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GROUT CLEANING TIPS &
TRICKS
These are just a few
ideas for assisting you in the cleaning process. None are
necessary as the steam cleaner has all the power need
for most floor grout cleaning situations.
 For those in the cleaning business or those that just need
to clean a large area there are a few simple steps that can
speed up the cleaning process.
Although none of the steps we
are about to list are
necessary they may be just what you need to make the
cleaning go a bit faster.
 TIP #1 FOR SPEEDING THINGS UP: For those that do
not
want to use chemicals but do want some assistance in cleaning
you can pre moisten the
area to be cleaned. Simply take a mop and spread some water
on the area to be cleaned and allow it to sit for about 5 or
10 minutes. This simple act of soaking the dirty grout may
make the steamers work that much easier and in effect, allow
you to clean faster.
TIP #2 FOR SPEEDING THINGS UP: For those that want to
keep the chemicals down to a minimum but want a little extra
help try some liquid laundry detergent or diluted liquid
dish soap. Note, if you use the dish soap, dilute it a lot.
Maybe a few drops per gallon of water. Dish soap tends to
foam and suds up a lot and will make clean up harder. Use
watered down. Fill a bucket with
warm water and add about a half of a cap full of the liquid
laundry
detergent or maybe a tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Now take your mop and spread it around the area
to be cleaned. By pre-treating the area in this manor you
are allowing the detergent to break down some of the greases
before you use the steamer. Once you start steaming you
should find that the grout cleans not so much better, but faster.
You will be able to cover more ground in the same amount of
time. You may also want to try some of the natural orange
clean, or citrus cleaning products on the market.
TIP #3 FOR SPEEDING THINGS UP: For tougher stains try
some
Oxygen Bleach. This is a NON chlorine, non bleach
substance. It is made of hydrogen peroxide. When you mix
this powder with water it produces oxygen bubbles. This
product will greatly assist you in cleaning with your
steamer. Simply spread the water mix over the tile and let
sit for about 15 minutes before you start steaming. Learn
more on our
oxy
bleach page here.
TIP #4 FOR extremely dirty or "TRASHED" GROUT: For truly
tough situations the steamer will work just fine but if you
want to work faster and don't mind chemicals try calcium,
lime & rust remover made by ZEP and sold in Home Depot. This
stuff contains acid and should be handled with care. We only
recommend this method for professionals and proper breathing
apparatus should be worn. This is a powerful pre-treatment
for the grout cleaning business. BE SURE IT IS SAFE ON YOUR
TILE. TEST BEFORE USING! It just may help you out in
a tough situation. Also try ZEP tub & tile cleaner or
another strong detergent. Always
test chemicals in an inconspicuous area before applying. Do
not use these chemicals on Marble or other natural stones.
It is up to you to read all manufactures labels and make
sound judgments based upon their recommendations. REMEMBER,
NEVER put the chemicals in your steamer unless you have a
chemical injection unit. If you do, there is a clearly
marked EXTERNAL refill tank designed for detergents.
TIP #5 FOR COMMERCIAL WORK: You may want to purchase an
inexpensive wet/dry shop vac. Although the steamers
put out VERY little water, less then one liter of water per
hour of continuous use. That is about 1/2 of a 2 liter
bottle of soda every hour. The technology is truly amazing.
To use a shop vac effectively you may have to actually pour
or spray some water on the tile after you clean it. The
vacuum needs this extra moisture to do a good job sucking up
the dirty water. We like to use a gallon jug of water and
splash it on the floor as we suck it up with the vac. Again,
you can use a simple mop or a few rags to soak up the
moisture but a shop vac will give your company a more
professional look and do a better job.
ABOUT BRUSHES
NYLON BRUSH:
 First
lets look at the nylon detail brush. It is the softest and
safe on most surfaces. We always lean toward using nylon for
that reason. It is great for tile, grout, sinks and more.
In most cases
we use the nylon brush when
doing residential grout cleaning. We feel it is the safest
bet when it comes to protecting a customers tile. The one
draw backs to the nylon brush is that it wears out faster
and in some cases, doesn't clean the grout quite as well.
When you rub the nylon tip up and down a rough grout joint
it tends to eat away the brush. If you ever run out of
brushes simply give us a call to order some more. By the
way, all these brushes fit on the single hole detail
attachment tool shown to the right.
BRASS BRUSH:
Next lets look at the brass brush.
Brass is a relatively soft metal. It is good on surfaces
that need a little more scrubbing power then the nylon can
offer. Its relatively soft metal means it is less likely to
harm surfaces then the hard steel. Some of our students like
to use the brass brush for grout joints in showers. They
feel it does a better job of cleaning the un-sanded grout
joints you often find in a shower. This may be the case for
you as well.
