Tiles are one of the most luxurious floorings for Dubai homes. They are usually crafted with limestone, ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone. Spilling accidents are no big deal for tiles because some of the stains can heavily affect the finish and beauty of tiles. Especially if you spilled hair wax on these tiles, it is quite possible that the wax won’t come off without damaging the floor.
But if you are careful enough, you can pick up the wax without doing any extensive damage at all. Dubai Rubber has provided a guide that tells you exactly how to pick up the wax from tile flooring. This guide has all the cleaning tactics to carry out this procedure step-by-step.
Why Wax Is Hard To Remove — Despite Being A Liquid
Hair wax is difficult to remove from the tile flooring. This is mainly because of its composition. There are oil-based ingredients and sticky emollients in wax. Commonly, wax includes beeswax and lanolin. They are held together by natural oils. These ingredients become stubborn when they are mixed together.
Water-based spills can be cleaned easily. This is mainly because they can be dissolved easily. On the other hand, wax does not dissolve. It forms a thin film over the smooth surface of the tiles. This film clings tightly to the tile’s surface.
Different Methods To Deal With Wax On The Tile Floor.
There are many methods to degrease and remove the wax from your tiles. But the only problem is that these methods can damage your floor as well. To prevent floor damage, we have suggested non-abrasive and safe methods to remove the wax from the tiles.
1. Heat And Blot Method
Material Required: Clean cloth, brown paper bag, hair dryer or hot iron.
Procedure: Place the brown paper bag on the spilled wax. Now, apply heat with a hot iron over the damaged floor. Don’t place the iron in one place. It can damage the floor. Keep it moving. You can also use a hair dryer if you are skeptical about the iron. The heat will melt the wax easily. The melted wax would absorb into the paper bag. Pick as much wax as you can with a clean cloth. After that, clean your floor with a clean cloth. You can repeat the same process if the wax layer is thick.
2. Ice And Scrape Method
Material Required: Ice cubes and a plastic scraper.
Procedure: This is the most common method to remove sticky wax from a tile floor. First, let the wax harden some more. After that, place ice on the wax to speed up the hardening process. Now take off the wax from the floor. You can use a blunt instrument or a plastic scraper to pick up the wax. Do not apply too much pressure. This can easily damage the tiles and their finish.
3. Vinegar And Warm Water Technique
Material Required: Synthetic acetic acid, lukewarm water, and a soft sponge.
Procedure: This method guarantees the effective wax removal from the floor. Make a dilute solution of the water and the acid. A concentrated acid solution would warp the finish of the tile. Start applying the solution to the waxy mess on the floor. If the wax layer is thick, let the solution sit on the floor for a while. This method has two benefits. First, it removes the wax from the floor completely. Secondly, it degreases the floor so it doesn’t feel sticky. Don’t leave the solution on the tiles for too long. The surface of the tiles is relatively porous. The solution can bleach the beauty of these tiles.
4. Industrial Cleaners
Material Required: Industrial cleaner, brush, wet vacuum cleaner, or a mop.
Procedure: First, scrape as much wax as you can with a scraper. Harden the wax with ice first. This would make your job easier. After you have scraped off the excess wax, apply the cleaner to the tile surface. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then wipe it off. If the residue persists, repeat the process.
Removing The Wax — A Step-By-Step DIY Procedure
1. Identify The Wax Stain
First is to identify the stain. Know whether the wax stain is fresh or old. Older stains need more time and effort to get off.
Identify the stains. After that, complete the superficial cleaning of the floor. Gather the tools you are going to need for wax removal. It includes a hot iron, ice cubes, a clean cloth, a brown paper bag, a scraper, a brush, and a vacuum cleaner.
2. Loosen or Harden The Wax
For liquid wax, the melt and lift method is the best. Melt the wax even more and absorb it in the paper bag. Apply the heat through the paper bag and lift off the wax.
If the wax is hard, apply more ice to it. This would make the wax more brittle. This way, you’d be able to scrape the wax with more ease.
3. Remove The Wax
Now, scrape off the wax in chunks. The next step is to apply the wax cleaner. You can use a homemade cleaner to remove the wax. Moreover, industrial cleaners are also available for use. Apply the cleaning solution to the wax stain. Let it sit for a couple of minutes.
4. Scrub The Surface
After a couple of minutes, gently scrub the surface and lift off the wax. This process would get rid of major wax amounts instantly. If there is still wax remaining, repeat the process.
5. Vacuum Clean The Floor
The floor surface is free from wax. Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the floor thoroughly. Now, restore the shine of the floor by using a tile shine restorer. Rebuff and clean the floor.
Expert Tips For Spotless Tile Cleaning
Here are some simple but very useful techniques to clean and maintain your tile flooring.
