How to Clean Tile & Grout With Steam Floor Equipment

Clean tile and grout with steam cleaners.

Steam cleaning tile and grout is an environmentally sound choice. There are no harsh chemicals that will adversely affect the environment, your tile or your health. Steam cleaning tile will remove soap scum, dirt, and hard-water buildup from the wall and disinfect the surface. The trick to steam cleaning tile and grout is having the right tools to do the job.

Things You'll Need

• Grout detail brush
• Side wall hand attachment

Instructions

1. Check your steam cleaning machine to confirm that you are able to place attachments on the nozzle. Some inexpensive consumer brand models don't have this feature.

2. Fill the steam cleaner water reservoir with water to the demarcation line. Turn the steamer on and allow the water to heat as directed by the manufacturer's user's manual. This may take anywhere from one to 15 minutes depending on the machine and the size of the water reservoir.

3. Attach the hand attachment to the nozzle. The hand attachment should be a wide attachment that covers four to 10 inches of space.

4. Apply steam to the tile, working from top to bottom. Pull the steam release trigger as you position the attachment face over the tile. It doesn't need to make contact, but keep it as close as possible. If the tile is decoratively painted, use a lower pressure steam or pull the unit slightly farther from the tile to prevent discoloration. Work your way down and across the wall slowly.

5. Replace the hand attachment with the grout detail brush. This is a specialty tool that looks like a wand the width of most grout. Refill the water reservoir if you have run out of water.

6. Steam the grout line by line moving the grout brush slowly over the grout. Continue across the entire wall working slowly to clean each section adequately.

Tips & Warnings

• Tile that has discolored with age will not have its color restored by steam cleaning. However, the removal of dirt and soap scum can help brighten tile, making it look newer than it really is.

• Keep your body away from the steam released from the steam cleaner. The temperatures are higher than boiling to generate the steam and will burn your skin.

References

• Repair Home: Steam Cleaning Tile
• Just Renew It Industrial Supply: How to Clean Grout with a Steam Cleaner

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish