If you do not complete grout cleaning regularly in your home, then you might get to the point where you cannot get it clean on your own. If that is the case, then you might consider hiring a grout cleaning service. Grout cleaning services range in price depending on how large the room is where you want the grout cleaned and how dirty it is. Some services charge more for bathrooms than for other rooms in the house like a kitchen floor or foyer. If you hire a professional grout cleaner then you can expect to pay anywhere from fifty to one hundred dollars per room.

First of all, the people coming in to your home are strangers to you. There is always a possibility that something might be stolen. There are some precautions you can take to minimize this possibility. First, when you are hiring the professionals to clean your tile grout, make sure that you ask what kind of background checks they do on their employees. If you are not satisfied with their policy then move on to another grout cleaning service. Second, never leave the workers unattended for very long. If they are working in an upstairs bathroom, try to stay upstairs if possible so that you will notice if someone starts to wander around your home. Even bills left out on your bedroom desk could be enough for someone to perpetrate identity theft. Finally, do not leave sensitive information lying around in plain sight. Put paperwork with your personal information on it away so that the worker would have to rifle through drawers to find it. Most crimes like this are ones of opportunity. The grout cleaner is not very likely to go looking for things or information to steal.

Second, the equipment brought in could leave dirt or stains behind on other floor surfaces. Sometimes the cords and equipment that are used by professional cleaning services get wet and then get dragged through dirt or gardens. Then that muddy equipment or those muddy cords get dragged through your house. Make sure to observe the grout cleaning service employees when they are bringing equipment into your home to make sure nothing is dirty and that the rest of the floors in your home are not damaged. Alternatively, the boots of the workers could be soiled. If you want, you can ask that they wear booties when they enter your home so they do not track in dirt. It is not safe for them to work without steel toe shoes so you shouldn’t ask them to remove their shoes because they will not be able to comply.

Third, the last thing that could go wrong when you hire professional grout cleaners is something that is not the fault of the grout cleaning company. If it has been several years since your grout was last sealed or if your grout has never been sealed properly, then it is possible that the high pressure steam and industrial strength cleaners could permanently damage your grout. You might end up with grout that is partially chewed away or missing entirely after a professional cleaning. This is not the fault of the grout cleaners. They can not be held responsible for improper maintenance of your grout in the past.

Professionals grout cleaning services use machines to do the grout cleaning for them rather than hand tools. The most popular variety is a steam cleaner with scrubbing action. These machines are usually hooked up to a water source and heat the water to steam. Steam is pushed out of the bottom of the machine while brushes rotate in circular motions. The high pressure steam dislodges the dirt and grime in your grout and the brushes scrub it away. The machines also have suction action that gets rid of the dirty water as new steam is sprayed in.

The hotter the steam and the greater the pressure it can be delivered at, the better the clean. The hotter steam and high pressure will help to cut through stains faster. The brushes need to be powerful enough to scrub the grout, but not too powerful because you do not want to damage or dislodge any of the grout. Professional grout cleaners will ask when the last time you had your grout sealed was to make sure that their heavy duty equipment will not damage your grout.

Once your grout is clean, a professional grout cleaner will also offer a sealing service. They can reapply grout sealant for you if it has been several years since it was last applied. Grout sealant is a great way to protect your grout from not only stains, but also bacteria and molds. The professionals have the appropriate personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves that are necessary when handling these chemicals. They also can bring in large fans to ensure the proper air circulation while they work.

1. Is your company insured? You want to make sure that any contractor or company you hire to complete a service in your home has insurance. That way, if someone is injured while at your home their worker’s compensation insurance should cover the costs. In addition, if any damage is done to your home or property, then you can file a claim with their insurance company. Many small start up companies do not have insurance so make sure they can show you an insurance certificate before you hire their grout cleaning services.
2. Can I get a written guarantee? It is very important that you clearly state your expectations in writing and that the company you hire for grout cleaning reads and signs it. The worst possible outcome from hiring a professional grout cleaner is that you do not get the result you wanted or that you paid for. Make sure that you get a written guarantee that will refund your money if the job is not completed to your satisfaction. However, it is important that you be reasonable with your expectations. Sometimes, grout is just too damaged or stained to get the result you are hoping for.
3. Can you tell me about your cleaning methods and chemicals? Do not hire anyone who cannot answer this question to your satisfaction. Do not accept answers like, “We use cutting edge technology and the best cleaners available.” Ask them to explain the technology and why it is better than the competition. You only want to hire a grout cleaning service that is knowledgeable about their products and services.
4. Can I get an estimate? It is extremely important to get an estimate for several reasons. First, you want to know how much it is going to cost. But in addition, how they give you the estimate will tell you a lot about what to expect in terms of how well your grout will be cleaned. If they so not ask you any questions about how large the room is, how dirty the grout is, or how long it has been since the grout was cleaned or sealed then they are probably quoting you a base price that is the same for everyone. That means they have a certain amount of effort they are expecting to put forth for the job. Chances are that they will stop working once they have expended that energy regardless of how clean your grout is. The more questions they ask and the more thorough they are when giving an estimate, generally the better job they will do at cleaning your grout.

