Monthly Project for September
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
Dirty stained grout between the tile and how to clean and maintain it is a question that I get asked a lot by customers. Most homeowners don’t like this job because it is so labor intensive. But I’m going to give you the best product to use and a quicker and easier tool to use. I promise these products will save you time and save you money.
The grout between the tiles on your floor can be difficult to clean. You can get it clean and then you get normal foot traffic and dirt, and grime get ground in again and the clean grout you had, is dingy again. Sometimes we don’t even realize how bad the grout is until you look at the grout by toe kick under your cabinets and realize what the grout color used to look like when the floor was new. So, I want to tell you the easiest way to clean and then the best way to keep it that way longer. You are going to need two, no three things to do this project.
StoneTech makes DeepKlenz Cleaner. DeepKlenz is a maximum strength cleaner formulated to easily remove deep and stubborn dirt, grease, grime, oil and food stains from natural stone, tile, and grout. This ready to use, low VOC cleaner cleans, degreases, and prepares the surface for resealing. It powers out dirty grout lines and is great for use in heavy traffic areas. You can use on countertops, backsplashes, walls, and most of all floors. You can safely use is on marble, granite, quartzite, limestone, travertine, slate, sandstone, concrete, ceramic tile, porcelain, and stainless steel. About the only thing that you can’t use it on is paint.
Now let's talk about how to use DeepKlenz because I have a simple way that will save you time and energy. Because let's be honest, one of the reasons that the grout is dirty is that this job is labor intensive. Another way to explain this – you are going to build up some arm muscles doing this job. So, when someone compliments you on the definition in your arms, you can tell them your exercise regimen includes cleaning your grout. Take cleaning your grout one area at a time, do not try tackling the whole floor at one time. Take DeepKlenz and thoroughly wet the surface by directly spraying the soiled area. Allow DeepKlenz to work for about 5 minutes, so spray enough DeepKlenz to keep the surface wet for that long because you do not want DeepKlenz to dry on the surface before cleaning. Once you let DeepKlenz work, then you will need to give it a scrub. Now here is the secret, do not use any brush that is labeled a grout brush. They are a glorified toothbrush and will only clean about 2 inches at a time. Go into the area of your hardware store where they sell wallpaper remover and supplies and grab yourself a wallpaper brush. A wallpaper brush is twelve inches long. That way when you clean and scrub, you will cover three feet at a time. I remember the first time a rep told me that tip and I went home and tried it- I was amazed. Think how much faster this project is going to be cleaning three feet at a time After you get the area clean (because you are taking this a small area at a time) you need to rinse and wipe the surface with a clean cloth and warm water. Depending on how dirty the grout is, you might have to rinse several times.
You could stop right there and enjoy the clean grout, but if you spend the energy to clean, do yourself a favor and seal the grout so it stays cleaner longer. StoneTech makes Heavy Duty Grout Sealer and that is what I would use. It is easy, but it takes a little time. StoneTech makes Bullet Proof and Heavy-Duty Sealer and Heavy-Duty Sealer is a little easier to use. Both sealers take some time to penetrate, but the Heavy Duty one takes less time. And I would suggest, apply it twice.
I know this project is a little more labor, but it is not hard. Just take it a small area at a time, put in your ear buds, and listen to a book or a podcast.