though. But the floors should not get that dirty if you routinely sweep and mop and clean up spills immediately.
Some special challenges do come up with floor ceramic tiling, though. For instance, if chewing gum should ever get stuck on your ceramic tile floor don't worry, it's easy to remove. Just harden the gum by holding a piece of ice on it. Then simply scrape it off with a spatula or credit card. If you have a nail polish accident use nail polish remover (acetone) and allow it to sit on the polish for a minute or two. Then scrape off the softened nail polish.
Even though it's durable, there are still some tips you should be mindful of. You should avoid placing sharp objects on your tile floor. When you can, use plastic floor protectors to prevent furniture legs from scratching the tile. And try to avoid walking on tile floors in narrow-heeled shoes.
With tile floors, it's not only the tiles that need attention. The grout in between the tiles needs special care. Since it is porous, sealing it will simplify maintenance and cleaning. Shortly after your tile floor is installed, after the tile has been cleaned and dried, grout joints should be treated with a sealer. This will help protect it from staining and if it does get dirty it should come off when you mop.