The Cleaning Blog

Your flooring is a significant part of your home. Regular maintenance and tile cleaning in Orlando is vital in ensuring the longevity of your tiles and grout, but even then, you may not always avoid a replacement down the road. Even so, it is clear that the sooner you detect problems, the better it is when it comes to making repairs, replacements, and getting ahead of spiraling costs. 

It’s important to learn the basics of what to look out for when it comes to your grout and understand what grout failure is all about.

How Do You Tell If Grout Is Failing?

Although there can be issues that are not as obvious, there are tell-tale signs you can spot that can indicate a potential problem when it comes to your grout. 

Mold In Grout Joints

For any longtime homeowner, seeing mold in your grout lines is not anything new. After all, certain areas, like bathrooms, are prone to intense moisture for prolonged times. You can see mold appear as black marks along the grout lines. 

It is not just a visual eyesore, but mold can also lead to stuffiness in the surrounding area, and cause health impacts like sore throats, coughing, and irritation to the eyes.

When it comes to removing mold, you can depend on a specialized cleaner, or use a 50-50 mixture of white vinegar and water as a cleaning solution. Scrubbing after a few minutes should remove the mold. 

Of course, it is best to prevent the mold from developing in the first place. Proper ventilation can reduce the moisture in the air, and wiping down grout lines and tiles with a dry towel when the room has been used will help. 

However, the most pressing issue would be if mold recurs. This could be because moisture has made its way behind the tile and is encouraging the growth of mold from the inside. This will require some expert help.

Loose And Wiggling Tiles

When you are stepping on your tiles, the last thing you would expect is for them to feel loose. This can be dangerous for any high traffic area and loose tiles can be the result of subpar installation, movement, or worse, moisture in the sub-floor. 

Bringing in an expert can help you determine the cause of the looseness. Getting the adhesive right will help, but sometimes, it can be due to moisture entering the substrate and causing the adhesive to break down. Such a failure of the grout can lead to even more significant problems down the line. 

Deterioration Of Grout Joints

When you look at your grout lines, it should be secure and look whole. However, if you see cracking, crumbling, and deteriorating grout lines, then something is amiss. This could be due to improper installation, or a sign of deeper problems.

With the help of professionals, you will be able to find out what is going wrong with the grout lines for your tiles. It could be more than just issues arising from installing the grout and tiles incorrectly. Moisture could be seeping through the foundation, and causing damage to the area beneath the tiles. 

Conclusion

For tiles to be safe for anyone walking over them, your grout needs to be in good condition. If you detect any problems like the ones we’ve mentioned, you definitely need to get them checked out as soon as possible. With expert advice and expertise, you should be able to understand the situation better and apply the right solutions.

Tiles are beautiful textiles for use within homes; there’s no doubt about that. However, having tiles means you have to deal with tile grout as well. Unfortunately, tile grout is known to be difficult to clean, as they’re prone to developing buildups of germs and dirt.

Luckily, you can hire a professional Kissimmee tile and grout cleaners to get to the bottom of your grout-related issues and give your tiles and grout a new sheen again. 

Here are a few great reasons why you should.

Reasons to Hire A Professional Grout Cleaner

No Damage

If you’ve been cleaning your grout yourself, you’ve likely noticed that it’s necessary to use a number of different cleaning solutions and tools to get the job done. You’ve probably also spent a fortune on said supplies just to find that some of them don’t work or damage your grout.

Professionals have the proper tools to clean your group without causing any cosmetic or structural damage. They know how to effectively clean even the most stubborn areas without leaving a mark. 

Cost Efficient

Another great reason to hire a professional is that doing so will save you a lot of money. This is because buying the equipment to clean your own tiles and grout is expensive. You often have to buy more than one product to find the one that works for you and, if you don’t know how to use the product, you’ll spend even more money to buy another bottle in hopes that it will work this time.

Hiring a professional saves you the cost of buying your own supplies and potentially wasting them, throwing your money down the drain. 

Improves The Appearance of Your Home

Nothing ruins a perfectly cleaned home like dirty grout, which is why it’s never a bad idea to hire a professional grout cleaner to tackle that exceedingly frustrating job. 

After a good deep clean by a professional, your grout (and your home) will be left looking clean and fresh again.

