Cleaning porcelain tile and natural stone: which Fila product to use for each type of dirt
Almost every stain that looks impossible to remove from porcelain tile or natural stone comes from the same place: the installation itself. Grout residue, limescale haze, machinery marks. And almost all of them come off with the right product in the first few days. A few months later, what would have been a twenty-minute clean becomes a problem.
This guide sets out which product to use for each type of dirt, following the technical scheme recommended by porcelain tile manufacturers. It isn't a product list: it's a decision map.
If you haven't laid the paving yet, start at the other end: our guide to installation methods explains all six systems —traditional, gravel, sand, grass, pedestals and ventilated facade— and which one suits each case.
First things first: there are two different cleans, and they always get confused
This is the distinction that saves the most money and the one most often ignored.
Post-installation cleaning is done once, right after laying, to remove grout residue and construction dirt. It is a chemical clean: cement residue has to be dissolved. It calls for an acidic product.
Maintenance is what comes afterwards, every week, for years. It is a neutral clean. Use a post-installation product for daily maintenance and you are attacking the grout for no reason.
The classic mistake is skipping the first one. A floor that wasn't properly cleaned when the job finished carries an invisible cement haze that traps dirt for years, and the customer ends up believing the material is poor quality.
Post-installation cleaning: what to use depending on the grout
Here the question isn't what flooring you have, but what it was grouted with.
Cement-based grout (the usual case)
A mildly acidic detergent that gives off no toxic fumes and respects the grout, the material and whoever is applying it. The reference product is Deterdek Pro.
It dissolves cement residue without the aggressiveness of hydrochloric acid. And that is the comparison that matters, because hydrochloric acid is what people reach for when nobody has explained the alternative.
Epoxy or resin-based grout
Acid is no use here: resin doesn't dissolve in acid. You need a specific epoxy residue remover, such as CR10.
This is where most material gets ruined, because people persist with the wrong product, scrub, and scratch the finish. If the grout was epoxy, the post-installation product is a different one. No exceptions.
Why not to use hydrochloric acid
It deserves its own section because it is still the first thing many people think of.
Household hydrochloric acid attacks the cement in the grout, not just the surface residue. The typical result shows up weeks later: grout that powders, sinks and starts shedding sand. It also gives off aggressive fumes in a space that is often still enclosed, and it can permanently stain nearby metals and aluminium —frames, profiles, drains—.
A post-installation detergent formulated for ceramics does the same job on the residue and leaves the grout intact. The price difference doesn't make up for regrouting the floor.
Day-to-day maintenance
For routine mopping, a neutral detergent with real cleaning power: Cleaner Pro. Neutral means it doesn't attack the grout and leaves no film. This is what you want to be using for the next ten years.
Two warnings about routine maintenance:
- Products containing waxes or shine enhancers leave a film. That film traps dirt, and within a few months the floor looks dull precisely because of what was put on it to make it shine.
- Bleach does not clean grease. It disinfects, which is a different thing. On an oil stain on porcelain tile it does almost nothing.
Ingrained dirt: the decision table
When dirt has been there a while or is of a specific kind, neutral maintenance isn't enough. This is the scheme porcelain tile manufacturers recommend, with the matching Fila product for each case:
| Type of ingrained dirt | Product to use |
|---|---|
| Installation cement residue, limescale deposits, metal scuff marks, rust deposits | Deterdek |
| Epoxy, vitrified or resin grout residue | Fila CR10 |
| Light organic dirt (daily cleaning) | Cleaner Pro |
| Drinks, food, grease, oils, rubber, dyes, marker pen, emulsion paint splashes | Fila PS87 |
| Graffiti, acrylic, alkyd and nitro-synthetic spray paint | Fila NoPaint Star |
| Candle wax, tree resin, adhesive tape residue, tar | Fila Solv (specific solvent) |
A note for transparency: we don't currently stock Fila Solv. We include it because it is what the manufacturer recommends for that group of residues. If that's your case, write to us and we'll tell you how to get hold of it.
Each case, explained
Cement haze, limescale and rust
This is the most common dirt and the most misread. Cement haze isn't visible head-on: you see it looking across the floor at a low angle, against the light. It looks as though the porcelain has lost its colour. Limescale appears wherever the water is hard —showers, pool surrounds, terraces under a drip— and rust wherever there has been a metal planter, a piece of rebar or outdoor furniture. All three are tackled the same way: with Deterdek, diluted according to how ingrained it is.
Grease, oil, dyes, marker pen
This is the kitchen, garage and terrace group. These are organic stains that need a degreaser with real power, not a neutral cleaner: PS87 Pro. For a single, localised stain —a drop of oil on a worktop, say— the spray format of Nospot solves it without having to make up a bucket.
Graffiti and paint
NoPaint Star comes as a gel, and that is not a detail: on a facade or a vertical wall a liquid runs off before it can act. The gel stays where you put it for as long as it needs.
Silicone residue
It isn't in the table but it turns up on every bathroom job: silicone residue won't come off with any detergent. It needs a specific product, Zerosil.
Blackened grout
When it isn't the tile that's dirty but the grout —typical in shower trays and kitchens— the product is Fuganet, formulated to act on grout material without eating into it.
After cleaning: protecting
Glazed porcelain tile needs no protection. Natural stone, terracotta, polished concrete or unglazed technical porcelain do, because they are porous: they absorb, and what they absorb stays inside.
Protection is always applied to clean, dry material, never before the post-installation clean:
- Stoneplus — water- and oil-repellent for natural stone. Protects against water and grease without changing the look.
- Hydrorep — water repellent for stone and cement, solvent-based.
- Hydrorep Eco — the water-based version, for working indoors or with less odour.
Applying a sealer over a floor that still has cement haze means sealing the dirt in. That is why the order matters: post-installation clean first, then full drying, and only then protection.
Frequently asked questions
Can I clean porcelain tile with a pressure washer?
If it is laid with cement-based adhesive, yes: the surface isn't porous and it will take it. On a dry-laid installation over sand or gravel, better not, because the jet displaces the bed underneath the slabs.
How often does the water-repellent treatment need redoing?
It depends on exposure and traffic. The home test is reliable: drop a little water on the surface. If it beads and sits on top, the treatment is still working. If the area darkens and the water soaks in, it's time to reapply.
Does vinegar remove limescale?
On glazed porcelain with very light limescale, it may shift some. On calcareous natural stone —marble, limestone, travertine— do not use it: acetic acid attacks the stone itself and dulls the area irreversibly. At that point the problem stops being a stain and becomes damage.
Is post-installation cleaning necessary if the floor looks clean?
Yes. Grout residue is a thin, transparent film that only shows up at a low viewing angle, or when, months later, the floor gets dirty faster than it should. It is cheaper to do it than to fix the result of not having done it.
Key takeaways
- Cement-based grout → post-installation clean with Deterdek Pro.
- Epoxy or resin grout → post-installation clean with CR10. Acid is no use.
- Every week → Cleaner Pro, neutral, wax-free.
- Grease and food → PS87 Pro; for isolated stains, Nospot.
- Graffiti → NoPaint Star gel.
- Porous material → protect after cleaning, never before.
- Hydrochloric acid → never.
You can see the full range at Fila Solutions, or go straight to cleaning products and protective products. If you have a specific stain and don't know how to tackle it, send us a photo and we'll tell you what will shift it —and what won't.
