If you want your home's tiled floors and backsplashes to look their best, you can’t ignore the grout. Grout is that white material that fills the space between tiles and helps hold them in place. It’s quite a porous material and hence it does as good a job attracting dirt, stains and mold as it does making sure your tiles don’t fall out.
If you engage in tile cleaning but ignore grout cleaning you’re only doing half a job. On the other hand, if you clean the grout using the wrong materials or methods you could damage the grout (and the tiles), undermine its integrity and create worse stains than you already have. Below we’re going to look at the six biggest mistakes people make when cleaning grout.
Common Grout Cleaning Mistakes
Grout has been around for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used it on their elaborate tile mosaics as well as in bathrooms and swimming pools of the time. But despite being mankind’s constant companion for so many centuries precious few people know much about it, other than the fact that cleaning it can be a pain, and cleaning it the wrong way can lead to big problems.
When the time comes to clean the grout make sure you do not make any of these common mistakes.
Mistake #1: Using the wrong brush
Grout seals itself against the elements as it sets. This is what makes it such a popular bathroom material. But that surface seal is not indestructible. In fact, if you use a wire brush to clean your grout you will likely tear that outside layer right off and leave the grout susceptible to water penetration, staining and mold formation.
If you want to use a brush to clean your grout make sure it’s one with plastic bristles. There are a lot of grout-friendly brushes on the market. Just go to the local hardware store and ask for one. There should be quite a few to choose from.
Mistake #2: Cleaning old damaged grout
If you have older grout that has sustained some wear and tear damage over time and may be chipped, cracked or flaking away in places, fix it before you clean it. If you pour the water on while cleaning it’s going to get into those damaged areas and linger there. That moisture will in turn promote the growth of mold and soak into the exposed underlayers of the grout and begin eating away at them, speeding up the decay.
Mistake #3: Using sealers
There are a number of grout cleaning products on the market today that promise to seal your grout as they clean. Many of these are wax or oil-based cleaners. The waxy or oily residue they leave behind is supposed to seal up the grout, but often they do more harm than good.
First of all, you don’t have to constantly seal your grout. Second, every time you go to clean the grout you will have to first strip off the wax or oil-based sealer from the previous cleaning. And finally, using wax or oil-based products on floor tiles increases the risk of slip and fall accidents. If you don’t have any compelling reason to use a cleaner/sealer don’t use one.
Instead of trying to clean the damaged grout back to health a better approach is to clear away any loose or damaged grout and then use caulk to fill in the damaged areas. Give the caulk a couple of days to cure before walking on the tile floor or using the shower. If you want you can use grout to fill in any cracks, but this is a more involved process and you’ll probably want to hire a pro.
Mistake #4: Using abrasive scrubbing pads to clean the grout
It’s easy to understand why people would use a green scrubbing pad or steel wool to clean their grout. Their abrasive nature means they cut right through the dirt and mold and save a bunch of time. Some folks will even use something like Comet to speed up the process. Now, Comet is a fine product with many useful applications, but it was not intended to clean tile grout.
Abrasives will not only rip away the top layer of the grout, they will also leave countless tiny scratches on your beautiful tiles that in time will undermine the integrity of the nice, shiny surface.
Mistake #5: Using grout cleaners that contain artificial colors
We don’t know why but some manufacturers add artificial colors to their grout cleaning products. In many cases, these chemicals can leave behind a nasty and stubborn stain if the grout is a little older and in less than perfect condition.
The right thing to do is bypass these potentially problematic cleaners and go for one that does not contain any added color.
Mistake #6: Using home remedies
Bleach, baking soda and other common household materials will weaken the grout and hasten its disintegration. These products are highly acidic and the structure of the grout is no match for them over the long haul. Even lemon juice has the ability to undermine the integrity of grout.
Instead of using whatever is under the sink, invest in a grout cleaning product that was made specifically for the job. You’ll be glad you did.
And for all your carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning needs call the pros at Steve’s Carpet Care.
Tile Flooring vs. Carpeting: What's Right for You?
Are you considering an upgrade to the flooring in your home's common spaces? Our family-owned team has spent four decades professionally cleaning tiled floors and carpets alike. cleaning services As such, we’re often asked by homeowners which option we think is the best choice overall for a home. The rather boring answer we so often give is “it depends.” And it really does. It depends on who lives in the home (kids, pets etc), which room it’s for, your aesthetic preferences, and so on. There’s simply no straightforward, uniform answer to the question, which is why we wanted to put together this article to objectively look at both the pros and cons for each type of flooring. We hope our customers in Boulder, Westminster, Broomfield, Arvada and beyond find this useful!