- Choose the correct cleaning technique.
- Clean the tile floor completely and then degrease it.
- Rinse the floor twice with lukewarm water.
- Use a pH neutralizer to neutralize the floor residue.
- Buff for instant shine.
- Do not air-dry the floor.
- Spot-treat the dull patches.
- Use a tile shine restorer.
With these simple tips, you can easily maintain the shine and beauty of your floor.
Common But Avoidable Mistakes While Cleaning The Wax From Tile Flooring
Here are the six most commonly made mistakes while cleaning the wax off the tiles.
- Using A Metal Scraper: A metal scraper can cause extensive damage to the tiles. Use a plastic scraper instead. You still need to be careful while using a plastic scraper as well.
- Overheating The Wax: This can cause the wax to completely liquify and spread even further. Also, don’t apply excessive heat to the same spot for too long. Apply heat for just 10-15 seconds.
- Not Hardening The Wax: Thick wax needs to harden before removal. Harden the wax with ice so that it will come off easily in chunks. Do not skip the wax hardening part.
- Over-Wetting the Floor: The tiles can get damaged due to extensive moisture exposure. Don’t soak the tiles with the cleaner. Apply the solution with a soft sponge.
- Not Neutralizing The Residue: Don’t leave the residue on the tiles to chance. It can cause dullness and stickiness to the floor. Rinse the tiles twice to prevent it. Also, use a tile neutralizer.
- Air-Drying The Floor: Never leave the tile floor to dry out manually. This can leave water spots. Moreover, it can dull the shine of the tiles. Always dry by hand. Use a dry mop or a soft cloth to dry the tile floor.
Calling A Professional — When Does It Become Necessary?
While DIY is an effective method for cleaning the wax from a tile floor, there are some instances where calling a professional becomes essential. We have discussed those situations in detail here.
- Extensive Wax Buildup
- Hardened Or Burnt In Wax
- Previous Staining
- Expensive Tiles
- Sticky Residue After DIY
- Grout Contamination
A Brief Comparison Between DIY And Professional Cleaning
We have compared the DIY and the professional wax cleaning of the tile floors. We have compared each aspect of the tile cleaning in the table below.
| Aspect | DIY Cleaning | Professional Cleaning |
| Cost | Budget-friendly option | Higher initial cost |
| Time | Requires personal effort | Quick and efficient |
| Equipment | Basic household tools | Industrial-grade tools |
| Skill Level | Limited cleaning knowledge | Expert-trained staff |
| Result | Varies by effort | Consistently spotless outcome |
| Safety | Risk of damage | Safe proven methods |
| Convinience | Time-consuming task | Hassle-free service |
| Stain Removal | Partial stain removal | Deep stain extraction |
| Frequency | As needed basis | Scheduled maintenance plan |
| Finish Quality | Moderate shine result | High-gloss polished look |
Concluding The Discussion!
We have now discussed everything about the wax spills on the floor. We started off with an understanding of the wax’s composition. We studied why the wax gets stuck so stubbornly to the tile floor. We also came to know about the two major types of waxes. Next up, we discussed different methods to remove the wax based on its type.
This was followed by a complete step-by-step guide on how to remove wax from tiles. We told you the circumstances under which calling a professional becomes necessary. Lastly, we compared the DIY tile cleaning and the professional services. We concluded that while DIY may cost low upfront, it would make you pay later. Professional services, on the other hand, might be a bit pricey, but they would keep your floors and your sanity intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to remove hard body wax from the floor?
Use the icing and scraping method for this. Ice the spot where the wax is spilled and let it harden even more. Now, take a scraper and scrape off the upper layer of the wax. Repeat the process until you scrape off 90% of the wax. After that, use a degreaser and rid the floor of the stickiness.
2. How to remove wax from ceramic?
You can melt the wax and then absorb it quickly on a dry surface. For this method to work, first place a paper bag over the wax stain. After that, apply heat from any means to melt down the wax. The melted wax would get absorbed in the paper bag quite easily.
3. How to remove wax from porcelain tiles?
Use the heating method for cleaning porcelain tiles as well. The heat would melt the wax, and the paper or the cloth would absorb the wax. Clean the wax residue with a cleaner. This would prevent stickiness and dullness in the floor.
4. How to remove wax from backsplash tiles?
To remove the wax residue from the backsplash tiles, use a cleaning solution. The cleaning solution is nothing too fancy. Just mix soap with warm water. The saponins in the soap would break down the emollients in the wax. This solution will easily dissolve the wax.
5. How to remove hair wax from the tile shower?
The tiles in the shower area are slippery and shiny. Removing hair wax from that area is particularly easier. Just use a heat gun to melt the wax and remove the residue with a paper towel.