So we know it is important for your house to be clean, and one of the most important areas to work on is your tile grout. Clean tile grout is a good way to know that someone takes good care of their home. So, if you need to clean your grout, should you hire a professional or try to do the work yourself? If you complete grout cleaning often then you can probably handle the cleaning yourself. However, if you have let the grout get dirty over a long period of time, you might consider a professional grout cleaning service.

There are many benefits to hiring grout cleaning services rather than doing the work yourself. First, you will save your time and effort. Grout cleaning is hard work. You need to be down on your hands and knees for long periods of time working muscles in your arms that you seldom use to scrub the grout lines. If the grout is particularly dirty, the process will take a very long time. I am sure there are better things you could do with a Saturday or Sunday then spend it on your hands and knees in the bathroom.

Another reason you might hire a grout cleaning service is that they have access to chemicals and equipment that you do not. If your grout is stained badly with mildew or mold then you might need to power of an industrial strength cleaner and/or a powerful steam cleaner. Most home owners do not have steam cleaners for scrubbing tile floors in their garages. You could rent this equipment, but you probably lack the expertise to use it properly. You would be better off hiring a professional cleaning service.

A third reason to use a grout cleaning service professional is that they can often complete other important chores while they are at your home. You can hire the same company to clean all the floors I your home, including the carpeted ones. You could get all the floors cleaned in one or two days. That same work would take you several weeks because you can only work on the weekends and you would not have access to multiple workers and multiple pieces of equipment simultaneously.

The first category of grout sealant is topical sealers. The way these sealers work is that they form a membrane on top of the grout that resists water and other materials that might stain your grout. They usually have a glossy finish that some people do not like and they need to be reapplied often because they wear off. This variety of grout sealer is better for floors because the water in your shower will eventually find its way under the sealant and get trapped. If the grout is never able to dry, then mold and mildew can become a real problem. In addition, you could see your grout start to rot away.

Penetrating sealers are better for showers and wet environments. Typically small pieces of silicone or latex are dissolved in a liquid base such as water or mineral spirits. The liquid works its way down into the porous grout. As the liquid evaporates the solid pieces are left behind and fill all the empty porous sections of the grout forming a barrier. Since those porous holes are no longer there, dirt and liquids that can cause stains cannot work their way down into the grout. When you apply this sealer, the grout often look slightly darker than it did before application. Therefore, if you are using a penetrating sealant of colored grout, you should test it first to make sure it will not negatively affect our aesthetic. Penetrating sealers do last much longer than topical sealers, but you should still reapply every two years or so. Another helpful tip is that when you are applying penetrating sealers, make sure that you wipe off any extra that finds its way onto the tiles because once it dries it is almost impossible to get off. If there is grout sealer on your tile, no grout cleaning tips will help you get it off.

While the majority of grout used in bathrooms, kitchens, and on floors is white or nearly white, there are rooms that use colored grout. Sometimes the colored grout is meant to stand out and be in contrast with the tile and other times it is meant to blend in so that the grout lines are not as noticeable. If yu have colored grout in your home, then there are some special grout cleaning tips that you should follow in order to keep your tile and grout looking their best.

First, be careful with every cleaner that you use. It is hard to tell how different chemicals will react with colored grouts so make sure that you test any cleaning agent that you use in a small area that is not easily seen to make sure there will be no fading or damaging of the grout. You will need to use mild chemicals whenever possible. That means that you cannot let your grout get very dirty. Usually you need strong chemicals to get our stains so you cannot let your colored grout get stained or you will end up damaging it in the process of getting out the stain. Weekly cleanings are best to keep your colored grout the right color.

Another helpful hint is to make sure that your grout is sealed properly and often. Because the colored grout is such a big part of the décor and makes such a big statement, it is imperative that the colors not fade and that the grout is not damaged. It will just be so much more noticeable with a colored pallet than it is with white grout. In addition, it is hard to match colors if you need to repair your colored grout. Therefore, you should maintain your grout as best as possible. Topical sealants are easy to apply, but wear off quickly so make sure you apply them often. Penetrating sealants react chemically with the grout and provide better protection, but they might affect the color.

If you are doing regular weekly cleaning of your grout and there are no stains to worry about then you can simply use liquid dish soap alone or a solution of dish soap and water. You can scrub lightly with the soapy liquid and then rinse with clean water. This solution is not abrasive and will not eat away at your grout as long as the grout is sealed.

If there are stains in your grout, or if you are cleaning grout in your shower where mold and mildew could be a problem, then you might want to consider something a little stronger. Grout cleaning chemicals need to be more like a paste than a liquid because you do not want to flood the floor you are working on. You want the cleaner to stay on the grout so that it can work at the stains. That is why baking soda is one of the best grout cleaning agents you can have. A baking soda paste made with any number of other household items will do a great job at fighting stains in your grout.

