Tile & Grout Acid Cleaning
Over time, the tile and grout on your tile floors or tile countertops get dirty. Dirt and other contaminants can alter the color of both the tile and the grout. Having it professionally cleaned can restore the natural color to both and leave your floors clean and sanitary. However, while most people are familiar with professional carpet cleaning, not as many people are familiar with professional tile and grout cleaning.
Acid Cleaning Ceramic/Porcelain Tile & Grout
Tile is a popular finish material in kitchens and bathrooms. Over the years stains, soap scum, hard water, and other deposits can accumulate on your tile and grout. We can effectively dissolve those stains & deposits using sulfamic acid or phosphoric acid. For really stubborn stains we use carefully dilute muriatic acid to remove even the most toughest surface stains and buildup. Muriatic acid, also known as hydrochloric acid, is a harmful, strong chemical compound but perfect for removing stains from grout when used properly. If used or mixed improper you can damage your tile and grout. It’s not something that should be attempted by someone who has never done it before. Our teams are experienced in tile and grout acid cleaning and can properly dissolve years of stain buildup on your tile and grout. Please note that acidic cleaners can not be used on natural stone tiles as the acid will damage your natural stone tile permanently!
Deep Cleaning Natural Stone Tile & Grout
The stone needs a special care so that its beauty and elegance prevail over time. Simple care and maintenance will help preserve the stone’s beauty for generations to come. We recommend periodic cleaning of the natural stone. But with our everyday busy schedules sometimes we fail to keep up with the maintenance of our natural stone surfaces. When that happens you need to deep clean you natural stone tile. This is when many homeowners make very costly mistakes by using the improper cleaning agents and tools and permanently damage their natural stone tiles. Natural stone tiles needs special care and knowledge cleaning. You can’t use any acidic or abrasive cleaners on stone surfaces as the will damage the stone. For natural stone cleaning our service pros use special cleaning agents designed for natural stone to give it the deepest clean without harming your stone. The process of cleaning natural stone tile is very similar to what stated below but instead of acid we use Heavy Duty Natural Stone Cleaning Agents that we know work!
The Process
Application: First our team carefully dilute the acid with parts of water to get the desired strength of dissolving power to clean your stains but not harm the grout or tile surface. Then the diluted acid is applied on the tile and grout with a brush and scrubbed to help the acid start penetrating & dissolving the stains. Then the acid is allowed to break up and dissolve the stain deposits for 5-7 minutes prior to giving it another hard scrub down with a hard bristle brush to remove and all the broken down deposits that were loosened up by the acid.
Rinse: A warm clean bucket of water and a soft and scrubbing sponge is nearby. After the grout and tile have been scrubbed down and all the surface stains have been lifted we rinse all the areas cleaned with fresh warm water to remove any acid of the tile and grout surface and wash away the stain deposits. The rinse process can be repeated to ensure all the acid is removed from the tile surface.
Drying: At this point the grout and tile is allowed to air dry before a new coat of sealer can be applied to the groutlines.
ReSealing: Acidic cleaners remove existing grout sealer. After the grout and tile has dried our service pros will apply a coat of grout sealer on the grout to seal up all the grout pours so they don’t absorb any future stain. After the grout has been resealed you need to allow 24 hours before any foot traffic can be made on that tile surface.
Common Questions
When you mop tile floors or clean tile countertops you are only cleaning the surface of the tile and grout. Unfortunately, both of these items are porous, meaning they absorb dirt, water, liquids and other residues. Professional tile and grout cleaning is the best way to reach in those pores and remove everything that is contained within them. This is why you can never get your tile and grout as clean yourself as you can when you have them professionally cleaned.
It is recommended that you have your tile and grout professionally cleaned once every 2-3 years. If you live in a home with pets, children or have high traffic tile floors, you may wish to have yours cleaned more frequently, such as every 1-2 years, to keep them looking great. As a general rule of thumb, if the grout is looking darker and your tile is losing some of its shine, cleaning is needed.
We use a penetrating clear natural finish sealer. The sealer is applied by brush to the point of grout saturation and the excess is carefully wiped up.
Although our sealer is rated as a 20-year sealer, The Tile Council of North America recommends that you have your grout sealed every two years.
Simply use a sponge mop coupled with a PH neutral cleaner. Weekly cleaning to upkeep clean tile & grout will help maintain clean tiles and grout.