STAINLESS STEEL BRUSH:
Lastly we have the stainless steel
detail brush. Combined with the steam it is the most
powerful of the brushes. This brush should be formed to fit
the grout joint you are working on. While most tile may not
be affected, some tiles will scratch if you are using an
oversized brush. To do this simply grasp a brush firmly at
its base and using a pair of needle nose pliers grasp onto
one of the clusters of steel fibers where it meets the
plastic. Twist and pull the steel out using a circular
motion. For wide grout lines leave two tufts (bunches of
steel) at the top and two at the bottom of the brush as
shown to the right. For narrow grout joints just leave one
tuft of steel at the top and one at the bottom of the brush.
See illustration on right. The same can also be done for the
brass or nylon brush.
If you can safely use the steel
brush, it is a good choice. It lasts longer and scrubs
harder then the other brushes. Just take care to test in an
inconspicuous area before you start cleaning. You want to
make sure that the brush is not removing grout and that it
is not leaving any marks or scratches on the tile. DO NOT
use this brush around marble or any other natural stone.
Don't using on any type of plastic or painted surface. Only
use this on ceramic tile grout, cement, rusty metal or your
outdoor grill or other surface you are confident about using
it on. Be sure to test first.
Why buy a tile and grout vapor steam
cleaner?
Why Not Just Hire Someone To Clean My Grout
Or Do It My Self By Hand?
Lets
consider the options.
Option 1:
Often for less then having your grout cleaned you can own
your own vapor steam cleaner that will allow you to
clean your grout over and over again and save you money.
There are also hundreds of other uses for vapor steam
cleaners such cleaning and
disinfecting bedding,
killing dust mites,
disinfecting carpeting,
furniture, floors, cooking surfaces, jewelry, hard wood
floors, tile, windows, and of course, grout cleaning. Check
out our main page at
www.RefreshYourHome.com for a complete listing of all of
your vapor steam cleaners.
Option 2: You can clean your grout the old way, on
your hands and knees with a brush. This can work but it is
extremely labor intensive and often very ineffective.
Option 3: You can and hire a cleaning service that
uses a steam cleaner to do it for you. They will likely do a
good job cleaning your tile and grout but the one draw back
is that it will likely cost you hundreds of dollars. For
about the same price as paying for a one time cleaning you
can own your own vapor steam grout cleaning machine and have
the ability to clean your grout time and time again.
Another thing to consider when weighing the cost of hiring a
service verse buying your own grout cleaning steamer is the
fact your grout will get dirty again no matter who does it.
At least if you own your own steam cleaner you can do it
again and again saving you thousands of dollars over the
years in grout cleaning service charges. Clean it yourself
and save!
Most would agree that buying your own steamer and doing it
yourself the easy, vapor steam way is the better choice.
Often for less then having your grout cleaned once you can
own your own vapor steam cleaner that will allow you to
clean your grout over and over again and save you money.
Check out our main page at
www.RefreshYourHome.com for a complete listing of all of
our steamers.
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Check Out 
Our Vapor Steam
Cleaners clean tile and grout like nothing else can!
Using the latest technology, our rugged, powerful grout
cleaning machines do it all. As you can see from the picture
above grout cleaning is a snap with a steam cleaner.
Simply attach the detail grout cleaning brush and start
cleaning. You will never again have to get on your hands and
knees to scrub your grout! These are not vacuums. They are
truly powerful pure 'dry' steam vapor cleaning machines.
Step One: 
brush. They
are the smallest of the brushes that come with your steamer
measuring about 1 inch in diameter. There are three types of
detail brushes to pick from. There is Nylon, Brass &
Stainless Steel. The nylon is by far the safest as it will
not scratch most surfaces. The brass is the next up in
hardness. It is harder then the nylon but softer and safer
to work with then the steel. Last we have the steel. This is
the toughest of the brushes. It is great for difficult
situations like removing rust, cleaning gunk off of grout
lines as well as a whole host of other applications.
you dive in and start scrubbing any surface it is always a
good idea to test in a inconspicuous area first. See how the
brush affects the surface. It is a good idea to start out
using the nylon brush. It is the safest to work with and it
works. You can 
blasts
the dirt away. Work your way up and down the grout line
until it is done. Now move on to the next grout line and
repeat. Once done you will notice there is some excess
moisture on the tile. Simply drop a rag or towel on the
floor and push it around with a broom to clean it up. You
may also use a moist mop. You are done. It is that easy!
You just cleaned your grout. Likely you will see that years
of dirt and grime have been blasted away. If you are doing a
large commercial job you may find an inexpensive shop vac is
useful. Since the steamer leaves very little water on the
floor you may need to splash extra water on the floor so
your shop vac has something to draw up into its canister.