Water is the simplest thing to add to make your baking soda paste. You can also use lemon juice. The acidic lemon juice is great at cleaning. All citrus works well to break up grease and fight stains. That is why you find so many orange based cleaners on the market. Another recipe is a combination of baking soda, ammonia, and vinegar. This solution is best saved for really tough stains because it is stronger. My favorite homemade grout cleaner is made of equal parts baking soda, salt, and vinegar. The salt gives it an abrasive quality which is god for scrubbing out dirt.

If mold and mildew are a problem then you might consider a solution of chlorine bleach and water. Bleach is a strong cleaner and there are certain precautions you should take when using it. First, make sure the room is well ventilated so that you do not become overcome by the fumes. Second, it is possible for chlorine bleaches to discolor or fade your grout so make sure you test it in an inconspicuous area first before using it on all of your grout. If a stain is particularly bad, then you might consider making a paste with chlorine bleach and baking soda so it can sit on the grout for awhile.

Another strong cleaning agent you can use to fight stains and kill mildew and mold is hydrogen peroxide. Just like with chlorine, you can make a paste if you want to let it sit on the stains for awhile. Hydrogen peroxide should almost always be diluted with water because it is too strong to use by itself on your grout.

The first characteristic that you need to consider is the stiffness of the brush or what type of bristles it has. Brushes can be divided into three categories, soft, medium, or hard. The best type of brush for grout cleaning is a medium bristled brush. Soft brushes do not work well because you end up just pushing around the dirt on the surface and when you apply pressure, you bend the brush bristles rather than work them down into the grout to remove dirt. Soft bristled brushes might work if you clean your grout every day or once a week because the dirt worked its way very deep into the grout. Hard bristled brushes are a bad idea for grout because they can actually chew the grout up and remove pieces they are so hard. You only want to loosen dirt, not the grout itself.

The next characteristic to consider is the shape of the brush. In other words you need to look at the length of the bristles and how they are arranged on the brush head. Some brushes have all the bristles the same length for a flat brush. Others have a concave shape where the bristles on the outside are longer than the bristles on the inside. The shape that is best for grout cleaning is a convex or pyramid shaped brush. The bristles in the center should be longer than the ones on the edge. That will allow for the center bristles to scrub the grout and the outer bristles to carry the dirt away with your circular motions. One of the most helpful grout cleaning tips is to use circular scrubbing motions rather than back and forth motions so that the outside bristles can push the dirt the middle bristles loosened out of the way instead of working the dirt back in with back and forth motions.

The third thing you should consider about your brush is the handle. The worst part of grout cleaning is having to work on your hands and knees for long periods of time on the hard surface created by tile. It is very uncomfortable. Because of your discomfort, you may be tempted to get a long handled brush that you can use while standing up. The problem with this type of handle is that it is hard to get a circular motion. You are much better off if you have a shorter handle because you will have more control over the brushes movements. I tend to use two different styles of brushes when I clean grout. The first has a handle about two inches above the brush head that is attached by a small connection at one end like in the picture to the right. The other kind has no handle. Instead, I just hold the brush head. A brush like this is pictured above on the left. The reason I use both is because I use a different muscle in my forearm when I hold the two different brushes. That way, if my arm starts to get tired I can switch to the other brush and start sing a different muscle group until the other one recovers.

My first step was to divide my shower area into five sections. Each section is small enough that it only take me about five to ten minutes to scrub the grout in that area. Each morning before I take my shower, I work on cleaning that section of the shower tile and grout. Then, when I am done I just get into the shower and rinse my work and myself. There are two main benefits of cleaning your dirty grout this way.

First, if you have ever worked with bathroom cleaners and many cleaning chemicals in general you know that they do not smell great. If you do your cleaning immediately before you take a shower then you will smell fresh all day even though you used chemicals at the beginning of it. Second, doing a little bit of work every day will make sure that the task never gets overwhelming so that you put it off. Five or ten minutes of work is nothing.

You will notice that this cleaning schedule only has enough work for five days. I would assume that you shower every day rather than just five time a week. The reason I have built in a two day buffer is because things come up. What if you over sleep one day or you are away from home for a night? The two extra days give you some flexibility.

Now, you will notice that this plan only accounts for the tile grout in the shower. You might be wondering why I worry about that area so much and when I clean the rest of my bathroom tile grout. Well, the shower is a damp and warm area that does not get much air flow because often we close the shower door or leave the shower curtain closed. This kind of environment is the perfect place for mold and mildew to thrive. You really need to keep on top of the grout in your shower because it could get quite black in no time. The rest of the grout in the bathroom does not get as dirty so we do not have to worry about cleaning it on a daily basis. I use those two extra days that I give myself every week to try and work in a cleaning time for the rest of the bathroom grout at least once a month.