Reduces Stress 

Keeping the home spick and span can be a job that induces a lot of stress. So why not let a professional grout cleaner take care of your dirty grout? 

Letting a professional take care of the problem will give you some time to relax, as you pass on the headache and stress of this time-consuming and laborious task to the experts.

Does Away With Bacteria

Store-bought cleaning products are great for tackling common, everyday messes and dirt. However, you might need a professional grout cleaner in order to rid your grout of bacteria and debris that has developed a resistance to classic household cleaners and natural methods. 

The chemicals that professionals have access to trump the ones available in stores in both quantity and strength, effectively knocking bacteria out with minimal effort. 

Saves Time

The last benefit we’re going to cover is saving time. Given that you’re busy with work, chores and everything else in daily life, cleaning your grout is a job that you’d likely rather not have to deal with.

Grout cleaning is truly not a simple chore that takes half an hour either. Hiring a professional to come in with a team and do the job can save you a ton of time that you’d rather be spending doing other things.

Conclusion

Your local tile and grout cleaner is an amazing service that you should be open to considering. If you’re still on the fence about whether to hire a professional, keep in mind that you’ll be saving a lot of money, getting much needed time back, getting rid of stubborn germs, and making your floor look like it’s brand new all at the same time. 

When it comes to your home, many people tend to overlook the flooring. However, if you do not give your flooring the right attention and maintenance, it can spell disaster in the future and could lead to potential problems that will require serious investment to fix.

One of the key elements of your flooring is grout. Not only does grout join the tiles together, but they allow for a more cohesive look to your flooring. 

There are two kinds of grout that is being used commonly, and they fall under either cement based grout or epoxy based grout. Both have their own uses and can be useful in many different applications.

Of course, grout comes with its own set of problems as well. Over time, even with regular cleaning, grout can become dirty and ruin the look of your floors. 

In order to prevent that, it is essential that you hire professional Kissimmee tile cleaning services to seal the grout properly. By doing so, you are giving it a protective layer that can prevent further problems and maintain the beauty of your flooring for the foreseeable future.

The Importance Of Properly Sealing Your Grout

For residential buildings, most tiles are joined together by cement based grout. This means that the grout is more porous, which allows for moisture to seep in inconveniently. When the moisture evaporates, it can leave behind dirt and stains that can be hard to get rid of. Once those stains start to accumulate, you can be sure that it will be no nice sight.

The moisture also builds an environment that is conducive for the growth of mildew and mold. For those with health problems, this is another big red flag to look out for. 

The last thing anyone wants is a dirty looking floor that appears to be poorly maintained, and unsealed grout is the biggest proponent of that. Grout can also wear out over time, which can cause your tiles to come loose. This becomes a danger to anyone who has to walk on the tiles.

In order to prevent these problems from taking root, it is important to seal your grout properly. 

How Does Proper Sealing Of Grout Help 

Proper sealage helps form a protective layer over the grout lines, which will prevent moisture and dampness from being absorbed. The protection also helps to prevent grout from cracking and wearing off for a sustained period of time. Tiles are less likely to be loosened, and everything will be as good as day one.

This way, you can maintain the look of your flooring with no discoloration and staining. More importantly, you prevent mold and germs from breeding beneath your feet. 

To summarize, here are the advantages of sealing grout properly: 

• Proper sealing helps to retain the color of the grout with tiles as it prevents grout from getting discolored 
• Make grout waterproof, preventing absorption of moisture and in turn, the growth of mold and germs 
• Prevents grout from drying off and cracking or going missing, which helps to preserve the beauty of your surfaces for long 
• Keeps the tiles joint in place with each other and prevents them from becoming loose

When Is The Right Time To Seal Grout?

The best possible time to do so will be when you have just laid your floor tiles. Once the grout connecting the tiles have dried and cured, you can look to seal them up nice and proper. 

As for tiles that are already existing, you will need to clear away any visible mildew and mold before you attempt to seal the grout. Be sure to also remove any grease or dirt from the area as well with some dishwashing soap, let the area dry, then start the sealing process.

You will have to repeat the process every one to two years just to maintain the effectiveness. 

Conclusion

By sealing your grout properly, you are protecting your floor tiles as well as your health in the long run. With proper sealage and a good cleaning routine, you can ensure your flooring remains free of stains, mold, and mildew for years to come.

