Have you ever felt so frustrated while trying unsuccessfully to clean the grout between your tiles, that you just want to tear out the tiling and replace everything? Well, don\’t be dismayed. You are not alone. Grout cleaning can be really difficult, and may be a big challenge if you are not familiar with the process. Grout enhances the appearance of your tiles with its wide array of complimentary colors, but it is composed of mostly porous material and is a good absorbent for all the detritus like grease, dirt, soap scum, carbonate scaling, cooking oil, and sediments that gets smeared over it with time. That is why it is necessary to coat all grout with a sealant after installation. The sealant will wear off after a couple of years though, and sometimes the grout is not sealed at all. So what is the easiest way to clean that grout? The following must be taken into consideration:

The kind of tiling. Is it comprised of porous material like marble, granite or stone?

The kind of deposit on the grout. Acidic or alkaline?

The overall physical condition of the grout. Is it gouged in some areas?

What equipment is available to do the cleaning?

What chemicals may be used to remove the specific type of deposits?

What about the sealing?

There are basically two types of tiles – synthetic or man-made tiles like ceramic and natural or organic tiling like granite, slate, etc. Synthetic tiles are impervious to almost all chemicals or cleaning agents that may be used, but natural tiles are porous and will be severely damaged or etched by acidic chemicals.

Generally speaking, kitchen and hallway tile and grout are more prone to be covered with alkaline deposits, and are best cleaned with alkaline (high pH) tile and grout cleaning solutions, while tile and grout in bathrooms usually have deposits which require low pH (acidic) solvents for removal.

Sometimes grout in some areas may be so badly gouged that it may require repair before or after further treatment.

Small areas of tiling and grout may be cleaned with a small, non-metallic brush, but for larger areas, optimal equipment is a turbo tool powered by a truck mounted machine generating pressures of up to 1000 psi, vacuum of up to 14 inches mercury, and temperatures of up to 250 degrees F. In each case, the cleaning solution is applied liberally over the tile and grout, left to react for at least 15 minutes, and then extracted and rinsed off the tile and grout. High temperatures and agitation with a machine or grout brush will assist the cleaning process.

Finally after you have the tile and grout looking sparkling clean again, be sure to insist on sealing it with an appropriate water-based or solvent-based sealant, to protect the grout from re-soiling and making it easy for you to clean, without wanting to tear out the tiling.

A good sealant will remain on the grout for about two professional cleanings. So clean your tile and grout professionally at least once a year to avoid this kind of frustration.

While you might be tempted to do all of this yourself, in the long run, unless you are dealing with a relatively small area, the easiest and most cost-effective thing to do, is to call in a professional.

Victor Nugent is President of AJS Carpet Cleaning with over 11 years carpet cleaning experience.
For more information visit our website at AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc. or Carpet Cleaning Lindon or Carpet Cleaning Riverton

Victor Nugent is President of AJS Carpet Cleaning with over 11 years carpet cleaning experience.
For more information visit our website at AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc. http://bit.ly/NaSlpg or Carpet Cleaning Lindon http://bit.ly/MkjERi or Carpet Cleaning Riverton http://bit.ly/NVfz93

Author Bio: Victor Nugent is President of AJS Carpet Cleaning with over 11 years carpet cleaning experience.
For more information visit our website at AJS Carpet Cleaning, Inc. or Carpet Cleaning Lindon or Carpet Cleaning Riverton

Category: Home Management
Keywords: tile cleaning,grout cleaning,carpet cleaning,sealant,utah,salt lake city,