Thread Number: 39822  /  Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
Cleaning ceramic tile floors 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 422748   4/4/2020 at 13:19 (295 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA)        

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Can anyone recommend a machine for cleaning ceramic tile floors that will also do grout lines? We have 12x12 ceramic tile floors and the grout really needs cleaning. I'd like to know if there's a new or vintage machine out there that can do the grout lines as well as tile.

I have a vintage Kenmore Powerspray cleaning machine, and I thought about getting the Spraymate powerhead for it to use, but it's not really meant for hard floors and I was afraid it might scratch the tile.

I might just have to use a toothbrush and make a paste and just do a little at a time by hand.




Post# 422766 , Reply# 1   4/4/2020 at 16:34 (295 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
I have 2 ceramic tile-floored bathrooms.

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They are black and white. I've used a Hoover floor scrubber/polisher from the '70s. I've used mild detergent or Bon Ami. Afterwards, you may use a nice Hoover Steam mop.
Been using these things here at the "palace" for years.

Post# 422906 , Reply# 2   4/6/2020 at 21:33 (293 days old) by cbimmer (USA)        

I use a garden sprayer to apply the cleaning solution to the floor and then scrub it in with a tile brush. Then use an extractor with clean water to rinse and suck it all up.

Post# 423738 , Reply# 3   4/19/2020 at 02:17 (281 days old) by vegavin23 (Europe)        

I am considering a steam cleaner and while looking through reviews I saw some people using it on tile floors with decent results.

The manufacturer warns that using a steam cleaner on already damaged grout might damage it further.

You can try to get a handheld one to test it out but the larger ones heat up faster, produce more pressure, last longer without refilling, and can be refilled without decompressing the steam first.

They can be used on more than just tiles so if you have other uses or a big floor it's probably worth it to get one that heats fast and lasts a while.

Post# 423749 , Reply# 4   4/19/2020 at 10:48 (280 days old) by Louvac (A)        
Believe it or not....

 A solution of bleach, water, and some dish soap (very little-like a couple of drops) will brighten that grout up like you wouldn't believe. I have been doing this for years with great results.

Post# 423762 , Reply# 5   4/19/2020 at 14:01 (280 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
What are the proportions?

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How much bleach to how much water?

Post# 424641 , Reply# 6   5/2/2020 at 05:55 (267 days old) by vegavin23 (Europe)        

Depends on the exact bleach you have. You can probably use it even undiluted if you make sure you wash it off properly afterwards. A local company around here makes general purpose chlorine bleach with instructions for all kids of uses. Initially it was one product but later they switched to different packaging and maybe slightly different formula for laundry and different household cleaning purposes. Perhaps you can find something similar. Chlorine kind of stinks, though.

Post# 427731 , Reply# 7   6/26/2020 at 17:19 (212 days old) by ridgidwd0670 (se wood co ohio)        

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Electrolux Rug Washer 10360 attachment (1205-era) with polishing/scrubbing brush powered by my 80th Anniversary Ultralux & then use Ridgid WD0670 for vacing water & solution from floor

Post# 427753 , Reply# 8   6/27/2020 at 08:35 (211 days old) by Oldsuck (Houston, Texas )        

I know you’re looking for a machine. I can’t help you there, but I’m currently dealing with the same problem, and I was thinking,... 🤔
What if we just bought a bottle of cream bleach from a beauty supply store? You could get an applicator bottle and just squeeze a bead along the grout. Wait 30-40min, then clean the floor as usual?

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Post# 428487 , Reply# 9   7/11/2020 at 17:25 (197 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
I had same issue...but got it clean! Here’s how...

 I tried a Hoover floor mate with the spin scrub brushes, it did ok, but I found it was more important for the heavy initial grout cleaning to use a product that would clean the grout properly. I avoid bleach because it’s bad for the lungs and tough on skin. For the darkest areas I had to scrub with a brush along the grout lines but I also used this cleaner that my friend had purchased somewhere...I think off HSN or QVC, unfortunately by the time I was doing this refurbishment job on the grout my friend had passed away and so I don’t have an exact idea of where she got it but know it’s something I’ve never seen in stores and she enjoyed shopping off HSN and QVC so that has led me to believe it’s where she got the product. It is chlorine bleach free and did a wonderful job....(I figured out where to get it...read on and link is below)

I sprayed this product on the grout lines, let it sit for several minutes then came along and scrubbed with a brush and then wiped with a clean wet cloth and a bucket of water rinsing my cloth after every tile. It was a long process to clean the floor. The important trick to not having it get dirty like this again is to SEAL THE GROUT once it’s dry, so it won’t be porous and absorb dirt as quickly again and wash it in a way that won’t allow a light coat of dirty soapy water to be applied.

