Cleaning the grout between the tiles is typically more difficult than cleaning the actual tiles themselves. . . Many people use improper cleaning products and procedures that can actually harm the grout.  

 

 

To effectively clean extremely dirty grout an alkaline tile and grout cleaning product should be used.  Many types of cleaning products not specifically designed for cleaning tile and grout can actually damage or wash the color out of the grout.  Most types of grout are cement based substance with colored pigments.  These colored pigments in the grout can be discolored or washed away over time with improper cleaning products.

Alkaline based cleaners work best to break up and dissolve dirt, grease and oil based stains.  Alkaline based grout cleaners work by reacting with dirt, grease and grime to dissolve it and hold these contaminates in suspension.  These contaminates can then be extracted away with a powerful vacuum or extracted them using a mop and a bucket of clean hot water.

 

 

You should mix the alkaline cleaner with hot tap water in the ratio on the instructions of the cleaning product.  Apply the alkaline cleaning solution mixed with water liberally to the grout and allow it to dwell there for at least 20 minutes.  While the alkaline cleaning solution is dwelling on the grout you should agitate the grout with a stiff brush or scrub pad.  It may be necessary to use abrasive scrub pads and some elbow grease to scrub the grout clean.  Do not use any type of steel wool scrub pads that could potentially damage the finish on the tiles.  Also when cleaning the grout in a stone tile installation you should only use soft white scrub pads so you do not scratch the surface of the stone tiles.  Some types of stone tiles like slate can be scrubbed with aggressive scrub pads but you should test the stone tile surface first before using any type of aggressive scrub pad on it.

A one (1) gallon container of Stonetech Klenzall alkaline tile and grout cleaner will clean approximately 1000 sq/ft of tile and grout. 

 

 

You should generally scrub the grout until you are confident that all of the dirt, grease and grime and any other contaminates are loosened and dissolved from the grout.  You can then mop the tile and grout to remove the dirt, grease and grime while also removing any excess cleaning solutions from the tile and grout.  It can also help to use a shop vac or other type of wet vacuum to extract the dirty alkaline cleaning solution from the grout lines.  You do not want the dirty cleaning solution to simply get re deposited back in the porous grout.

 

 

After you have cleaned your grout you may notice that the grout is still not as clean as you had hoped for.  It may be necessary to do extra scrubbing on the grout lines with your scrub pad using the alkaline cleaning solution. There may also be some types of alkaline based stains like urine, red wine or other hard to remove stains in the grout. It may be necessary to use a mild acidic cleaner to get the grout to its cleanest possible state.

Grout will not be damaged with urea acid based tile and grout cleaners. Using an acidic grout cleaning product may be a good option to get your grout as clean as possible in ceramic or porcelain tile installations.  As a general rule you should never use acidic based cleaning solutions on stone tile installations.  Some stone tiles like slate are acid resistant and you may be able to use an acidic based cleaning product on them.  Before using an acidic cleaner on the grout in a stone tile installation you should first do a test to make sure the acidic based cleaner will not damage or etch the finish of your stone tiles. Always remember that you should never use an acidic cleaner on any type of acid sensitive stones such as marble, travertine or  limestone.

Using an acidic cleaner on the grout lines is a relatively easy process.  Just mix the acidic cleaner with warm water and apply it to the grout lines.  You should see the grout fizz to know that the acidic cleaner is working on the grout lines.  You generally do not need to agitate the grout lines with the acidic cleaner as you can let the acidic cleaner do the work for you.  Then you just extract and rinse the acidic cleaner from the grout lines.  You should see that the grout has become noticeably cleaner after using the acidic cleaning product.

A one (1) gallon container of restore acidic cleaner will generally clean about 1000 sq/ft of dirty tile and dirty.

 

 

 

You should always seal your grout after you have finished deep cleaning the grout with the alkaline and acidic cleaners.  These aggressive cleaning supplies will break down the sealers in the grout so you should always seal the grout after using these types of aggressive cleaning products.  Aquamix Sealers Choice Gold is a premium grade water based grout sealer that did the best in our grout sealer review.  

A one (1) quart container of Aquamix Sealers Choice Gold will seal approximately 200 sq/ft of grout in a ceramic or porcelain tile installation with 12 inch tiles and 1/8 inch wide grout joints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When cleaning any type of synthetic, epoxy or pre mixed grouts you should only use alkaline based or Ph neutral cleaning supplies on the grout.   These types of grouts will not benefit from acidic based cleaning products.   Only cement based grouts will react with acidic cleaning products to basically remove a small top layer of dirty grout to reveal the underlying clean grout.  

If your grout has been previously sealed with a grout colorant sealer then only a pH neutral cleaning product should be used on the grout.  Grout that has been sealed with a grout colorant is much easier to clean and maintain then grout that has not been sealed or sealed with a normal impregnating sealer.  Strong alkaline and acidic based cleaners can break down and dissolve grout colorant sealers over time.   Also care must be taken when scrubbing grout colorant sealers.   Aggressively scrubbing grout colorants can potentially remove the grout colorant from the grout especially if a cheap type of grout colorant was used for sealing the grout.   

For normal everyday cleaning you should use a pH neutral cleaning product designed for everyday cleaning of your tile and grout.  The pH neutral formula will allow you to do everyday cleaning without the excessive rinsing and extracting process involved with alkaline and acidic tile cleaning supplies.  The pH neutral formula will also not break down any of the sealers that were applied to your grout.

The Stonetech all purpose cleaner is an excellent pH neutral cleaning product designed for all tile, grout and stone surfaces.  It is also safe for cleaning any grout colorants or grout paints that you have applied to your grout lines. 

You are only required to mix 2-4 ounces of the pH neutral cleaning product per gallon of hot water so a one gallon container will last a long period of time.

Cleaning grout can be a difficult and laborious task especially if you have large areas of tile and grout that need to be cleaned.  Even with the proper techniques it can still take a long time to get your grout clean.  Professional grout cleaning companies use proper tile and grout cleaning products combined with high pressure steam cleaning machines to steam clean the gro8ut.  Steam cleaning tile and grout can get the grout cleaner then you can ever get yourself.  You may want to consider hiring a professional tile and grout cleaning and restoration contractor to steam clean your tile and grout for you.

You can read some valuable information and tips on how to hire a tile, grout and stone cleaning and restoration contractor on our contractor information page here. Tile and Grout Cleaning Service.