Floor Tile and Grout

[david]

Hello. What procedure should be used for cleaning Tile and Grout? I dont have a turbo machine,just a standard floor machine.
Any suggestions on the most efficient way to do this? What type of brush is necessary?

[logan5127]

David, you can use a shampoo brush on your floor machine. Also there are tile and grout brushes on a handle that you can get from some suppliers . I know Interlinksupply has them , not sure who all else carries them. We try alkaline cleaner made for ceramic tile first and then acid only if necessary. Use very hot water.We spray the solution onto the floor with a pump up garden sprayer and then let set about 10 minutes. Re spray and then use the grout brushes on handle then re spray any dry spots. Then run your carpet brush over the area. Squeegee up using a water wand squeegee that is made out of double layer of foam. The foam will pull more out of the dips in the grout then rubber does. After that wet the floor with water and suck up with a wet vac. You may have to do this step a couple of times to remove all dirty solution in the grout lines. That how we use to do them.
We now use a turbo tool hooked to our carpet machine. It requires at least 500 psi . We use 1000 psi. It sprays hot water into all the floor, grout,dips and sucks it back out at the same time. Also be aware that sometimes people put finishes on these type floors and they may have to be stripped before cleaning them.

[Linda]

I need a really good digital camera to take some pics of the tile and grout at work. Really bad shape and I want to give it a good cleaning, but I dont know where to start. The bathrooms are my biggest concern. I have no idea what type of tile this is and I have asked several ppl. It has a red color and you cant wax it. Very slick when wet, but it has like dips in it. It is not even. Not rough feeling either. I have tried to find pics of it on internet with no luck. There is dirt caked in the dips. Experienced power washer can fix the problem, but was wondering if I could use a floor machine, buffer? The grout is horrible too. Ok put it this way, I dont have anything but a power washer and was wondering what the quickest, easiest, cheapest way to do Will do what it takes though.

Thanks,
Linda

[logan5127]

Linda, you need to test a small spot with alkaline cleaner and acid cleaner to see if it is sensitive to either one. If not sensitive to either I would use the alkaline first. There are several cleaners at suppliers for cleaning tile floors. I would do a small area at a time. Use floor machine with shampoo brush and splash guard. Also use hand brushes. Suck it up with a wet vac and repeat until clean. If grout does not clean up well and the tile is not sensitive to acid then use the acid to finish up with. Rinse it well with neutral cleaner after sucking up the solution. Other that that I would probably sub this out to someone with the SX12 or similar tools and equipment designed for cleaning tile and grout.