The Argument for Carpet: A Rundown of Its Pros
![Living room with carpet flooring, brick fireplace and wooden built-in shelves](carpeted-living-room.jpg")Carpeting and tile floors are two of the most common types of floors you’ll find in homes across America, but they couldn’t be more different. Here are some of the things that carpet has going for it.
- It’s Affordable – There’s no getting away from the fact that cost is a factor in the decision for most people, and there’s no comparison here. Carpet is much cheaper. On average it’s nearly three times cheaper.
- It’s “Homey” – This is somewhat subjective, but most people think that carpet gives a house a more “homey” feel that tile flooring can’t replicate. It’s soft underfoot and makes for a warmer, cozier home environment.
- Less Noise – Our homes are our sanctuaries from the world. Places to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And carpet lends itself to that idea as it absorbs sound and helps to create a quieter, more relaxed interior.
- Quick and Easy to Install – With flooring, the ease with which it can be installed has a big impact on the overall cost. And carpet is one of the easiest and fastest types of flooring that you can have fitted in your home.
The “Not So Good” Things About Carpet
We’ve sung its praises and now we’re going to point out a few drawbacks of carpet. During our time offering carpet cleaning, carpet repair, carpet stretching, and numerous other related services, we've seen enough carpets to pick up on all of the common complaints.
- Regular Maintenance a Must – If you're looking for a low-maintenance solution, carpeting is not it. Trust us when we say that when carpeting is neglected, it can become a health hazard. At a bare minimum, you'll need to vacuum a couple of times per week, and booking an annual professional carpet cleaning is advisable.
- It Doesn’t Last as Long – A quality tiled floor will last you a lifetime if you look after it. You can't say the same for carpet. On average, carpeting needs to be changed every 10 years or so. That means while they're cheaper upfront, given that they need to be changed more frequently, the ongoing cost is higher than tile flooring. Something to think about.
- Stains are an Issue – If you drop something on a carpet, it often isn't a 2-second job to clean it up. In fact, lots of common household spills can result in unsightly stains that require carpet shampooing, and even then they might not come out completely. This means that carpets are not very well suited to kitchens (nor bathrooms due to the dampness).
What’s to Love About Tile Flooring?
A lot is the short answer. A tile floor is right up there with the most preferred floor choices in the country. Here are some of the main reasons why:
- Improve Any Room’s Appearance – Adding quality tile flooring to virtually any room, no matter what the rest of the décor looks like, will instantly “level up” its appearance. And if the rest of the room’s design is done in a way that complements it, your home becomes a showstopper!
- Adds Value to Your Home – I wasn’t kidding when I said that tiled floors are incredibly desirable. This is reflected in the fact that a home that boasts tile floors will often be valued higher by real estate agents than a home with carpets. They know that people are willing to pay a premium.
- Efficient to Clean – This is even more true if you have pets or young children. Whereas maintaining a carpet can quickly become a real chore, mess on a tile can be swept up and disposed of in a matter of seconds.
- The Healthier Choice – This might not be something you had considered when thinking of flooring options, but homes with tile floors have better air quality than those with carpets. That's because dust particles, pet dander, and dirt are not trapped like they are with carpet, which is quite gross when you think about it.
Anything Not to Like About Tile Flooring?
Of course! Everything has its pros and its cons, and tile floors are no different. Here are the main drawbacks of tile floors.
- It’s Expensive – This is honestly the main one. The upfront cost is considerably more than it would be if you opted for carpet or tile floors instead. It’s an investment that will pay you back in the long term, but there’s no getting away from the fact that you’ll need to stump up more cash in the short term.
- Scratching is an Issue – It’s not so much staining that you have to worry about with tile floors as scratching. If any dirt and grit makes its way into the home, it’s important that it is clear up, otherwise it can lead to ugly-looking scratches.
- It's a Noisier Option – Tile floors reflect rather than absorb sound (like carpet does), which means that you’ll hear anyone wearing shoes coming well before you see them. You can use rugs to minimize this though.
So there you have it. There’s a lot to like about both options. It really comes down to what you’re trying to achieve. Whatever you decide to have installed, our floor cleaning team is always available for tile and grout cleaning, carpet cleaning and other professional cleaning services.