Tile flooring is one of the most durable yet budget-friendly floorings among various floor types that we tend to have in our house. This one lasts for decades without doing much in terms of its maintenance. Keeping the floor clean to make it look as new as possible becomes all the more crucial when we know that once it’s done, you can’t move back.
Importance Of Maintenance Of Tile Flooring
One can replace the furniture, paint the rooms, replace the hardware, sockets, sinks, and beyond, but flooring is as permanent as the house base. None is going to take the burden of replacing the flooring of the whole house.
If you ask us, we will say it is quite impossible, and none does that with gusto. They renovate it only when coerced. That too to the maximum. So, if you have tile flooring and still do not take the limited care it actually requires, then you are mistaking.
Grout Lines
Now, what are the downsides of tile flooring, especially when it comes to keeping it clean? And the answer is pretty easy and straight. If there is one thing that might make your tile flooring lose its beauty and make it look as dirty and ugly as possible, even if it’s clean, is the grout lines. Cleaning these thin lines is tough. These are the nightmare you cannot even avoid. However, the good news is that if you invest a bit, then without any help from the professionals, you can have clean grout lines just like the tile flooring after regular, thorough cleaning looks.
Steam Cleaner
You can use different DIY cleaners like the most common apple cider vinegar and water. Or you can also get a good quality grout cleaning solution. Both types work pretty well on dirty grout lines. But what works the best to keep your tile flooring always new, including the grout lines, is a steam cleaner. Steam is meant for cleaning tile flooring. So, a steam cleaner cleans tiles. But it is great for the grouts too. It is without an iota of doubt the best machine to clean tile floors and grout lines.
Why A Costly Steam Cleaner?
None is going to buy two tools for cleaning the tiles- one for only the tiles and the other, grouts. If a steam cleaner can clean the whole house, then investing in it will be of no issue. A little investment will later save you from a lot of trouble and loss.
With a steam cleaner, the sheen of the tile flooring remains intact, and it doesn’t lose the glossy vibe to it ever. The soft microfiber pad or cloth doesn’t give a chance to the cleaner to leave any scratches on the flooring. The different stage of heat doesn’t let the steamer to lessen the shelf life of the tiles. Rather, with a regular, thorough cleaning, the shelf life increases.
How Well It Works On Grout Lines?
However, the issue is the grout line. Does a steam cleaner go in that narrow space, and if it does, then how to clean floor tile grout with steam, generally pops in our mind.
For that, the steam cleaners usually have extra attachments. And if your steam cleaner doesn’t come with that, they might ask you to buy one separately. So, you can buy one such brush as they are not too pricey compared to the work they do.
Nylon Or Brass
So, either go for a small nylon brush or a brass brush. Our suggestion will be to get both because you will need both. If you clean it regularly, naturally, the grout lines will have a little to moderate sticky mess in them. A nylon brush is apt for cleaning grout lines with little to moderate dirt and stain in it.
However, in some cases, even after regular cleaning the grout lines get filled with the stickiest of messes. To clean that a brass brush proves to be super handy. Check out our broom buying guide here.
Few Easy Steps
So, what you need to do is attach the nylon or brass brush nozzle to the steam cleaner. You have to start the machine accordingly. If the steam cleaner allows you to use a solution, then use it. Or plain warm water will do.
If it’s a cordless one, then charge it before you start cleaning. And if it’s corded, then plug it in and start working with it.
Grout lines generally have a stubborn stain, so heat the machine to the maximum. Then move it over the grout lines again and again until it’s bright and gets back to its natural color.
When the dirt is all out from the grout lines, you will need to sweep the tile flooring, including the lines with the same steam cleaner. But now with the rectangular microfiber pad or cloth on it. Because the dirt after steaming out from the lines will be on the tiles around, and that’s it.
Trust us when we say with regular cleaning, tile flooring is the easiest to keep as new as the first day you saw it. With regular cleaning we mean, daily dusting, mopping three or four times a week, and cleaning the grout lines once every two months. Please keep it clean and vow to maintain hygiene always.