Tips on Tile Grout Cleaning

Tile floors are very common and are usually used (in either domestic or commercial locations) in areas where spillages are common – such as wash rooms or kitchens – due to the wipe clean nature of tiles and relative lack of maintenance needed.

However in order to keep the tiles clean it is very important to make sure that the grout is also protected.A� Grout is a construction material consisting of a mixture of water, cement and sand and is generally used to fill in spaces or to seal joints – just like those between tiles.

Grout is a relatively porous substance, and this porosity can be problematic in areas where spillages can occur.A� A quick look at the tiles will reveal that the grout is usually recessed below the level of the surface of the tiles, so spillages will immediately flow to these lines.

There are a few ways to maintain the floor and protect it – including avoiding damaging the surface, so care should be taken with heavy objects which can cause surface abrasions, and dirt walked in on the soles of shoes.A� Care should obviously be taken to make sure that spillages don’t occur but as they inevitably occur, they should be cleaned immediately.

Even when spillages are cleaned they can still stain the grout so the best method to protect the floor is to apply a good sealer – which can be a clear sealer or a colour grout sealer.A� Either way this sealer will make the grout less permeable – effectively ‘waterproofing’ the grout so that spillages will not cause stains so quickly.A� A company which deals with tile grout cleaning should be able to recommend a good sealer.

The sealer will prove effective in protecting the grout (and tiles) but that doesn’t mean that you should stop with the cleaning and maintenance.A� Any sealer is only effective when intact and any scratches or markings will expose the surface below, and staining is again possible.A�

By master