Material
Quarry tile
An unglazed fired clay tile that absorbs like the grout beside it, and whose maker warns specifically against acid and no rinse enzymatic cleaners.
- SurfacePorous
- WashingSpot only
- Colour run riskLow
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What quarry tile can and cannot take
- Heat Use with care
- Water and soaking Use with care
- Acids, including vinegar Avoid
- Strong alkalis Use with care
- Solvents Use with care
- Chlorine bleach Use with care
- Abrasives Avoid
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for quarry tile
Two things absorb here rather than one: the tile and the joint.
That makes speed matter in a way it does not on a glazed floor, and it means an old mark may need a poultice rather than a wash.
The manufacturer's warning is unusually specific and worth following: no acid based cleaners and no no-rinse enzymatic products on a quarry tiled kitchen floor, because that combination softens and permanently damages the grout.
Check the label
Quarry tile is unglazed, so the tile itself absorbs. The manufacturer specifies sealing before grouting and resealing regularly, and warns specifically against no rinse enzymatic and acid based cleaners, because heat, food contamination and those cleaners together make the grout soft and permanently damage it.
Stains on quarry tile
- Baby sick Blot and lift the solids quickly, because a quarry tile is unglazed and absorbs like the grout beside it. Was...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Lift free oil from quarry tile, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent solution and a s...
- Breast milk Blot the spill, identify the finish and use a controlled cold clean only where permitted. Where the maker per...
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from quarry tile before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care l...
- Coffee Wipe coffee off quarry tile promptly with a soft cloth. Identify stone, sealer and adjacent grout before choo...
- Concealer Lift the concealer from Quarry Tile, clean with neutral stone cleaner or very dilute washing-up liquid, rinse...
- Cooking grease Blot cooking grease from Quarry Tile, absorb surface oil, wash gently with mild detergent and judge when dry....
- Hair dye Blot hair dye from Quarry Tile, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, remove resid...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Quarry Tile, clean with neutral stone cleaner or very dilute washing-up liquid, rinse and...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Quarry Tile, absorb surface oil, wash gently with mild detergent and judge when dry. A re...
- Nail polish Lift free polish gently if the face permits contact. A maker-approved mild damp wipe can clear loose residue,...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity quarry tile can tolerate. Use a labelled pet uri...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Quarry Tile, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove r...
Quarry tile is an unglazed extruded clay tile, traditionally red, common in older kitchens and utility rooms.
It absorbs
Unlike a glazed tile, the face itself takes liquid in. Most quarry floors are sealed for exactly this reason, and a worn or unsealed floor stains readily.
The maker's warning is specific
Daltile names no rinse enzymatic and acid based cleaners as the combination that, with heat and food contamination, makes grout soft and permanently damages it. That is a narrower and more useful warning than the general advice about acid.
The surface is textured
Which is why the maker specifies a soft bristle brush. A flat mop passes over the low points.
Sealing is part of the specification
Applied before grouting and then regularly afterwards, which tells you that resealing is normal maintenance rather than a repair.
Similar materials
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
-
Quarry tile care and maintenance, Daltile
manufacturer
Tile manufacturer guidance that quarry tile is sealed before grouting and resealed regularly to protect against staining, that routine cleaning is multi purpose products or plain soap and water, that no rinse enzymatic and acid based cleaners are avoided because the combination of heat, food contamination and cleaner makes the grout soft and permanently damages it, and that a soft bristle brush suits the textured surface.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
Cleaning grout, Tile Council of North America
trade body
Tile trade body guidance that grout manufacturers do not advocate the use of acids because acids attack the cement in the grout, that grout is alkaline based and is dissolved by acids, that mildly alkaline cleaners are preferred over acidic ones, that oil and wax based cleaners leave a film that attracts dirt, that alkaline cleaner not properly rinsed leaves a sticky residue, and that cementitious grout should be sealed to prevent staining.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
How to clean terracotta tiles, Walls and Floors
retailer
UK tile retailer guidance that terracotta is a highly porous unglazed clay tile that must be sealed to resist staining, that cleaning is done with warm water and a mild pH neutral detergent rather than anything acidic or bleach based, that harsh chemicals strip the sealer and leave the tile open to staining, and that the floor is dried rather than left wet.
Checked 7 September 2026