Keeping your tile and grout looking its best after a great cleaning

Tile and grout and natural stones need to be maintained regularly to help keep your floors looking their best the longest. As you may know, ceramic and porcelain tiles are incredibly durable and take little to no damage, but that is not the same when it comes to the grout lines and natural stone tiles. Natural stone tiles and grout are very absorbent and can stain or discolor if not adequately taken care of. Grout has the properties of concrete, and natural stones are natural stones, which means they have pores that can absorb dirt and grime.

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Now, I am not saying you need to do anything super extreme to keep your grout and stones looking their best, but I do have some useful options that you may want to think about if you have tile and grout or natural stone flooring. I have a few things that I will go over to help you with your tile floors.

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The first thing to consider is getting your tile and grout or natural stone tile floors cleaned professionally regularly. Professionals like AriStone Cleaning& Restoration use a better cleaning system and process than your typical household systems. We use a state of the art truck-mounted system that uses high heat and high pressure. With this system, we are not only pressure washing the grout and tile surfaces; we are also sanitizing because of the high heat. Our machine heats the water to 220 degrees and uses 1500 psi; it also extracts all the water and chemical while leaving your tile and grout looking the absolute best they can. If your grout is more stained than expected for some reason, we have options to help with that as well. 

We recommend having a professional clean your tile every 12-18 months. You can do it more regularly if you would like (or if you choose not to have it sealed);we have some customers who are every quarter (3-4 months) or on a semi-annual basis (every six months). Professionals also look at your tile and grout differently than you may and we can offer and recommend other options that may help your flooring out even more.

Second, have your grout and stone floors sealed. Sealers help prevent staining and discoloration. They also help keep the grout looking newer longer when you have the professionals come back out and clean. AriStone uses a couple of sealers for ceramic or porcelain. We offer a hybrid solvent penetrating sealer and a penetrating color seal. Both sealers absorb into the grout lines and clog the pores helping prevent substances from seeping into the grout lines, which in turn can cause staining. For natural stone tile and grout, we use a penetrating hybrid solvent-based sealer on the grout lines and the stone tiles. Again, this sealer absorbs in and clogs the pores. These sealers act as a barrier that blocks liquids and substances from absorbing into the grout lines.

Now, nothing is forever. You will need to get your sealers reapplied every 3-4 years(this is for the sealers we use). Our color sealer for ceramic porcelain lasts5-7 years. Sealers over time will break down and start to dissolve. If you have regular cleanings done professionally, your tile and grout cleaning company will be able to tell you right away if you need your sealer reapplied. Sealers are not always recommended by installers or builders but trust me, they are going to help protect your grout lines longer, and we back our sealers with a 2and 5-year warranty.

The third is to clean up spills quickly. Yes, the sealer will block the substance from seeping in, but you do not want the liquid just sitting there, especially if the liquid is an acid based liquid. Leaving the grout lines with liquid will potentially break down the sealer quicker, causing you to have problem areas. The easiest way to prevent this from happening is when you spill something, clean it up as quickly as possible, and wipe the grout lines with a damp towel to remove anything that may have been left behind. 

Last but not least, use the proper cleaners in between professional cleanings. This is more important than you may think. There are many cleaners out there that smell great and seem like they do the best job. Some cleaners leave a residue on the surface of the tile and grout lines that actually attract the dirt and holds it there. The best types of cleaners to use are ones that are a neutral PH cleaner, like Crystal Clean. Crystal Clean is the cleaner we recommend to all our customers as it does an excellent, thorough cleaning without hurting the sealer we apply to the grout lines. It is a straightforward cleaner to use and it is not super expensive. 

The cleaner we recommend does not have any smell to it, which some people love (I know I do, that fresh, clean smell), but those scents add extra additives to your cleaner, which may be acidic. Things like vinegar, lemon, and other citrus based products are great for cleaning and leaving you with that fresh smell, but these types of cleaners break down sealers and can cause more staining than cleaning. These are cleaners you most definitely want to avoid using to help keep your tile and grout looking its best the longest.

I know this is a lot of information but all these tips will ensure your grout stays looking its best the longest. Be aware nothing can look new forever, but at least you will know you are doing the proper steps to ensure the longest longevity possible.

For more information or tips on other tile or stone surfaces, give us a call anytime at 480-352-2987, you can also check out our website at www.travertiencleaningaz.com or find us on Facebook, Google, Linked IN and so many more social media platforms.

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