Grout Cleaning in Olmos Park, TX: Tips From Your Professional Grout Cleaners (Conclusion)

Hire a grout cleaning service and avoid a lot of trouble.
As we covered previously, if cleaning seems like too much of a chore for you, you can also hire a professional grout cleaning provider to

Professional Tile Cleaning Service in Olmos Park |(210) 637-5050

do the job for you.

Why Do I Need Professional Grout Cleaning?

Why do you need professional grout cleaning?  Grout gets dirty for many reasons, especially in kitchens, corridors and bathrooms since they are exposed to water, food etc. Grout should be kept clean which means you have to clean it regularly. Grout cleaning can be done with products specially designed for that purpose such as cleaning solutions or by using some household items.

You can clean tile grout by mixing equal parts of vinegar and water, spraying it on the grout and then scrubbing it with a stiff brush (metal brushes should be avoided since they wear away the grout). Then rinse the grout and dry it. Another way is to make a paste of water and baking soda, apply it on the grout, scrub with a brush and then rinse it well and dry it. There are different stiff scrub brushes and special grout brushes available in the stores. You can use a toothbrush as well. One more way is to mix one cup of water with half a cup of hydrogen peroxide (a bottle costs less than a dollar!) and spray it on the grout. This solution is not to be rinsed. All these above mentioned methods are very cheap and they clean effectively.

Hire a Tile Cleaning Service for Professional Results

If these simple solutions cannot clean completely the grout, you should use something stronger. Non-toxic oxygen bleach, for example. It is color safe and the only thing you need is to mix it with water (equal parts) and apply it on the grout. Leave it for 5-10 minutes, then scrub it, rinse it well and dry it. If this method also doesn't work, you should try the commercial grout cleaners. You should never forget that while using cleaning products you should wear goggles, gloves and mask for protection and keep the room well ventilated. The safety information on the bottles should be read very carefully as well and the instructions should be followed.

There are a lot of products today designed to clean dirt, stains, rust such as mold treatment products, rust removers, grout and tile cleaners etc. Some of them are organic, some are chemicals. Bear in mind that the prices for these products vary from about $6 to about $200 (per 5 gallon pail). That means it is better to calculate whether it is better to buy such a product or to call professionals in order to clean your grout. The professionals use very powerful professional machines such as vapor/steam grout cleaning machines as well. The cheapest way to clean your grout is by using natural products i.e. home made grout cleaners. But in case you have old and stubborn stains and dirt, better call a professional. That will save you a lot of money, effort and time.

The best professional to call? A grout cleaning service in Olmos Park.

More Info

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
Contact Us

Grout Cleaning in Olmos Park, TX: Tips From Your Professional Grout Cleaners (Contd.)

Clean your grout as well as your tile

Get professional tile and grout cleaning done | (210) 637-5050

The Importance of Regular Grout Cleaning

As we covered previously, regular maintenance and routine grout cleaning are essential to having clean grout over a long period of time, and can reduce the unnecessary cost associated with replacement of your ceramic tile. However, professional strength grout cleaning agents can be very harsh and can cause damage to your grout or cause your colored grout to fade. These stronger chemicals are often an unnecessary expense, as a number of home remedies for grout cleaning work well and are readily available.

Why Cleaning Your Grout is Harder Than You Think

After you have scrubbed your grout clean, the final step of cleaning is to use a damp sponge or cloth to wipe away excess dirt and grime, as well as wash away any chemical residues that your cleaning products have left behind. Using running hot water to rinse the cloth or sponge as you go prevents you from further contaminating the areas that you have not yet cleaned, and works better than using water from a bucket. Thoroughly mopping the whole floor following grout cleaning will not only ensure that the entire area is clean, but also free from any lingering chemical residue.

While it is true that the entire process of grout cleaning is hard work and consumes a great deal of time and energy, it is beneficial while cleaning grout to take short, intermittent breaks while scrubbing grout clean in order to prevent back and knee stiffness and prevent injury. However, these breaks should be 30 seconds to one minute in duration, as longer breaks can distract you from your work and further delay the entire process.

