CERAMIC TILE, GROUT, AND STONE FLOOR CLEANING

Has your floor taken a beating the past several years?  You mop it and the grout and tile still do not look like new.  You threaten to get on you hands and knees with a toothbrush and clean that nasty grout.  Before Sundance Cleaning’s grout and tile cleaning system. You broke your back and wasted your weekend. Forget aspirins and tedious long hours. There is an easy way to have your problem fixed. Sundance Cleaning will restore your hard floor’s original colors with state-of-the-art equipment.

We will clean it with the industry’s best cleaning agent and rinse it with soft water to bring out the original beauty of your hard floor. There would be no over-spray and the floor would dry in an hour. 

USE SEALER TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT

Grout, natural stone, and unglazed ceramic tile are porous and absorbent. They are especially vulnerable to stains from coffee, punch, wine, grape juice, and the like. Sealers add assurance that mishaps will not leave indelible marks, and sealer also makes cleaning easier.  We all know that accidents will happen. The question is: Will accidents happen over an unprotected area? Some stains require that the marred tile extracted or the grout be dug out and replace at the risk of having color match problem or damaging adjoining tiles in the process. Sealer help prevent such expensive problems..

Protect your house’s resale value. Maintain your stone floor and kitchen countertop professionally from the beginning. Don’t let it become a point of negotiation when you sell your house.

DO YOU KNOW?

• Vinegar and ammonia can damage most sealers.
• Many contractors do not seal the surfaces they install.
• Many floor cleaning products leave a residue that can degrade sealers and attract soil.

A SIMPLE WATER BASED STAIN PROTECTION TEST YOU CAN DO AT HOME

1. Take a spoonful of water: put it on the hard surface you wish to test, including the grout (if applicable).
2. Wait 10 minutes
3. Visual test: Did the water absorb? Did the color change?
4. Using a clean white absorbent cloth, ‘dab’ the excess moisture.
5. Touch Test: Does the tile or grout feel wet? Does moisture still feel evident?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, your hard surfaces are not currently sealed correctly and are vulnerable to stains. Sealed surfaces do not allow penetration of liquids that can become permanent. Protect your hard surfaces today. For a fraction of the cost of replacement, you won’t be sorry.

Many contractors do not seal the surfaces they install for various reasons. After an installation, the grout may take up to 3 days to cure before the sealing can be done. It means they’d have to come back. Most contractors do not offer a protection service and therefore do not even inform consumers of the importance of this process. There are some sealers available to the general public through hardware stores. Unfortunately, they often are inferior to sealers that a hard surface specialist would use. Some need repetitive application, some are too easily washed off with general maintenance products and some only protect against water-based stains, leaving your floor vulnerable.

Even if you used the best sealers available, without a solid understanding of the product and the specific surface you are sealing you still won’t have a properly sealed floor. Only specific study and hands-on training can give you the knowledge required to get maximum protection for your hard floor.

TIPS TO KEEP HARD SURFACE FLOORS SPARKLING CLEAN

• At entry points to areas with hard floors, place entry mats for soil and moisture removal. The less brought in, the less to clean.
• Regular vacuuming. Some surfaces don’t always appears to need cleaning, assume it does. As sure as dust settles on a windowsill, so it does on the floors. Be sure to use a vacuum with a floor height adjustment on the proper setting.
• Chairs and tables in hard surface areas could cause serious damage to floors if legs and corners are not protected. Teflon or felt can be used to prevent abrasive damage caused by the furniture.
• Clean and rinse them often, once per month in low traffic areas and at least weekly in high traffic or kitchen areas.
• Natural stone should be cleaned regularly with just warm water and a clean, non-abrasive cloth, sponge or a mop. Neutral cleaners should be used and will help remove soils that normal mopping and dusting leave behind.
• Don’t use vinegar, bleach, ammonia, or a general-purpose cleaner.
• Don’t use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom cleaners.
• Don’t use alkaline cleaners not specially formulated for natural stone.
• For liquid spills, lightly blot the excess liquid with a clean, dry, white cloth. As the cloth becomes saturated be sure to turn frequently. Spray neutral cleaner lightly to avoid over-wetting. Allow 5 minutes dwell time, then wipe in a circular motion with a clean dry cloth. Repeat if necessary. Rinse with water and towel dry.
• For food spills, scoop up excess foodstuffs from the floor using a plastic spoon. Then follow the steps explained above to clean up the excess liquid residues left by the food.
• Don’t attempt to re-grout grout lines yourself. There are professional applications that can restore your grout to new-looking color. In fact any color of the rainbow can be chosen.
• Don’t break your back trying to use a toothbrush to get a large hard surface floor looking the best it can be. Consult your floor care company for advice or a free written estimate.