So for future regular weekly cleaning, a machine like Hoover spin scrub floor mate will work good because it applies clean solution, scrubs the floor and grout with it, then picks up the dirty solution and puts it in a dirty water bin and squeegees the floor clean and you can even go over the floor a second time with it with just clean water in the tank to rinse any detergent residue, but the scrubbing brushes and detergent should clean it regularly and not leave dirty water in the grout lines and combining with the product I had success with should keep the floors really clean. And apparently since the product I used is a concentrate I bet you can use it in a floor mate machine as it has a dilution rate for these type machines on the label!

Also, if you have a Hoover spin scrub carpet cleaner, they have an attachment squeegee that mounts to the front suction nozzle that is black thick plastic with netting on it that is designed for converting the machine for use on hard floors, I was able to get the part at a vacuum store and it was $10. Since I had bought my carpet cleaner new, it showed this part in the manual under the additional accessories so that’s how I came to know about it. I know Hoover finally changed the design of the original spin scrub carpet cleaner, but they made it for a long time and it turned out to be one of the best and most reliable of all their machines and other brands too. I bought mine after it had been out for many years after having used one my in laws had and they lived too far away to borrow it as much as I needed it at the time so I got my own, the older versions had the hose permanently attached, the later ones were improved with the attachment hose as something you insert to the machine when you need it. I think the current version of the least expensive model is similar to it but haven’t kept up with reviews.

If you don’t have carpet, then the Hoover Floor mate is better as it’s smaller, lighter, and easier to maneuver than the bigger carpet and floor machine.

Tip: With the floor mate you need to wash the filter and empty the dirty water bin immediately after use and let the filter air dry completely after use otherwise it will get musty and smell nasty the next time you go to use it.

The worst thing you can do is use a cloth string mop on those floors, they pick up the dirt from the tile yes, but then leave behind dirty water in the grout lines. Unless you ring that mop out in a clear bucket of water, not soapy water solution, after every tile or two, all you are doing is applying a light coat of dirty detergent water over the floors and this is what gets absorbed into the grout, it builds up over time and then you have black grout.

I’ve always otherwise washed tile floors with a big towel and a bucket of soapy water and when the towel gets dirt on it, fold to the clean side, then when it’s all dirty I don’t put it in the bucket but instead rinse all the dirt out of it at the sink, then put it in the bucket to get CLEAN soapy water back on it. A bucket of dirty soapy water will apply just that to your floors.

Other option is to use a spray bottle with cleaning solution in it, spray on the floor, a section at a time, and scrub or wipe with a big towel, rinse the towel frequently or change towels frequently so you are never wiping with a towel surface that has picked up dirt already and is now dirty....you can then rinse and wash all the towels in the clothes washer when done to avoid the hassle of using one towel and having to rinse it out repeatedly at the kitchen sink.

The product my friend had purchased (she lived in my rent house and died so it was with her cleaning stuff) that I found worked is called “Professor Amos ...Shock It Clean Extreme Multi purpose cleaner”. There is a web site and phone number on the back...www.professoramos.com... 877-385-0000. The product is a concentrate, is in a quart bottle and says makes 64 additional quarts. It says it can be used to clean heavily and lightly soiled areas upholstery and carpet by hand or in a machine and Jewelry. It has instructions for hard surfaces which is to spray on the surface, clean with a cloth or brush, or sponge...then use a CLEAN cloth or towel to wipe the surface clean.

I don’t know if the bottle I was using was diluted or not, there are dilution tables on the label for various applications, but she had two bottles, one with a sprayer on it, and one without so I assumed the one with the sprayer was already diluted so I just tried that. The second bottle with no sprayer I have not used yet but a little seems to have been used by my friend, perhaps to make the diluted amount in the bottle with the sprayer. All I know is is worked great on the grout and prevented me having to use bleach which gets in your lungs and burns one’s hands.

I just looked up the web site...yep she likely got it from HSN or QVC but it shows also sold on amazon prime. It shows the cleaner is sold with a bottle of the solution and an empty identical bottle with a sprayer for making the dilution. Comes in a variety of scents. I have the lavender and it is a very mild hardly noticeable pleasant scent. I’m glad the product still exists, it seems to be the best thing for tough jobs like grout cleaning without bleach.

I also just discovered the web site also sell dry carpet cleaning granules...yay, now I have something other than capture to use with my Electrolux Dri-Lux carpet cleaning power nozzle which my friend had bought and we shared and I have now since she is forever gone.

Good luck and best wishes. Hope this works for you too!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO Jo's LINK



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