If cleaning seems like too much of a chore for you, you can also hire a professional grout cleaning provider to do the job for you. These grout cleaning specialists use some of the best chemicals and top of the line machines, and are able to get the entire cleaning job done much faster. Also, professional grade grout cleaning machines have powerful suction that can eliminate more harmful dirt and bacteria. Although using a grout cleaning service can be more expensive than doing the job yourself, it is important to keep in mind that the cost of such service can equate to a much deeper cleaning and improved overall appearance of your grout. Grout cleaning service agencies who charge more than others are more likely to use better chemicals and grout cleaning tools which can get out even the toughest grout stains. It is always a good idea to check out a contractor's guarantee beforehand, and also get a copy of that guarantee in writing.

So take your time.  That way you know you've found the best tile cleaning service in Olmos Park.  

Continue...

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
Contact Us

Grout Cleaning in Olmos Park, TX: Tips From Your Professional Grout Cleaners

When cleaning your tile, do you remember to do grout cleaning as well?  

Professional Tile Cleaning Service in Olmos Park, TX | (210) 637-5050

Grout Cleaning in Olmos Park

Regular maintenance and routine grout cleaning in Olmos Park are essential to having clean grout over a long period of time, and can reduce the unnecessary cost associated with replacement of your ceramic tile. However, professional strength grout cleaning agents can be very harsh and can cause damage to your grout or cause your colored grout to fade. These stronger chemicals are often an unnecessary expense, as a number of home remedies for grout cleaning work well and are readily available.

When it comes to grout cleaning, an oxygen bleach product works better than one composed of chlorinated bleach, and does not pose a health hazard when used in areas where there are small children or pets. An oxygenated bleach solution can also work quite well on tougher stains. To make an oxygenated bleach cleaning compound, combine one cup of OxiClean or other oxygenated bleach powder and two gallons of hot water. Although OxiClean is gentler than chlorinated bleach, you should still test this mixture on your grout first if you have colored grout.

Hire a Tile Cleaning Service Instead

If you have already tried a number of grout cleaning products and still have black stains on your grout, the most likely culprit is mildew. Mildew can be a huge problem in areas prone to moisture, such as tubs and showers, but there is also a home remedy for this that is relatively inexpensive, and that is alcohol. In fact, if you read the labels of a lot of major bathroom cleaner brands, you will find that the main ingredient is almost always alcohol. As a more affordable solution to your mildew problem, you can purchase a bottle of alcohol at your local pharmacy and put it in a spray bottle for treating those areas that are heavily affected with mold or mildew. In addition, drying your shower and bath areas after each use and then spraying with the alcohol treatment is a great way to keep mildew at bay. This can save you more time in the long run, and keep your grout clean.

With all this said, you're actually better off not trying this yourself.  A lot of people are taking risks with their floor every time they try a do it yourself solution.  That's why you hire a professional tile cleaning service instead.  

Keep Reading...

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
Contact Us

Natural Stone Care in New Braunfels: Info From Your Pro

If you want to clean your marble tile yourself, be aware that there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Get Marble Cleaning in New Braunfels| (210) 637-5050

Professional Marble Cleaning Protects Your Stone

If you hire a professional marble cleaning service in New Braunfels, you not only will be cleaning your stone surfaces, you will be protecting them from any unintentional damage.

Natural stone care isn't as easy as you might think it is.  For example, if you use any harsh chemicals such as ammonia or bleach on your marble, you run the risk of damaging or even dissolving it.  Why?  Well, all stone within the calcium carbonate family which includes travertine, marble, and limestone are deceptive in a way.  They're stone, they are hard, but they have a critical weakness. They are chemically reactive to anything acidic.  

Something as simple as spilling red wine, coffee, or even orange juice on a marble surface may be enough to start eating away at your stone.  Bleach is an acid.  Most people don't realize that.  As for ammonia, it is a solvent, however, there is one problem.  Some stone has resin fillers to fill any gaps in the stone surface.  The  chemical bonds of these resin fillers start to break down the moment anything like ammonia is applied.  We have had more than a few customers buy a store bought product designed for cleaning marble.  At least, that's what the label reads.  Then we usually get a call from a frantic homeowner who is watching their stone foam up and start to dissolve.

