Do you scrub your grout?

[Mikey P]

or is your pre spray so good that it makes agitation unneeded?


Some snake oil whore on FB claimed his pre spray was so good that scrubbing was never needed (yet for some reason he also sells shark brushes)..

IMO any goof who would sat that is a guy who maybe has cleaned 20 tile jobs and has lucked out getting by with 1500 psi.

and never having the joy of running into a bad install where his high heat and high pressure bust that f'n grout all the hell. TnG newbs kill me with their carpet prices and free sealer.

Just waiting to get bit in the ass with loose tiles, topical, popping grout and pressure etch stones..

 

[Ray Burnfield]

We agitate the right chemicals. We don't Scrub anything.
Gees

 

[Mikey P]

who is this We you speak of?

 

[Mark Saiger]

We agitate a lot of our tile and grout, and of course it was my post that the so called guru was attacking...

But there was a new post done this morning showing his product needed a scrubbing... Got to love it when some call R A back out

 

[Todd Millar]

I scrub all my grout lines! That way I don't have to use insanely high psi,(1000psi max) and risk doing damage. It also insures that my customers get the best cleaning possible !
Its all about happy customers and word of mouth referrals And that makes the extra effort worth it!

 

[Desk Jockey]

We scrub the grout channels with that funky blue headed brush. Is they a better tool for that?

 

[Shane Deubell]

Definitely in front of stove/fridge then spot scrub the rest.

Never use more then 1000 psi.

 

[GreenTechAgain]

Every job.

No such thing as a perfectly level floor, if you don't agitate you will get pooling and uneven coverage. Nothing worse than spinning and seeing that 6 inches of grout line you missed pre-spraying.

CRB usually more than good enough.

I don't know if the FB post is referring to Tilemaster? Tilemaster is a great cleaner, but you have to rinse like crazy. If not, you will get residue. The few callbacks that I have gotten after a tile cleaning have been because of this.

Save the blue brush and 175 for nasty restaurant stuff.

 

[Ray Burnfield]

who is this We you speak of?

Don't even go there

 

[Ray Burnfield]

We scrub the grout channels with that funky blue headed brush. Is they a better tool for that?

The sharks work much better and last longer

 

[GeneMiller]

We scrub with a crb. Never did before I got it. we would just hand scrub the areas that didn't come out. . Scrubbing with the crb is faster.

Gene

 

[hogjowl]

Hardly ever.
Almost never.

 

[Big Jim]

What about a good product for cleaning tiled shower walls (heavy soap scum), and how do you get decent (or increase) dwell time on the walls to let it work?

 

[Bee Busy]

You have to scrub the groutlines...it's absurd that anyone would say no agitation, I spray a specific concrete cleaner, let dwell for 5 minutes, then spray straight water and let dwell for another 5 minutes. I rarely colorseal anymore thanks to this method.

 

[Mikey P]

You have to scrub the groutlines...it's absurd that anyone would say no agitation, I spray a specific concrete cleaner, let dwell for 5 minutes, then spray straight water and let dwell for another 5 minutes. I rarely colorseal anymore thanks to this method.

Can you elaborate more on the chemical and the adding water step, please?

 

[jcooper]

What about a good product for cleaning tiled shower walls (heavy soap scum), and how do you get decent (or increase) dwell time on the walls to let it work?

Just about anything will work with enough scrubbing. I often use the same stuff I clean carpets with.

Trigger sprayers can help with the dwell time. Just keep misting it on as you work.

 

[Mikey P]

What about a good product for cleaning tiled shower walls (heavy soap scum), and how do you get decent (or increase) dwell time on the walls to let it work?

Start with a razor when ever possible. "shave" that crap off first so the chems have less to do...

 

[Ray Burnfield]

Just about anything will work with enough scrubbing. I often use the same stuff I clean carpets with.

Trigger sprayers can help with the dwell time. Just keep misting it on as you work.

Chemical dwell time equals less scrubbing.
Patience with the right chemicals will allow you to get the job done better and faster.
I go by the 5 minute rule.
1. Apply chemicals and wait at least 5 minutes.
2. Agitate and wait at least 5 minutes.
Agitate and wait 5 minutes adding chemical as needed to keep it wet

It works faster with way less physical effort.

 

[Bee Busy]

Shorebest 2790 Mike.....best grout cleaner out there. Ken Horton at Western Concrete Supply is the guy to talk to

 

[Mikey P]

oh yes...

http://mikeysboard.com/forum/index.php?threads/shorebest-2790-con-d-soil.255867/

 

[Bee Busy]

LOL...yeah I used it on some easy jobs at first and was lazy and didn't scrub the groutlines promoting it

 

[hogjowl]

You have to scrub the groutlines...it's absurd that anyone would say no agitation, I spray a specific concrete cleaner, let dwell for 5 minutes, then spray straight water and let dwell for another 5 minutes. I rarely colorseal anymore thanks to this method.

I'm thinking your concrete cleaner needs to be replaced.

 

[kingjoelking]

Rarely scrub Grout. Will scrub as needed. But rarely needed in residential.

If I was doing commercial work I would almost always pre scrub.

 

[Old Coastie]

For showers, throw one elf in and tell him to come out when it is clean.

Well, pretty much the same for floors...

Viper Venom, 400F vapor steam, CRB prescrub because I'm lazy.

Oh yeah, coffee. Works wonders.

 

[Bee Busy]

I'm thinking your concrete cleaner needs to be replaced.

I'll let the chemical and techniques speak for itself. Here is a very porous ceramic that required very light agitation with a thin vinyl groutbrush, a sunroom where 2 large dogs spent most of their time

 

[hogjowl]

Piffft!
I rest my case.

 

[Cameron DeMille]

I don't use a truckmount, so we scrub the shit out of everything.

 

[GeneMiller]

Shorebest 2790 Mike.....best grout cleaner out there. Ken Horton at Western Concrete Supply is the guy to talk to

Is it labeled for inside use I looked at it before and they only talk about outside. The ph is high enough to remove skin.

Gene

 

[GeneMiller]

I believe it contains potassium hydroxide. That's basically lye. It's used to make liquid soap. Very caustic and will definitely remove skin. If your going to use a product this caustic you should keep vinegar very handy to neutralize it. Should you drop the container and get splashed in the eyes it will probably blind you.

Gene

 

[clean image]

Here is a very porous ceramic

so just to clarify this statement, ceramic is not porous at all. It has a textured surface. It is this textured surface that provides slip resistance. So there is always a compromise between slip resistance and ease of cleaning(for homeowner) or how long a particular tile will stay clean given same "family use"

These highly textured surfaces are the ones that often provide the best before and after pictures. This is because the tiles are NOT porous and the soil load in within the texture, whereas a homeowner can not effectively clean

I has a customer that actually sued his builder because he had an unglazed, matt finish porcelain. it had a smooth appearance, however a very fine texture. It would become soiled at a very fast rate.

He lost, as the tile was classified as impervious in court.