How to Clean Tile and Grout in Your Home or Workplace

Tile and grout cleaning is generally a service provided by a commercial property cleaning company. Cleaning tile and grout is anything but easy. The tiles in your office, house bathrooms and/or kitchens might accumulate a lot of dust, dirt, grime and germs over time, which is why routine cleaning by expert grout cleaners is a must. Unless you have some experience and skills in grout cleaning, we recommend hiring a professional commercial cleaning company for your tile grout.

If you are looking for the best recommendations for tools, strategies, and approaches for cleaning tile and grout at your home/office to make the tiles look like new, here you go.

Grout is a kind of mortar paste used to fill in the spaces between tiles. There is generally some gap left when laying out tiles on a floor to accommodate for size differences between one tile to another. This gap, however, cannot be left as it is or insects and germs will make it their home.

Grout is a paste used to properly fill in the gap between tiles and smooth out the surface to make it look good. Routine cleaning and maintenance of both your tiles and grout are needed to keep them in great condition and ensure minimal damage.

Why Regular Cleaning of Tile and Grout Is Needed

Depending on how well-maintained you keep your tiles and floors, it will help highlight the beauty of your place. In fact, routine cleaning is always the best way to keep your floors looking beautiful and attractive.

Because of the slight gaps and unevenness around the tiles and between the tile and the grout, dirt, mould and grime can start filling up the blank space, which will eventually make your tiles lose their shine and look bad.

Mould and germs in the grout can build permanent homes if not looked after regularly, which can pose a serious threat to the health of the users.

Keeping your tiles and grout clean is important both for aesthetic and health reasons.

How to Clean Tiles

Cleaning a tile is generally easy. All you need is a cleaning detergent and a brush or mop and you can scrub clean the tiles by yourself. However, cleaning a tile that has tough stains or has been accumulating mould and dirt for many months will not be easy.

You might need to buy special cleaning equipment from commercial cleaning suppliers. Alternatively, you can hire a professional commercial cleaning company or a tile/grout cleaning services provider.

If you are planning to clean your floors and tiles by yourself, here’s everything you need to know:

Types of Tiles

Yup, there is more one than one type of tile. You should know this because different methods of cleaning and products might be needed based on the type of tile. Some of the most common types of floor tiles include ceramic, porcelain, stone, quarry tile, concrete, terra cotta, marble, and vinyl tile.

Since ceramic and porcelain are the two most commonly used materials for modern tiles, here’s a quick guide with tips to clean ceramic and porcelain tiles in your home and office.

How Often Should You Clean Your Tiles?

Depending on the type of tile, you should consider cleaning it at least once or twice every week. Floors in busy places such as offices and malls should be ideally cleaned daily.

You can consider dry cleaning or vacuuming your tiled floors every other day, which can be topped up with a thorough wet cleaning or mopping every week or once every two weeks. Tiles in a bathroom must be deep cleaned, mopped and disinfected at least once every week to keep them spotless and reduce germs.

How to Clean Tile Floors

To start with a tile cleaning job, you’ll need to arrange the following equipment and supplies:

• Broom or vacuum cleaner
• All-purpose cleaner, detergent or dish soap
• Cleaning mop
• Warm water
• Bucket
• Dry cloth
• Vinegar (optional)
• Disinfectant

1. Sweep or vacuum the tile floor thoroughly, covering the corners and uneven surfaces where dirt tends to accumulate.

2. Mop with a warm water-soap solution – Mix dish soap or detergent into a bucket half-filled with warm water. Dip a rag or mop into the solution and squeeze out excess water. Now, run the damp mop over the surface and tiles, covering every inch of the floor.

3. Replace the water and clean – Once you’re done cleaning a particular room or area, change the muddy water before you start cleaning another floor.

4. If the moisture is taking too much time to dry naturally or you want to use the floor immediately after cleaning, consider drying the floor with a clean cloth.

How to Remove Stains on Tiles

If there are stains of grease and/or hard water on your tiles, vinegar can be used to remove them. Just apply a little on the affected area and let it sit for a few minutes.

Now, scrub the tile thoroughly and the stain should be gone. If it doesn’t work, buy and use a commercial stain remover depending on the type of your tile.

If you are using a stain remover or any other store-bought product, make sure that it is safe for your particular tile type. Some cleaners contain harsh chemicals that may not be good for wooden tiles and other materials.

When cleaning stone or marble tile floors, make sure to use a soft-bristled broom to protect the tiles from getting scratched. Do not use vinegar or any other acidic solution to clean marble tiles, as they might lose colour.

For cleaning terracotta tiles, daily vacuuming followed by weekly mopping with water and mild soap should be enough. If there are stains, use a mixture of water and oxalic acid to get rid of them.

Again, avoid using vinegar or other acids as they can discolour the tiles. Use water and soap for cleaning quarry tile floors and wipe off the solution immediately after. Concrete floors are the easiest to clean and do not need heavy maintenance.

Just avoid using wire brushes and/or acidic cleaners to clean your stone tiles. To clean your vinyl tile floors, use a manufacturer-recommended cleaner or solution. Avoid using extreme heat-based and/or abrasive cleaners for vinyl tiles.

While cleaning a house tile is easy, it may not be the case when cleaning tiles in a large commercial property. Not only a commercial building might be too big for a single person to clean but also there can be all kinds of stains and grime on the floor that are much more difficult to clean without commercial cleaning skills or experience.

In other words, you might need professional help with cleaning your commercial property tiles. If that is the case, you can call Clean Group to book a commercial tile/grout cleaning service right away.

How to Clean Tile Grout

While tiles are easy to clean, grout is not so. All kinds of dirt and bacteria can make a home in the grout lines of your tile floor. Regular cleaning is the best way to keep them away. Here’s everything you need to know about grout cleaning.

Types of Grout

1. Sanded grout – made with cement, rough
2. Unsanded grout – made with cement, smoother
3. Epoxy grout – absorbs less water, shrinks less, more expensive

The most common method of grout cleaning is to clean the grout using warm water and a brush. Use a soft or medium-hard nylon brush that cleans properly but doesn’t damage the grout. Avoid using steel brushes.

If the grout lines have basic dirt, they can be removed with this method. Just spray some water and scrub gently with a brush to remove any visible dirt and grime. Clean off the excess water right away and do not let it get absorbed in the grout.

If your grout still looks dirty after cleaning with the first method, the next you can try cleaning it with warm water and vinegar. Mix warm water and vinegar in equal parts and spray the solution on the affected area.

Let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing the surface with a hard brush. The application of vinegar is suitable only for sealed grout and should not be used on unsealed grout, which can be damaged by it.

Tip: Do not use vinegar or other acids to clean the grout, as they might damage it.

How to Remove Stains from Tile Grout

One of the best tools to clean stains from the grout is baking soda. If a grout stain isn’t coming off with regular cleaning, you can try this method. Apply a paste of water and baking soda on the stain.

Let it sit for some hours before you clean the stain off with a soft brush. Avoid using methods involving the application of high heat or steam on the grout, as it can loosen the grout.

If the above method doesn’t work, add a pinch of vinegar after applying the water-soda paste to the stain. Scrub it off after letting it sit for a few hours. Rinse with water and wipe off excess moisture.

If you need more help with tile or grout cleaning or want to hire a professional for tile/grout cleaning in your office or any other commercial property, give us a call right away to book a commercial cleaning service.

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