Stone Cleaning in New Braunfels

So what went wrong? Well, the customers in many cases didn't read the warning label or, even more importantly,  the list of ingredients. One of the ingredients in the solution was either ammonia, bleach, or something else corrosive.  That's why it is a better idea to call a professional service to clean your stone.  

First off, they're not going to use just any old product or guaranteed remedy to clean your marble.  They're going to use professional grade products to not only clean your stone, but seal it to protect it from damage.  

There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding stone cleaning.  For example, one "cleaning expert" states to clean your marble, use lemon juice and tap water.  Slight problem.  Lemon juice is acidic, and tap water contains trace amounts of chlorine.  

So be smart.  Hire a stone cleaning service instead.  

Read Our Next Article

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
Visit Our Site

San Antonio Saltillo Cleaning and Restoration: What You Should Know (Conclusion)

Instead of trying to clean your saltillo tile yourself, you're probably better off hiring a professional service instead.

Saltillo Tile Restoration in San Antonio | (210) 637-5050

Professional Saltillo Tile Restoration in San Antonio

As we covered previously, if you want to restore your saltillo floor, you might be better off calling a service. Why? Well, hiring a professional saltillo tile restoration service saves you both money and time. That's the best reason to hire a service. If you're like a lot of people, you don't have an abundance of time. A saltillo restoration service in San Antonio would be a great company to hire to save yourself both some time and some money.

Most people either lack knowledge of how to clean saltillo, they lack experience, they lack access to the professional equipment and cleaning solutions,  and most of all, they lack the money to buy all of it.  So which is better?  Clean your saltillo yourself, or hire a professional service.  

Hire a Service to Clean Your Saltillo

Hire a service to clean your saltillo instead of trying to do it yourself.  First off a professional saltillo tile restoration service in San Antonio will not only have the equipment necessary for the job, including stripping machines and impregnating sealer, they will come to your project with years if not decades of experience.  Renting a stripping machine from a janitorial or floor supply company might, and we stress the word might, save you money, but one wrong setting and instead of stripping your floor properly, you could end up damaging your floor.  You can even make it worse by using the wrong product.

Saltillo cleaning requires someone to learn fast.  You don't have the option to practice on another floor before you do yours .  You're going to have to hit the ground running in order to get it done fast.  Otherwise, you are going to pay a late fee on your machine rental, and after a while, those add up to way more than you would have spent if you just hired a professional saltillo restoration service.  The same holds true if you end up damaging your floor.  

So it all depends on how you want to spend your money.  Would you rather spend potentially thousands of dollars replacing your saltillo, or having a major renovation?  Or would you rather spend a small amount, and have your saltillo floor cleaned by a professional saltillo restoration service instead?  

MORE INFO

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
Contact Us

San Antonio Saltillo Cleaning and Restoration: What You Should Know (contd.)

One of the reasons to hire a professional saltillo tile restoration service is that they know how to strip and refinish saltillo tile.

Restore your saltillo tile today | (210) 637-5050

How to Strip and Reseal a Saltillo Tile Floor

According to the site DOITYOURSELF.COM:

"A saltillo tile floor is made of elegant Saltillo tiles that are molded by hand. Saltillo tile is a type of terracotta originating from Mexico and can be bought in various colors ranging from hues of yellow, orange and red. A Saltillo tile is unglazed and is vulnerable to water-staining because of its porous nature. Installing a Saltillo tile floor can be a bit challenging since Saltillo tiles absorb the water from grout, thin-set mortar and grease pencils. Sealing a Saltillo tile floor is mandatory. Instead of replacing your old Saltillo tile floor with new Saltillo tiles you can refinish the Saltillo tile to bring back its beauty and save money as well. Below are the materials that you need along with the instructions on how to refinish a Saltillo tile.
Step 1-Prepare the Saltillo Flooring
Remove all the furniture located in your working area. Ask somebody to help you lift heavy furniture. Clean the Saltillo flooring of any dirt, dusts and debris by using a vacuum cleaner. Mix a solution of water and vinegar and apply the mixture on your Saltillo floor using a mop. Wipe the excess water using an old towel.
Step 2-Apply Chemical Stripper
The next step is to apply chemical stripper to remove the existing finish of your Saltillo tile floor. Removing the existing finish is necessary to allow the stain you will apply later to sink into the Saltillo tiles. Read the manufacturer’s instruction of your chemical stripper as to how long the chemical stripper should be applied on the Saltillo tile floor. With a damp brush, remove the layer of sealant on the Saltillo tile floor.
Step 3-Mop the Saltillo Floor
After removing the existing finish on your Saltillo tile floor, mop the floor using the same vinegar and water mixture you concocted on step one. Dry the floor with an old towel after.
Step 4-Apply the Stain
Staining your Saltillo flooring is like applying a protective layer on your Saltillo to minimize the effect of water damage, wear and tear and prevent mold and mildew infestation.
Apply the stain using a large sponge. Wipe the Saltillo floor tile with the stain in small circular motion. Cover the entire Saltillo tile floor with the stain and allow the floor to dry. Add 2 or more coatings of stain on your Saltillo floor according to your preference. Always allow each coating to completely dry before adding another coat.
Step 5-Apply Sealant
Purchase a sealant that is specially made for Saltillo tiles. Any neutral penetrating sealant or film forming sealant would do. You can choose between a matte or glossy sealant for your Saltillo tile floor."

VIEW SOURCE
If you want to restore your saltillo floor, you might be better off calling a service.

Hiring a Professional Saltillo Tile Restoration Service Saves You Both Money and Time

That's the best reason to hire a service.  If you're like a lot of people, you don't have an abundance of time.  A saltillo restoration service in San Antonio would be a great company to hire to save you both time and money.

Continue...

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
Contact Us

San Antonio Saltillo Cleaning and Restoration: What You Should Know

San Antonio saltillo cleaning and restoration is necessary for this remarkable, yet vulnerable floor surface.

Saltillo Tile Restoration

Saltillo Tile Restoration brings the beauty of your floor back. (210) 637-5050

If you live in the San Antonio area, you're probably well aware of the the rich cultural heritage that our great city has.  One of the Southwestern touches that makes any home a beautiful showpiece is saltillo tile.  Saltillo tile varies in shades of brown to rich deep red.  This makes a lot of sense when you know what saltillo tile is made of, why it is so vulnerable, and why saltillo tile restoration is a requirement. 

Saltillo is essentially made of sliced bricks.  Big deal, you say?  Bricks are tough, why do I need to restore them?  Well, your saltillo tile is extremely porous.  In Mexico, where a great deal of saltillo is made, workers can't even touch the tile without gloves as even the oil of their hands can stain the tile. That's why when you hire a saltillo tile cleaning service, you want to make sure they have a strategy to not only clean your saltillo, but protect it from further stains or damage.

How Do I Restore Saltillo?

Saltillo is best restored by a professional company.  Most likely, aver they clean the saltillo, they will seal it with an impregnating sealer right after.  The cleaning will bring back the former color of the saltillo, and the sealing will preserve that color for years.  Why do you need professional saltillo restoration?  Well, what you don't know can hurt your saltillo.  For example, some harsh chemicals can crumble the saltillo and make it brittle, which leads to further erosion.  In addition, a great many cleaning solutions are dangerous in the hands of a novice.  A lot of people are injured by splashes from bleach and other chemicals, particularly in cases of eye contact.  

A professional saltillo tile cleaning service will also have access to the best saltillo sealing products around.  When your saltillo is sealed, it not only protects your floor from damage, it also protects it from stains.  The sealer penetrates the pores of the saltillo and gives it a high gloss shine. 

You have an investment in your saltillo floor.  Like all investments, it needs a bit of care.  One of the best things that you can do for your saltillo is simple.  Call a professional saltillo restoration service in San Antonio.

Keep Reading...

Lone Star Tile and Grout Cleaning
4019 Stahl Rd, Suite 202
San Antonio TX 78217
(210) 637-5050
Contact Us