Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Nov 19, 2009 5:37 pm How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? Does anyone know HOW grout gets dirty?? Is it because of too much mopping?? Cheers Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 2Nov 19, 2009 5:53 pm Hi S&P, I once had polished off-white porcelain tiles with near-white grout. The tiles were pre-sealed but the grout was never sealed and grout is porous. Once the dirt gets in -- it stays in and nothing shifts it. That's my experience anyway I asked a specialist tile cleaner who told me steam cleaning would be a BIG mistake because it could potentially damage the porcelain tile. I tried bleaching it and scrubbing it with various concoctions but alas none worked. Mopping per se does not worsen the problem as its just the nature of grout. Finer mixes are less prone to staining than coarse grouts for what it's worth. Pix Built a (highly) modified Allcastle Maxworth 38.7 in Sydney. Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 3Nov 19, 2009 6:28 pm Pixelated Hi S&P, I once had polished off-white porcelain tiles with near-white grout. The tiles were pre-sealed but the grout was never sealed and grout is porous. Once the dirt gets in -- it stays in and nothing shifts it. That's my experience anyway I asked a specialist tile cleaner who told me steam cleaning would be a BIG mistake because it could potentially damage the porcelain tile. I tried bleaching it and scrubbing it with various concoctions but alas none worked. Mopping per se does not worsen the problem as its just the nature of grout. Finer mixes are less prone to staining than coarse grouts for what it's worth. Pix Hmm.. thanks for your reply. Our grout is sealed and the tiles pre-sealed... any different with sealed grout? Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 4Nov 19, 2009 6:43 pm My light grey grout got really dirty quickly and it's because I was using a mop, slosh...slosh, lots of dirty water going into the grout so after consulting the good folk on H1 I bought a microfibre flat mop and special tile cleaner so now there is no excess water, actually no water at all going on the floor. I did have to get on hand and knee to scrub the dirty grout though, but it's all good now. Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 5Nov 19, 2009 7:12 pm I use a microfibre mop and hot water with a capful of metho only. For spot stains on the grout I use a bit of jiff on an old toothbrush. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 6Nov 20, 2009 11:30 pm My grout was ruined with workers walking the clay onto my alabaster grout. beaumont tiles has given my builder a bottle of aqua mix grout cleaner, and it comes out with a bit of rubbing, it is expensive but well worth it. my cleaners didnt want to mop it, as they said mopping would make it worse. Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 7Nov 21, 2009 5:43 pm Thanks SuH, Hels and buildingwithhamra!! buildingwithhamra, how do you keep the tiles clean if your cleaners say not to mop them? Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 8Nov 21, 2009 7:13 pm SuH My light grey grout got really dirty quickly and it's because I was using a mop, slosh...slosh, lots of dirty water going into the grout so after consulting the good folk on H1 I bought a microfibre flat mop and special tile cleaner so now there is no excess water, actually no water at all going on the floor. I did have to get on hand and knee to scrub the dirty grout though, but it's all good now. Exactly what I plan to do. NO WATER. Microfibre all the way www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 9Nov 22, 2009 1:30 pm Wouldnt using microfibre be really time consuming and hard?? Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 11Nov 22, 2009 3:06 pm Salt&PepperMkII Wouldnt using microfibre be really time consuming and hard?? I wouldn't think so because porcelain is so shiny and smooth, the m/fibre would just slide over it? SuH will tell us. I haven't done it yet but I do use m/fibire cloth on my sink, tiles and my glass shower screen at the moment. I imagine it would be the same on procelain? www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 12Nov 22, 2009 5:55 pm Sorry, when I said no water I mean there is no excess water left on the floor. I use a flat Vileda mf mop and a special bucket wringer made for that particular mop. So it squeezes out all of the water. When I was using a normal mop there was too much dirty water going back on the floor and soaking into the grout. Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 13Nov 22, 2009 6:32 pm SuH Sorry, when I said no water I mean there is no excess water left on the floor. I use a flat Vileda mf mop and a special bucket wringer made for that particular mop. So it squeezes out all of the water. When I was using a normal mop there was too much dirty water going back on the floor and soaking into the grout. Ohh makes sense!! Can you get these Vileda mops from local Safeways and Coles? Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 15Nov 23, 2009 7:55 pm A lot of professional carpet cleaners are set up to do tile cleaning. It is well worth spending the money for a restorative clean. You then only have to maintain it with the microfibre flat mops. Talk to the professionals about sealing as well. Fats and oils will penetrate quite deeply into the pourous grout and this is where the professioanls have some specialist treatments and the high powered equipment needed to get the penetration. The microfibre mops are great. The cross section of the fibre is what makes it work. They have a triangular or star shaped cross section (depending on the manufacturer) that scrapes the soil on a microscopic level from the surface. If used dry they have a static electric charge that attracts dust. So they can be used for picking up dust prior to wet cleaning. You can then use them without detergent, just water, to pick up the fats and oils that make the floor sticky. This is the modern way of cleaning that I teach in healthcare facilities. It virtually eliminates the old mop and bucket method and produces a cleaner and healthier indoor environment. But if you have years of built up grime in the grouting then I would reccomend a professional service to get you started. cheers Col Nation For information on caring for wool and other carpet and upholstery go to www.woolsafe.com.au Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 16Nov 24, 2009 3:33 pm Use a neutral cleaner no higher than PH 7 to clean your tiles and grout never use metho or just water this will create a film that only a professional can remove. Do not use a steam mop this also creates a film in the grout. We recommend a micro fibre mop or the new large oates sponge mop you can now buy at woolworths . The most important thing about cleaning tiles and grout is the drying you MUST use a towel after the area you have cleaned so the dirty water does not just sit in the grout joint/valley. Sealers: Do not use a clear penetrating sealers they are a waist of money as it just sits below the surface and your grout will still get dirty and stained the only full proof sealer is grout colour sealing which is a topical coating, you also have over 1000 colours to choose from. Colour sealing your grout makes your grout 100% non porous so no staining or discolouration will occur it does not stop it from getting dirty but very easy for the home owner to keep clean. The reason we do not use clear penetrating sealers anymore is from what our own customers are saying eg. why did I get them sealed it did nothing. Hope this helps Craig Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 17Nov 24, 2009 5:01 pm Grout Perfect never use . . . just water this will create a film that only a professional can remove. Sealers: Do not use a clear penetrating sealers they are a waist of money as it just sits below the surface and your grout will still get dirty and stained the only full proof sealer is grout colour sealing which is a topical coating, you also have over 1000 colours to choose from. Colour sealing your grout makes your grout 100% non porous so no staining or discolouration will occur it does not stop it from getting dirty but very easy for the home owner to keep clean. The reason we do not use clear penetrating sealers anymore is from what our own customers are saying eg. why did I get them sealed it did nothing. Hope this helps We couldn't decide so just use water as it seemed the most simple safe straightforward economical conservative choice. Guess it's just as well we didn't bother with the clear sealer anyway. Col Nation A lot of professional carpet cleaners are set up to do tile cleaning. It is well worth spending the money for a restorative clean. You then only have to maintain it with the microfibre flat mops. A local carpet cleaner advertises the tile cleaning process. The ad looks quite stylised, the tiles are unbelievably dirty and after one pass they are spotless. What worries me is the amount of water sloshed around. Was that done just for the ad or do they really use a lot of water? What about built-in furniture? Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 18Nov 24, 2009 5:32 pm Target got a new microfibre mop out now that I have just bought. I find its great. Theres a little canister on in that you fill with hot water and metho then when you squeeze the trigger it sprays out water at the bottom Its like a steam mop but without electric cable or steam I find it so light and easy to use the mop head only gets damp and you can buy extra cloths. When you use it dry its great for picking up hair and dust My daughter is going to get one for her floorboards she is just having polished. No more lugging heavy mop buckets around Know where your going in life............... you may already be there Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 19Nov 25, 2009 12:23 am Macy, Yes when having tiles professionaly cleaned, we get a real slurry happening, which is required to liberate the soiling. But with our high pressure spray & capture cleaning process, it is all cleaned, rinsed and recovered bu a powerful vacuum system, so the job is left clean & tidy. Its best to have furniture off the tiled areas if possible. Good techs will mask up and protect any sensitive materials before cleaning so there should be no damage at all. Ash. Re: How do you clean porcelain tiles and grout?? 20Nov 25, 2009 6:28 am I saw some good m/fibre mops at KMart yesterday. I saw the Vileda one and I saw an Orange Sabco one. I liked that one. When I bougt my Dyson I also bought a Soft floor head for the tiles. I think I will vacuum as much as I can to remove all the loose dirt etc. in the grout lines and on the tile surface before I m/fibre mop. Yes, that's my plan, and I'm sticking to it www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com I have stone pavement (?) in my backyard around the pool. I have not tended to them and so there is moss growing on them. I intend to clean them but was wondering what the… 0 1489 Thanks splashers, that makes sense. The waterproofing guy used this Davco product, I will raise the issue with builder and hopefully get resolved with him - if not… 2 12896 Hi everyone, Have just put a shower in the laundry and after only using it 2-3 times have noticed staining on the grout. The tiles were glued onto a concrete wall after… 0 5453 |