It’s time to clean your grout. Saying that phrase often makes people sick or worse, depressed. Is it really worth it to pay someone else to handle this sometimes daunting task? Let’s see what are the benefits and drawbacks of this relatively new home delivery service.

First of all, many people are not familiar with this home delivery service. Carpet cleaners have been around for years and most people are familiar with the service or have had their carpets cleaned at one point or another. Whether or not the customer has been satisfied with the cleaning service is an entirely different matter. With any service that focuses on your home, trust is an important factor in making the first move and allowing someone else to work on your prized possession. As there are of course many great carpet cleaners in the industry, there are many that give the industry a bad rap. This is true of any industry, but once you’ve been cheated or received poor service, you’re reluctant to go back down that road.

This brings us to the world of tile and grout cleaning. Is it really worth paying someone to do what most people assume they can do themselves? If you search the internet, there are countless home remedies and solutions to clean grout yourself. In some cases these solutions are not bad options. Minor stain cleaning and pet stain removal can be helpful in many cases. However, if you’re looking at an entire floor that needs refinishing or just a good cleaning, you may be in for a monster.

Anyone who has ever been on their knees with a scrub brush and some horrible chemical can tell you that it’s anything but easy. It can be smelly, messy, and hard on your body and there’s always a chance it’ll even make things look worse than they did before you started. So you’re wondering, when is he going to tell me what makes paying for this service so great and why I should spend my hard earned money to do just that? Well, let’s find out!

First of all, you should keep in mind that not all tile and grout cleaning services are created equal. The old adage “You get what you pay for” holds true here as if you were shopping around to buy a new car, printer, or camera. You want to ensure that you are getting quality service that you will be happy with; but not one that will break the bank. Depending on your region of the country, you can expect to pay between 0.75 cents and $1.50 per square foot for clean tile.

This is standard and can of course vary depending on the condition of the grout or if there are existing sealants that need to be removed first. So, on average, a 400 square foot kitchen would cost you between $300 and $600 depending on your area of ​​the country. A lot of people would look at that number and say it’s ridiculous. I can clean the entire carpet in my house for less than $200. Well, let’s take a look at the actual difference here. This will also help you rate a true tile and grout cleaning company vs. a carpet cleaner that acts as a tile and grout cleaning company.

The keys to a quality tile and grout cleaning job are contained in these four components. Emulsifier (detergent), pressure, heat and extraction or vacuum. If your tile and grout cleaning company doesn’t have these four components, you can easily eliminate them from the competition. These are the reasons why.

Water alone will not be enough to get the job done. Your tile and grout cleaning company needs to have enough detergent to tackle your particular job. Detergent is used to loosen dirt and grease molecules from tile and grout. Without this, it’s like you’re throwing water into the oil, with the expected result.

Pressure, and here is one of the main ones in addition to detergent. If you spray a regular garden hose on your driveway, you can wash dirt off the surface. However, if you really want to keep it looking new, grab a pressure washer and do the job right. The same goes for cleaning grout. Grout is porous and is a cementitious product. Now, I don’t recommend bringing a pressure washer to your kitchen floor unless you want to bring your pool indoors. However, you need pressure; and not just steam pressure.

Most carpet cleaners handle pressure between 100 and 500 psi to clean carpets. To clean tile and grout you really need to start around 1200 psi and can go up from there. If your carpet cleaner machine doesn’t provide as much pressure, you may want to cross it off your list. Now if they do a good job cleaning your carpets, keep them for that. You’ll just have to find someone else to clean the tiles and grout. Pressure is key, as it loosens dirt and grease from the grout. It works together with the detergent to penetrate deep into the pores of the grout for a deep clean.

A scrub brush will not and cannot do the same. A brush only reaches the top layer and then pushes the dirt down or just moves it to another surface. You may see some decent results, but in most cases they are only temporary as dirt that has been pushed down will find its way back to the surface.

Heat isn’t always a necessity, but most of us know that when you add heat to most cleaning procedures, you get better results. Now of course there are exceptions and I am aware of that. You wouldn’t want to clean silk at 200 degrees, but we’re talking tile and not fine fabrics. The heat not only helps loosen any grease particles trapped in the grout, but it also helps kill any bacteria that are present. Trust me, there are definitely germs and bacteria growing in your grout. Grout is like a sponge, it will absorb everything.

Finally, extraction or vacuum is essential. What good would it do to clean the grout just to leave the dirty water on the clean tile and grout? It wouldn’t be clean for long. Having a powerful truck mounted vacuum is very important. When you put that much water into the ground, you want something that will remove it quickly and completely. This will not only completely remove dirt from the newly cleaned surface, but will also help floors dry much faster.

Armed with this information, you can now make a more informed and hopefully confident decision when you decide to have your tile and grout cleaned by a professional. Remember, no company is perfect, but with the right team and trained professionals, the job can be done right. Just be sure to rate any cleaning companies before they start the job. Ask for references and make sure they can fully answer all your questions and have all four components to properly clean your floors.

Next week, we’ll be talking about sealants and their role in a residential application.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.