Hi all,
I've got a large tiled area in my house. It is an older house (30ish years) and previous owners/tenants didn't clean the grout.
Scrubbing by hand with a grout mop takes ages and a lot of effort. Are there any good steam machines that work well in cleaning grout?
I have a Karcher sc3, it works pretty well for grout, and heats up quickly which is nice. Haven't tried any others to compare.
Currently doing the same thing. I'm using a Karcher SC3 and Power Force heavy duty grout cleaner. Just make sure you follow the instructions, and the room is well ventilated.
The SC3 heats in cycles, so it will 'stop working'. Just come back in 5-10 mins and it'll be good to go again.
Be aware though, you'll still need some level of elbow grease.
Thanks for the insight. How much elbow grease we talking?
I was hoping it would work by just pushing steam at the grout and the dirt magically coming off.
At the moment, I'm dealing with I reckon low/medium scum level.
I've done one pass with the steamer and scrub attachment and so far, so good.
The floor however, while it's taken the edge off, will need a solid bleach and scrub (we're talking black > apricot (classy, I know).
On glass it's good but you need to use the sock over to ensure you're wiping it off, rather than spreading it around. Glass, depending on grime, may need 2-3 goes (if they've been using bar soap, definitely a couple of passes).
Hmmm my floor grout is also black and caked on. Sounds like the steam won't cut through it.
The SC3 heats in cycles, so it will 'stop working'. Just come back in 5-10 mins and it'll be good to go again.
Your unit may have an issue, mine does not do this, I can go through multiple tanks at a time.
Yeah its getting on. Its about 5-6 years old
If it's not sealed, forget it. The dirt etc permiates the mortar and you have no chance. I do this daily. Even uaing a $5k steamer does nothing, like pressure washing you need to remove material and not enough in tile gtout.
Drpending on the colour, give it a clean with a grout cleaner or some dishwashing liquid and vinegar and use this brush.
https://www.rapidcleannewcastle.com.au/product/5676-hygiene-…
Then paint it, with grout paint. SIMPLE.
To clean in future, just wipe with a damp cloth.
Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like probably not worth getting a steamer.
Kitchen took 1 hour of scrubbing with the Oates grout mop :( cleaner than before but still looks stained. Will need to use a grout marker or just regrout eventually
If you're open to trying alternatives, get a couple of cans of the cheapest shaving cream you can find from coles/woolies. Spray the shaving cream along your grout lines and let it sit for 20-30mins (You'll get a heap of excess cream coming out, that you can then spread over other grout lines).
After 20-30mins, use the Oates grout mop ( I have this one ) to scrub. I didnt need to use much pressure - maybe 3-4 passes for each tile. Then use a normal mop etc to clean up all the shaving cream.
Try it on a couple of tiles first to see if it's quicker/easier than your current process.
Just run your hand lightly over with one of these. It will just sand off a couple of mill till you get to new clean grout.
You don't want to do this regular unless you want to re grout. Then a bag of grouts worth hardly much anyway.
A larger view of the bunnings one but twice the price https://sydneytools.com.au/product/milwaukee-49-00-5450-hack…
Read a story last week somewhere - might have been ABC - they even put asbestos in grout back in the day.
This is not it but it's the same story.
https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/adhesives-dry-powder-mixes-a…
karcher