Tile & Grout Cleaning

Here is a simple 5 step grout cleaning and sealing process.

1. Vacuum floor to remove hair, loose dirt, and other debris.

2. Apply the cleaner to the floor by pump-up spray, electric spray, mop or brush. If spraying, be careful not to over spray onto cabinets, walls, or carpet. Let cleaner dwell for 15 minutes or so, but do not let it dry on the floor. If it starts to dry just mist it again with the cleaner to keep it wet. This dwell time is extremely important; it makes all the difference in how easy and clean the grout lines are going to come out.

3. After the cleaner has dwelled take your Challenger with the tile and grout brush on it and scrub the entire area you have applied the cleaner to. The machine will actually pick the dirt out of the grout lines with its vibrating and oscillating action. Use the grout brush to clean the grout lines wherever the machine can reach.

4. Take a shop vac and suck up the wet debris as best you can. Sometimes we will use a pump up sprayer with water in it to spray on the tile to be able suck up more of the cleaner off the floor. Then remove your tile and grout brush from the pad driver on your Challenger. Take a fairly wet cotton pad and go over the entire floor changing pads as necessary. This will really clean the floor up. Then you can go back over the floor with a barely damp pad for the finish rinse.

5. Apply sealer to the floor, depending on the type of sealer you use, you may have to wait for the grout lines to dry good before applying the sealer. Our sealer can be applied while the grout lines are still damp. If you have to wait for the grout lines to dry, you can use a fan to speed the process up. That's it! It really doesn't take long to clean tile and grout, particularly after you get used to the process.

Jim England, Cleaning Solutions, 2006