How to Deep Clean Tile Floors the Right Way

By themselves, tiles can form striking floors that are durable and easily cleaned. But because the grout is porous and typically light-colored, over time it becomes slick with slime from soap, foods, and worse.

Once too much mold and soap scum get embedded in the grout’s surface, oftentimes the only remedy is to remove and replace the filling. But then, why bother with a total redo, when such floors can be cleaned well from the very beginning?

Steam cleaners give you the cleansing power of hot, high-pressure vapors anywhere around the house. It would be nice to know whether steaming provides a natural means of handling the gunk that builds up on tile floors, without resorting to hazardous chemicals.

Damp areas tend to develop a lot of offensive grime and growths. This cannot be helped much, for builders usually specify tiles wherever constant traffic in the wet is expected. Although tiles are impervious to elements such as water, the filling between each is hardly as robust.

As scum seeps into the grouts pores over the years, it eventually toughens and becomes hard to remove via regular means. Even vigorous scouring with bristled brushes and strong detergents may not be enough. This is why cleaning such floors can be so tedious.

Cleaning your floors 1 to 2 times per week is crucial to preventing buildups that are hard to clean.

A pressurized steamer is very useful for handling such problems. Users who purchase a unit frequently spend their first day looking for surfaces that can be steam cleaned. The first that usually come to mind are in bathrooms or kitchens, for these are the places that are challenging to maintain.

How Does Steam Cleaning Tile and Grout Work?

There are no consumer steamers that are specifically marketed for cleaning tiles and grout. Most designs normally comprise a wheeled base that contains the tank and boiler, along with a set of nozzles, hoses, and various attachments for the steam wand.

A steam cleaner works by getting its streams in-between the lines, dissolving gunk and blasting away the resulting sludge. The hot jets are produced by toggling a control switch on their handles.

Good designs generate loads of steam with temperatures of some 200F and typically include brush attachments that assist in removing loosened gunk. Popular models such as McCulloch’s MC-1275 and Dupray’s Neat are built to continually spray large amounts of steam on demand.

It is the mix of high heat, heavy misting, and pressurized steam generated by the boiler that jointly produces the cleansing effects. However, attached bristle brushes are still very useful in dislodging slime and stains that hold fast.

How to Use a Steamer on Grout and Tile

What you’ll need to complete the task:

- A steam cleaner
- Several towels or microfiber cloths
- Extra brushes for the steamer since grout can be hard on these
- Rubber gloves, possibly heat-insulated ones to prevent accidental burns
- A filling flask or funnel for refilling the steam cleaner if it did not come with one

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