Tile and grout cleaning is not easy. You can’t really just take a sponge and pass over it, but you can’t just leave it either because tiles and grout can accumulate dirt. Dirt builds up in the pores of the grout and lines the surfaces of your tiles, discoloring the grout and tiles and making them look dull—and possibly also leading to the growth of mildew.

To get these tiles properly cleaned, it’s difficult to do it yourself. That’s where our quadruple cleaning process comes into play to help you remove all the deep grime and to protect your tiles in the future. 

Our certified technicians know exactly what to do with the proper chemicals, tools, and techniques to make your tiles shine again.

When Should You Get Your Grout Cleaned?

You don’t need to get a clean all the time, but when you start to notice the dirty tile and grout, that’s when you might want to think about giving us a call. All that dirt can make your entire room feel dirty, after all, and it’s not exactly an easy process to get down on your hands and knees to clean it yourself.

Usually, this is the best time to get a clean: when you’re really noticing that dirt. Of course, you’ll be able to wait for longer between cleanings if you’ve had your grout and tile protected following a professional cleaning.

Our Quadruple Cleaning Process will clean and protect your tile and grout

We use a quadruple cleaning process that is meant to remove any dirt, oils, grease, grime, soil, and so on, from your tile and grout. Now, your grout might still have some imperfections, but it will certainly look a lot better.

Initial Inspection

Before we get started on our quadruple process, we’ll first identify the cleaning solution that will work best for your home, and very carefully move your light furniture to help us get every piece of your home.

Before we do anything, we’ll do some pre-vacuuming to remove any harmful dust or grime. We’ll also do some site protection with items like a doormat to protect your floors from dirt, corner guards and door stops to prevent damage to your home, and other precautions like cones that we’ll use to keep your home safe.

The Quadruple Process

First off, we’ll begin by using an alkaline wash that we apply by hand. We’ll get down to mop and scrub on your tile, getting that alkaline right into the grout lines.

From there, we’ll bring out the steam cleaners. Using hot water and rotary pressure cleaning, along with vacuum extraction, our steam cleaners will pass over the tiles to uplift the dirt and grime.

After we’ve finished with the steam cleaner, we’ll get down on our knees again to hand clean and dry all the areas that the steam cleaner cannot reach.

From here, we’ll add one more cleaning solution—the acid wash. This is something we’ll do by hand to help further clean and strengthen your tile before we re-steam the flooring one more time.

Post Inspection

Our job isn’t done until you have inspected the tiles and are completely satisfied with our job. If you notice something that doesn’t look right, we’ll get down again and fix it. If you have questions about something we’ve done, we’ll be more than happy to answer that too.

From here, we’ll also seal and protect your tiles to protect them from any future damage, such as re-staining or discoloration. Sealing and protecting it after a professional cleaning like ours will go a long way.

Conclusion

If you notice your tiles or grout are starting to look dirty, give us a call. Our quadruple cleaning process ensures that your tiles and grout will look clean again and we’ll apply some protection to your tiles too in order to keep them clean in the long run.

You no longer need to struggle with trying to scrub your grout on your hands and knees, not when you can give us a call to use our process on your tiles and grout for a deep steam cleaning. 

Tiles are generally easy to clean and maintain. However, with tiles, come another often overlooked element: grout. 

Keeping your tile grout clean is another matter altogether. It’s easier for stains, dirt and bacteria to collect in your grout.

While it may look like grout is easy to clean or won’t take that much time and energy, it can actually be rather frustrating trying to get in the grooves for a proper clean. Most people also don’t realize that improper grout cleaning can lead to other issues like cracking the grout and allowing moisture to gather under the tiles. It could end up causing you more problems than it’s worth which is why it’s often better to hire the experts for tile cleaning in Kissimmee.

Nevertheless, if you still want to clean your grout yourself, here are a few of the most common mistakes that you want to avoid. 

Improper Grout Cleaning Mistakes

There are some common mistakes when cleaning grout that can lead to some real disasters. In order to be as prepared as possible and prevent the most common errors, here is a quick list of things to be aware of.

