How Can I Keep My Grout Lines Looking Great?

Question

“Our family moved here from “up north,” and this is the first time we’ve experienced tile floors. When mopped, our tile looks great; however, the grout looks terrible. I scrub, and scrub, and scrub the grout lines and they look clean, only to get dirty within a week. What gives?”

Also, can you explain “grout coloring and sealing?

Anna R. – Fort Myers, FL

Answer

In SW Florida, tile is the predominant floor covering and, when maintained, looks phenomenal. Tile (and stone) is durable, will last a lifetime, and comes in various shapes and sizes.

When tile gets dirty, a simple mopping or steaming will do the trick to make them look good. And Anna, you’re right; the problem isn’t the tile; it’s the grout.

Grout is a mixture of colored concrete used to keep the tiles in place. Because grout is porous, it is susceptible to spills, tracked in dirt, grease, pet urine, and other contaminates. And guess what the number one contributor to the built-up of contaminates in grout lines is? Ready for it? The cleaning and mopping of our floors.

Because unprotected grout is porous, every time you mop or steam your floor, you transfer dirt and moisture from the tile to the grout, where the grout is waiting to absorb the water from your cleaning efforts.

The Million-Dollar Question

How do I protect my grout lines from permanent staining and “the uglies?”

There are two solutions to protecting your grout lines to maintain the beauty of your tiled floors.

Option One – If your grout is in relatively good shape with little to no staining, a clear seal can be applied to protect your grout’s surface.

Clear sealer is just that, clear. Once your tile and grout have been cleaned, the technician applies a clear sealer to the grout to remove the grout’s ability to absorb dirty mop water and other contaminates. If your grout’s ability to absorb spills is taken away, it will stay cleaner longer.

Option two – If your grout lines are permanently stained, discolored, or you would like to change their color (or keep the same color and return it to like new), grout color sealing is the best investment a homeowner can make to ensure perfect grout lines.

With Tru-Clean Surface Care’s PERMANENT grout color seal, you will never have to have this service performed again after application. Simple mopping on a routine basis and an annual light cleaning are all you’ll need. We guarantee our grout color seal for as long as you live in your home, and should something happen to the sealer, not due to negligence; we’ll reapply to those areas at no charge!

Tru-Clean Surface Care’s grout color sealer also saves you money because you will never have to have your grout sealed again!

How We Do It

Tru-Clean Surface Care can apply any color imaginable. We meet with the client, inspect their tile and grout areas, and then have a discussion to make sure we meet their service needs. The client will choose the color that best works for their needs, and we custom blend the grout color sealer at our plant.

Step 1 – When grout color seal is appropriate, the technician will thoroughly clean your tiled areas to ensure that your hard surface looks phenomenal and prepare your grout surfaces to receive our specialized color sealer.

Step 2 – We apply the grout color sealer to your grout lines by hand. The porous grout absorbs the color sealer and permanently fills the surface pores. The sealer contains a dye, a sealant agent, and a fungicide to protect the grout from mold and mildew due to spills, water intrusion, and pet accidents.

Step 3– Once the grout has been color-sealed, the technician will inspect and address any imperfections. The client is invited to review our work, and we will provide a bottle of sealer in case a touch-up is needed in the future due to replacing a cracked tile or damaged grout line.

Tru-Clean Surface Care is a Certified Partner with the prestigious Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), The Stone Pro Organization, and a surpHaces Certified PRO Partner. We are A+ Rated by the Better Business Bureau and an eight-year-in-a-row-winner of the coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award.

For more information about our tile and grout cleaning or grout coloring services, please visit us online at www.OrientalRugSalon.com or call us any time at 239-541-4888 – Cape Coral and Lee County, 239-206-1935 – Bonita Springs, Naples, and Marco Island, or 941-621-2198 – Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, Florida.

You can also visit us on our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/TruCleanSurfaceCareFL

You can trust the beauty of your tiled floors to Tru-Clean Surface Care!