Well, a lot of people use tiles on the kitchen and washroom flooring of their houses. Steam cleaning is an incredible method to clean the germs, stains, and chemicals on the floor and grout.
But does steam cleaning damage grout? The answer is NO, steam cleaning does not damage the grout at any point until it is already damaged or gets affected by some chemical. Let’s have a look to get an idea about it.
Does It Really Steam Cleaning Not Damage Grout?
The misconception about grout being affected by steam cleaning is caused by online reviews or wrong information or may be due to people having very little information about steam cleaning.
But the fact is, steam cleaning does not damage grout. Steam cleaning is referred to as one of the most proficient methods to clean the grout.
Steam cleaning uses plain water vapors which may not be able to affect any hard thing such as grout in any way, until or unless it gets interacted with some chemical agents which may deteriorate the grout.
The steam cleaner is an automated machine used for deep-cleaning purposes at home. Therefore, in steam cleaning through a steam cleaner, water is heated at a temperature more than the boiling point of water (150-212 degrees Fahrenheit) and converted to steam which escapes out of the nozzle in the form of a steam blast.
Why Cracks and Crumbles Formed in Grout?
There are different reasons behind the formation of cracks and crumbles in the grout but the major factors are mentioned below:
Inappropriate Sealing of Grout
If the grout is not sealed in an appropriate manner, it would break down the tiling because of dust accumulation in it and destroy the whole appearance of the house.
Water Saturation
Always use a pre-mixed grout for a defined settling of two tiles. If the grout suffers a lot of water saturation, the lining of the grout may affect badly.
Because the water seeps through the grout and seeping of water molecules may disrupt the grout structure, hence resulting in the breakdown of the grout.
Inefficient Filling of Grout
If the grout between the tiles is not filled in a concise and well-defined manner, there would be empty spaces among the tiles that may lead to the accumulation of germs and debris in the grout.
How to Steam Clean the Grout?
In order to clean the grout by steam cleaning, you need some material and equipment that is:
- Mop and broom
- Bucket and sponge
- Steam cleaner
- Attachments with a grout cleaner
Here is the complete procedure to steam clean the grouting step by step. You can easily steam clean your home grout and tile using these steps:
Step-1: Pre Wiping of Tile and Grout
First of all, you have to pre-wipe the tiles of the home especially the kitchen and washroom with any scrub and soap. It will help to remove the dust, gunk, and grit from the surface of the floor and make it easier for steam cleaning the grout.
Step-2: Setting the temperature of Steam Cleaner
- Set up the temperature of the steam cleaner at the maximum range.
- Fix the important attachments such as nylon bristle brush to the end of hose pipe.
- For stronger scum and scales, use the harder brass bristle brush to the end of hose pipe.
Step-3: Scrubbing the Floor
Scrub the floor with small strokes in forwarding and backward movements to limit the stress on a single hardened point to give far better and highly defined results.
Step-4: Pre-Spraying the Grout
Now, we need to spray a cleaning agent specifically designed for tile and grout cleaning. It will help to remove the embedded soil on the tile and grout.
Step-5: Steam Cleaning the Grout
Start steam cleaning the floor and grout from the upper surface of the floor and then moves towards the downward section of the floor, as it makes the dirt and girt on the floor to be clean in a regular manner. Otherwise, there might some chances of gunk left behind keeping the grout damaged.
Step-6: Rinsing the Grout and Tile
After cleaning the floor and grout, stop scrubbing and rinse the floor and grout effectively to see whether the area gets cleaned properly or not.
Keep scrubbing and rinsing the floor thoroughly until the floor gets rid of all the bacteria, germs, dirt, girt, gunk, and other mop and detergent chemicals.
Step-7: Drying the Floor
Next, we will dry the floor using the turbo dryers in order to determine the results of steam cleaning on the floor, tile, and specifically grout.
Step-8: Sealing the Grout
However, steam cleaning is applicable to both sealed and non-sealed grout but it is more effective to seal the grout efficiently after steam cleaning of the grout, as it helps the grout to be kept neat and tidy for a long time interval without any harm or damage to the grout or tile of home.
How to Choose the Best Steam Cleaner for Grout?
Since there is a vast variety of steam cleaners available in the market with multiple features and properties for cleaning tasks. But for home cleaning, a steam cleaner must have specific characteristics that are listed below:
Portable
As the washrooms and in some cases, kitchens are small and concise at homes which makes portability an important factor keeping in mind while choosing a steam cleaner. So, it is highly recommended to buy a portable steam cleaner.
Related Article: Best Handheld Steam Cleaner
Tank Capacity
Tank capacity is also one of the key features to remember while selecting a steam cleaner. If the maximum area of your house is occupied by tiles and grout, you need a high-capacity water tank that can run for a longer time interval without the need for a refill.
But if your home has less amount of tile, you can use the steam cleaner with a small tank capacity.
Related Article: Best Commercial Steam Cleaners
Equipment
Each steam cleaner has some specific equipment in it for a specific use, therefore, making it unique from others. So, always try to purchase a steam cleaner with versatile features and equipment to clean the house more conveniently.
Properties of Steam Cleaner for Cleaning the Grout
Some properties which are required for selecting a steam cleaner to tide the grout are as follow:
- Has extensive surface for grout cleaning
- The heating speed should be much higher.
- Disinfection by heating a little higher than required
- Smart sensing gadgets for easy cleaning purposes.
- Attached and detached equipment for a versatile nature.
- A specific switch to on and off the machine on time.
Best Steam Cleaners for Grout and Tiling
Some of the best steam cleaners which are hot sellers in 2023 for cleaning the grout and tile at home efficiently are listed below;
| Image | Product | Feature | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Steam Cleaner
| McCulloch MC1385 Deluxe Canister Steam Cleaner | Portability: 18-foot power cord Water tank: 64 oz Accessories:23 Work time: 2 hours | