Cleaning a Victorian terrace in St Albans: what 12 years on AL postcodes taught us

St Albans, Harpenden and Hertford all have streets of Victorian terraces built between 1870 and 1905. We have cleaned them for 12 years. They look beautiful, and they punish the wrong cleaning product. Below are the five materials that need a different approach, and the mistakes we see every week when a new client switches to us after a previous cleaner has caused damage.

1. Encaustic floor tiles in the hallway

Cream, red and black geometric tiles, often laid in a Greek key border. They are unglazed clay with pigment fired through the body. They are porous, and the pigment is softer than modern porcelain.

• Do not use bleach. It pulls the colour out of the red and black tiles within 6 months.
• Do not use a steam mop on full power. Brief passes only, never held in one spot.
• Do use a pH-neutral floor cleaner, diluted, with a flat damp mop. Rinse with clean water.
• Re-seal every 3 years with a breathable impregnator. Sealed tiles last 50 years longer.

2. Lime mortar pointing on exposed brick

Many St Albans terraces have an exposed brick chimney breast or fireplace surround. The pointing between the bricks is lime mortar, which is softer and more breathable than modern cement.

3. Original brass door furniture

Letterbox, door knob, finger plate, escutcheon. Some are lacquered, most are not. Strip the lacquer test by rubbing a small spot with white spirit on a cotton bud: if no yellow film comes off, the brass is bare.

On bare brass we use citric acid solution at 30g per 500ml warm water, applied with a soft cloth, then rinsed and dried. On lacquered brass we use a damp microfibre and nothing else. Brasso strips lacquer in two cleans.

4. Sash windows and their pulleys

The pulley wheel at the top of the frame jams when dust accumulates. Vacuum the parting bead and the upper recess with a soft brush attachment every quarter. A drop of clear silicone lubricant on the wheel keeps it spinning. The sash cord itself should never be oiled: it absorbs the oil and rots from the inside.

5. Cast iron fireplaces and tiled inserts

Soot, polish residue, and a hundred years of well-meaning attempts at restoration. Cast iron is forgiving. The tiled inserts are not. The tiles are usually glazed earthenware with hairline cracks that hold water and lift the glaze.

1. 1Vacuum loose soot first, never wipe it.
2. 2Use a soft brush and a black grate polish on the cast iron. Buff with a dry cloth.
3. 3On tiles, a damp microfibre is enough. No abrasives, no chemical cleaners.
4. 4Dry the tiles completely before lighting a fire — trapped water cracks the glaze further.

How often to deep clean

A Victorian terrace benefits from a deep clean twice a year, in March and October. The March clean handles winter soot and chimney residue. The October clean handles summer pollen and prepares the house for the heating season. Quarterly maintenance covers the sash windows, the brass and the tiled hearth.

What to watch in your own house

• Mortar dust on the floor under brickwork: lime mortar starting to fail. Get a specialist before the brick moves.
• Tiles in the hallway with bright cleaning patches: previous cleaner has used bleach. Re-sealing will even the colour over 12 months.
• Sash window dropping in the open position: pulley cord starting to fray. Replace before it snaps.