Excessive Water

When it comes to cleaning grout, using too much water can be a major problem. You’ll usually mix it with some type of grout cleaner since water alone won’t do much, but it’s important you don’t accidentally add too much water. 

It will weaken the adhesive and lead to crumbling or cracking. Crumbling can also occur if you use a brush that’s too harsh or other abrasive materials.

Cracked grout can cause moisture to collect under your tiles, leading to water damage and mold. 

Wrong Chemicals

There are right and wrong cleaners for grout. Grout has pores and will absorb any liquid you scrub over it. When using acidic or colored cleaning chemicals, the grout will absorb them and over time, you’ll notice damage and discoloration. 

Make sure whatever cleaner you use isn’t too harsh or acidic. Acidic cleaners can cause the pores in the grout to grow bigger which makes it so the grout gets dirtier faster.

Scrubbing Too Hard

Scrubbing too hard or using brushes that are too abrasive can lead to problems. It may seem like a good idea at first because you’ll get more dirt out, but you end up damaging the grout and causing it to crumble or crack over time. Avoid using steel wool and harsh abrasive chemicals or powders.

Why is Grout so Difficult to Clean?

Grout is what holds your tiles in position on the floor. There is a sandy characteristic to it and it’s porous too. This means that moisture and dirt can collect in it easily over time. It is the sandy and porous properties that make grout so challenging to clean.

If you simply approach cleaning with the idea of scrubbing as hard as you can, you’d be disappointed. As mentioned above, scrubbing too hard can dislodge the sandy particles, which will just make the grout crack more easily. 

Conclusion

If you’re dead set on cleaning your grout yourself, then we definitely recommend you do plenty of research ahead of time and talk to the people at your local hardware store in order to find the best cleaner. However, for those who don’t want to take the risk of more problems such as moisture and mold under your tiles, it’s much easier to call in the local grout cleaning experts and know that your grout is in good, professional hands.

In your home, there are areas where the tile and grout are installed which are especially vulnerable to dirt, spills, and bacteria. With time, the look of the tiles can change as the tiles start to fade and grout lines become chipped, cracked and dirty. 

You might have already hired professional Orlando tile and grout cleaning experts to clean the grout but there is certainly still an advantage to applying grout sealer after the cleaning itself.

Benefits to Having Grout Sealer Applied After a Professional Cleaning

Protect your tiles

Grout sealer makes your grout water resistant and since bacteria and mold like to multiply in moisture, this also stops your grout from becoming a dangerous breeding ground for germs and mold. This way, you can be confident that your grout will last longer and retain a clean and fresh look.

Easy cleaning

Tile grout is porous and can be very difficult to clean, especially after soaking up liquid stains and contaminants. With grout sealer, your grout has a layer of protection that means it won’t absorb liquids. You won’t find yourself having to scrub out liquid stains from your tile grout as often. The grout sealer also strengthens the barrier between your tile and grout.

Delay wear and tear

Applying grout sealer will help to lessen the likelihood of damage to your tile grout. With a simple application, you’ll be on your way to delaying inevitable wear and tear and prolonging the overall lifespan of your tile’s surface.

Improve the aesthetics

You’ve handpicked your favorite tiles and invested a significant sum of money to get them installed. It goes without saying that you’d want the best look and aesthetics possible for your home. Using a grout sealer does just that – instead of faded, damaged and stained grout, you can instantly refresh the look of your tiles. 

In fact, some people might even think you’ve done a full retiling when all you’ve done is refreshed the look of your grout and maintained that new look.

Cost effective

Grout sealer is a cost effective way to ensure your tile investment can last through the years. Sealed grout will not stain or discolor as easily and you won’t have to risk any damage to your tiles through harsh chemicals or scrubbing when you’re trying to remove stains.

Having to slowly remove grout by digging it out is costly and takes up a lot of time. Being told that your grout is damaged and requires a full replacement isn’t music to your ears either. There’s really no good reason not to apply grout sealer, which is so economical and cost effective, so you won’t have to replace your grout over time.

Conclusion

There are definitely benefits to gain from applying grout sealer, even after professional tile and grout cleaning. It simply makes for much easier cleaning and maintenance, while keeping your grout free from stains, discoloration, bacteria and germs. Overall, since it’s so affordable, it’s more a question of why wouldn’t you apply grout sealer for all its benefits?