All Things Coffee

Tile grout cleaning – Take care with spillages   by David Robertson

There is a wide variety of tile flooring available for all sorts of locations in both domestic and commercial environments. Choices of tile include natural or man-made, ceramic, stone and slate and all come in a wide range of colours, shapes and designs. They are perceived as being easy to clean, score relatively highly in terms of cost durability and are more often than not found in areas where spillages are common, such as wash-rooms and kitchens.

One other factor that all types of tiling have in common is the application of tile grout. Grout is a construction material; composed of a mixture of sand, cement and water which is mixed and used to fill voids and seal joints exactly like those between the edges of tiles. Grout is a relatively porous substance and this is important when considering the effect that spillages will have on the finished appearance of your floor.

Over time you may find that, despite regular cleaning and maintenance, your floor develops an uneven or dull appearance and it is likely that staining of the grout has caused this. If you take a look at the surface of your floor you will find that almost always the grout is recessed lower than the surface level of the tiles, so if there is a spillage – this is where the liquid will gather. Water mixing with dirt can very quickly stain the grout, not to mention coffee or wine, and this stain can subsequently be very difficult to shift.

Obviously taking care not to spill liquids is helpful but as spillages are accidental, hardly something you can plan to always avoid so the main thing you can focus on is prevention of staining – which can be done in two ways. Obviously cleaning up spillages as soon as they happen is key, but the application of a good grout sealer and maintenance of the floor thereafter is the key to keeping your floor looking good.

A grout sealer can be a normal sealer or a colour grout sealer – a tile grout cleaning specialist will be able to recommend a good one for you and apply it. The sealer will essentially add an additional layer of protection and make the grout less permeable. A colour grout sealer can assure that all the grout is uniform in appearance and, if you so desire, can be used to change the colour of the grout thereby altering the appearance of the floor slightly.

Once the grout sealer has been applied, it is important to care for the floor – cleaning up stains as they occur, and protecting the surface and therefore the sealer. Regular sweeping and vacuuming as well as washing the floor with soapy water are all important steps.
If you find that, over time, your floor still develops an unsatisfactory appearance, it may be due to surface scratching or general wear and tear – or possibly the build-up over time of layers of dirt and bacteria. Either way a tile grout cleaning company will be able to clean and restore the floor to its original state and reapply the sealer if necessary.
Website: http://www.001streamline.co.uk

About the Author

I am a hard-floor cleaning consultant. I primarily work with stone and slate, hard-wood, ceramic and various types of Vinyl floors. I specialize in the cleaning and maintenance of these floors
Website: http://www.001streamline.co.uk
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