Your tile floors need some attention, and they are not bad enough to schedule a professional tile cleaning and restoration service. So, with a few household products, some time set aside, and a bit of elbow grease you can make your tile floors like new again.
If your floors are in need of a major cleaning, a professional tile and grout cleaning service is worth considering.
Cleaning tile alone is fairly straightforward and easy due to its polished and smooth surface, but many people struggle when it comes to cleaning the tile grout with its rough and porous surface. Let’s take a look at how to properly clean and seal tile grout.
Tools for the job
In order to properly clean and seal your tile grout, you need to have to proper tools. Go through this checklist, and be sure that you have everything you need, don’t worry, most or all of the items needed are probably already at your disposal.
● Hydrogen Peroxide
● Baking soda
● Sponges
● Dish soap
● Hot water
● Oxygen bleach powder
● Steam cleaner
● Vinegar
● Spray bottle
● Rubber gloves
Cleaning Grout
First and foremost, grout sealant is the best way to prevent staining and is the best protection for your grout, but if your grout isn’t properly sealed or needs to be re-sealed and cleaning needs to be carried out its best to take a light approach before working with the more caustic cleaning agents.
Start cleaning the grout with mild cleaners, and observe your results, if the results aren’t satisfactory, you can move up to the next notch in terms of cleaning power and agents, until you reach a satisfactory level of clean.
This method will save you time, as you might not need to use the harsher chemicals and agents.
If you are going to use more caustic cleaning agents on your grout, be sure to first test the cleaning agent in a small area that’s less noticeable as some brands and chemicals can cause issues such as discoloration or damage and potentially ruin the look of your tiling.
Use a Store-Bought Grout Cleaner
There are also tools you can buy or rent to help clean your tile grout, let’s take a look at a few of these options.
Grout Pen
Grout pens can effectively cover around 100 linear feet of grout. The grout pens don’t actually clean the grout though, instead, they cover up unsightly areas that are stained and discolored. This method usually takes about an hour to dry, but again this isn’t cleaning this is covering up.
Steam Cleaner
If you have access to a steam cleaner you can use it to great effect on your grout. Steam cleaning will help loosen and dirt and debris that is trapped in the porous surface of your grout.
On top of loosening dirt and debris for removal, it will also kill any germs or bacteria that are trapped in this rough surface.
Oxygen Based Bleach Powders
If you have tough stains that just won’t go away using other products, the oxygen bleach powder might just be your best option.
Be sure to thoroughly remove and other cleaning agent residue from the surface so that the bleach doesn’t react to it, and as mentioned before, be sure to first test this agent on an inconspicuous spot in case it damages or discolors your tiles and grout.
End Result
Using the method above of starting with mild cleaning methods and working your way up will ensure that you find the best method for cleaning your grout effectively. There are several ways to get that tricky surface clean, and this list covers your best shot at doing so!
Questions on caring for your stone or tile floors? Restore-A-Floor is Michigan’s preferred contractor for stone restoration and tile restoration services. This includes grout and tile cleaning, color sealing, stain proofing, natural stone cleaning and polishing, minor grout and tile repairs and more! We have been restoring floors and counter tops back to their original beauty for more than 20 years. Call for a Free Estimate.