Tile and Grout Cleaning For Pet Friendly Homes

Do Professional Tile and Grout Cleaning Services use Pet-Friendly Chemicals?

This question can only be answered by the company you hire to clean your tile and grout but hopefully, they say yes and if you are not sure I am going to walk you through the ways to identify if they do and if they are properly neutralizing the chemicals they are using.

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First, let's start by talking about tile and grout and what it takes to get the flooring clean.

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Tile if it is ceramic or porcelain is a kiln-fired tile and is stain proof, which means it cleans very easy with little to no chemicals needed.

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Natural stones like travertine or marble are porous and dirt and moisture absorb into these tiles so it can take some work to get them clean.

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Grout no matter what tile it is between is very porous and takes the majority of the damage and staining, grout is where different chemicals are needed to properly get it cleaned.

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With all this being said, if you want your tile and grout to be properly cleaned it is usually gonna take some work, professional equipment, and professional cleaners to achieve desired results.

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So What Cleaners Are Out There?

Tile and grout cleaners fall in 2 categories, Alkaline or Acidic. Alkaline falls on the scale above 7PH and Acidic cleaners are below 7PH. Since it would be really really hard for you to decipher whether the cleaner your professional is using is safe or not. One way to do so is to ask the company for the SDS sheets and check the ingredients yourself, I would concentrate more on the method of cleaning then the cleaner.

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Honestly, a lot of cleaners out there are fine to use within the house as long as they have been properly neutralized and to do that you need to have the proper equipment and rinse.

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One chemical you never want in your house is Muriatic Acid, it belongs nowhere near tile and grout cleaning nor in the house. It is very rare but we have run across contractors using this acid to try and clean grout.

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Best Process For Cleaning Tile and Grout

With it being 2020, any professional company should have a truck-mounted unit and at the very minimum a portable extractor. The old school way of a scrubber and a mop bucket just can't compete with these machines both in power and proper rinsing capabilities.

Truck-mounted Units

These machines are at the top for the best equipment, they are powered by full-size engines with a blower for suction, a powerful pump for water pressure and a heater capable of heating the water to 250 degrees.

truck-mounted units are the most capable to get the tile and grout its very cleanest and neutralize the chemicals used, that is because it will have an SX-15 that will clean at 1500 PSI, between 3.0 GPM - 5.0 GPM and the water heats us to 250 degrees.

Let's break this down real quick, if your professional cleaner is cleaning your floors for an hour and even by the smaller 3.0 GPM that means He/She just used 180 Gallons of water to clean and neutralize your floors. If your professional is using an acidic cleaner this amount of water is needed to properly neutralize the floor.

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Portable Extractors

Portables are your next option for professional cleaners, these have been around longer than truck mounts and are definitely less expensive but they carry the same concept.

They will have vacuum motors for suction and a pump for water pressure, some have heaters but will usually only heat the water to 150 degrees or so. The pumps are usually around 1.0 GPM so they don't rinse as successfully as a truck-mount but they do rinse. Some are capable of the higher pressure of around 1000 PSI and those are the ones you will want on your job if they are using portables.

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Old School Way

This is not what you want to see when you hire a professional tile and grout cleaner, I take nothing away from elbow grease but unfortunately, a mop bucket has no way of lifting the dirt and chemical from your floors.

This will leave your floors with dirt left behind and chemical residue.

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Best Practices When Getting Your Tile and Grout Professionally Cleaned

Here is a list of things to do before your scheduled cleaning.

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1. The best thing you can do to keep your pets safe is to keep them out of the cleaning area.
2. Ask your professional what cleaners he is planning to use and if they are safe. Remember the same chemicals you might be worried about are the same chemicals we use daily so we usually like to spend the extra money and keep ourselves safe too.
3. If unsure about the cleaner, ask them for the SDS sheet and do a little homework, it only takes 10 minutes on the internet to find out if what they are using is safe and can be properly neutralized. Again remember most cleaners are not the enemy, the lack of proper neutralizing is.
4. Ask your professional how they plan to neutralize your floors.
5. Make sure your professional tase a truck-mounted unit and an SX-15 to clean your floors if your eating good money to have your floors cleaned you should get the best equipment.

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