Children, pets, and general foot traffic all contribute to dirty tile floors. If you’re tired of looking at streaks, footprints, water spots, and stains, hire a professional tile cleaning service provider.
Most homeowners don’t have enough time to clean, so if you’re feeling stressed out about your cleaning tasks, know you’re not alone. It’s normal to focus on getting through work, taking care of your family, and prioritizing relaxation when possible. And even if you do find time to clean, how much time are you willing to dedicate to it?
A professional tile cleaning company will save you time, help you feel peace of mind, and help you avoid these common DIY mistakes.
Common DIY Cleaning Mistakes
Nowadays, everyone seems pressed for time. The constant demands of raising a family, friends, activities, work, and constantly changing priorities can make it too easy to take shortcuts. It’s understandable. However, taking shortcuts when cleaning your tiles can cause damage.
A few of the most common cleaning mistakes include:
- Not vacuuming the floor before mopping. Any hair, fur, and general dirt and debris will only become wet and stick to the floor.
- Using a dirty mop or failing to replace the water in the bucket. Dirty mop heads and water cause streaks on tile floors. Even if you use a steam cleaner or an electric mop, you still must replace or wash the mop head after each use.
- Using abrasive cleaning products. Cleaning products can be especially problematic on granite or marble tiles. Abrasive cleaning agents like bleach and ammonia have high amounts of alkaline, which can cause surface burns. Although abrasive chemicals can remove deeply embedded dirt and grime, they typically contain extremely coarse particles that can easily erode your grout and remove the shiny, thin film on your tiles.
- Relying on DIY cleaning articles. Many DIY cleaning articles recommend using vinegar. For most eco-conscious homeowners, vinegar is often considered the ultimate all-purpose cleaner. However, it is far too acidic for certain types of tile, including marble, granite, and terracotta. If you don’t know what type of tile you have, you should use a pH-neutral cleaner specifically made for tile.
- Using oil-based or wax-based cleaners. If you want to enhance your tile’s shine, oil-based and wax-based cleaners are not the right solution. These types of solutions will cause your tiles to become incredibly slippery and leave behind an oily residue.
- Using too much water. Like dirty mops, too much water can cause streaks. This problem is especially common when using a steam cleaner. If you’re using a traditional mop, squeeze the excess water out before placing the mop on the floor. With steam cleaners, use the lowest setting first and check the results.
- Over scrubbing. It’s natural to think that deeply embedded dirt, grime, and residue require hard scrubbing. Unfortunately, with tiles, that’s never a good idea. If you use brushes that are too abrasive, you can damage the grout and cause spalling.
- Not mixing cleaning solutions correctly. Most mops will require you to dilute a cleaning solution in distilled water. It’s important that you carefully follow dilution instructions. Using too much cleaning solution will leave behind a sticky, unpleasant film on the tile, while using too little cleaning solution means your tile floors aren’t getting cleaned correctly.
Of course, you can avoid these common cleaning mistakes by hiring a professional. They prepare and clean multiple types of tiles daily and understand which equipment, cleaning techniques, and cleaning agents are best suited for your tile.
What Happens During a Professional Cleaning
Here is a breakdown of the typical steps that occur during a professional tile cleaning service:
1. Initial Inspection
The first step involves a general assessment of the grout and tile. This involves paying close attention to floorboards, baseboards, and anything that mates with the tiles. The goal is to ensure that the cleaning agents used don’t cause the wood of the baseboards to swell or buckle.
The cleaning technician will inspect the grout lines and identify the tile material. Again, special attention is paid to matching the cleaning agent to the grout and tile material.
2. Preparing the Tile and Grout
The floor is then vacuumed extensively with a high-power commercial vacuum. Next, the floor is mopped with a clean mop, light cleaning agent, or hot water and left to dry.
3. Cleaning the Grout
The best cleaning companies use a non-toxic grout cleaning agent, mixture, or formula that is sometimes diluted, depending upon its concentration. They then use special grout-cleaning tools and equipment to deep clean the grout and return it to its original luster.
Cleaning the grout is often the most labor-intensive portion of the job. Cleaning may involve scrubbing it with a specialized brush or tool, depending on how dirty the grout is and its discoloration. Special attention is paid not to damage the tiles. Afterwards, the grout is wiped clean.
4. Truck-Mounted Steam Cleaning
Once the grout is cleaned and dried, a cleaning company may use a specialized truck-mounted steam cleaner with sufficient water pressure to clean the entire surface area properly.
5. Final Sealing/Protection
Depending upon who you’ve chosen to work with, they may offer a final sealing/protection service to guard against future stains. The sealing process keeps your grout and tile looking shiny and new.
Duo Care: Your Cleaning Partner
Regular tile and grout cleaning go a long way, but working with a professional tile cleaning company is the key to seeing successful results.
Duo Care is that company. As a family-owned business with over 40 years of experience, we have the expertise and knowledge to get the job done right.
Please contact us today to learn more about our tile and grout cleaning services and process or to request a quote.