Cleaning Tile Grout - Steam cleaner or ??

Shinbreaker

I have cream ceramic tiles in my kitchen/ living room/ sunroom with cream or sandstone grout. It's a creamish colour. The tiled area is about 450 sq ft. The tiles around the sink/ island unit and the couches in living room are really horrible and grubby. Our living room leads into a sunroom and the tiles there are perfect which only highlights how grubby they look in the rest of the kitchen.

I have been searching on the internet and some people recommend steam cleaners some don't. I don't want to spend a fortune buying one if they are no good. What are my options? Could I hire one? I have three small kids so I don't really want to use chemicals. The tiles were not sealed after we put them down about 6 years ago? Other suggestions I have are to get down on my hands and knees with a tooth brush and flash mildew spray!!!!!:(

Joey the lips

Forget about steam tbh the grout should have been sealed as i imagine this is your main problem.

You cannot really fit now whats broken so to speak. The only way to fix this is to remove the grout start again ad seal it this time...

I would suggest you consider grey grout..

If you do decided to change the grout you will need to do a very good job at removing the old grout or the grey wont take.

Poly

Steam and a wire brush and some elbow grease will clean up the grout, you can probably hire the small steam generators to do the cleaning.

You can also use the MR.Muscle oven cleaner liquid and a wire brush

Joey the lips

Poly wrote: »

Steam and a wire brush and some elbow grease will clean up the grout, you can probably hire the small steam generators to do the cleaning.

You can also use the MR.Muscle oven cleaner liquid and a wire brush

Hi poly with kids in the house do you imagine it would be safe to use oven cleaner on the floor...?

Very dangerous imo...Also oven cleaner gives off more toxic fumes than tile acid...imo

tommycahir

The following really depends on the width of the joint but if there is enough room I would consider using a fine sandpaper and removing the gunk with that and then re-sealing the joints with a suitable sealer.

Poly

Joey the lips wrote: »

Hi poly with kids in the house do you imagine it would be safe to use oven cleaner on the floor...?

Very dangerous imo...Also oven cleaner gives off more toxic fumes than tile acid...imo

obviously don't do it when the kids are about, your could also use a commercial floor stripper " inferno", chemical direct have it in Dublin.
It will clean up the joints lovely, done it myself. use gloves, glasses, mask etc.

Joey the lips

Poly wrote: »

obviously don't do it when the kids are about, your could also use a commercial floor stripper " inferno", chemical direct have it in Dublin.
It will clean up the joints lovely, done it myself. use gloves, glasses, mask etc.

The tile acid that most plumbers use and your advocating is actually safer than oven cleaner but the op does not want chemicals. So i imagine if they could make time for oven cleaner then acid which is designed to clean would be best.

Op unfort the acid will not penatrate deep into the grout like the dirt has but agreed that its worth a shot...

antiskeptic

Shinbreaker wrote: »

I have three small kids so I don't really want to use chemicals.

Could you not put down the chemicals after they're in bed? I've used stuff called (I think) Santex. It's a weak hydrochloric acid concentration that doesn't give off much by way of fumes. You can pick it up in Chadwicks or the like. IIRC you only leave it on for a couple of hours at a time so you'd be done and dusted of an evening.

Shinbreaker

Thanks for the replies. I have got some grout cleaner from hardware shop 'HG grout cleaner' it contains nitrilotriacetic acid. You leave it on for 10 mins. I also got the loan of a hand held steam cleaner. It works well for about a minute and then you have to give it a rest!!!! When it is working it is very effective. My friend bought it in Argos. Can anyone recommend one I could hire. It's about half 8 by the time the kids go to bed so I'm not really in the mood for mad scrubbing then!

Shinbreaker

I just thought I'd let everyone know how we got on. The tiles and grout are like new. I'm delighted with them. We hired a steam cleaner. I got down on my hands and knees with jif and a nail brush and I scrubbed them first and then my husband came along with the steam cleaner. I know I said I didn't want to do any scrubbing but in the end I had to. Anyway I'm delighted with the results. Thanks for all the replies.

B1977

any recommended types of steam cleaners to clean tiles ?
and what brand of cleaning products to use ?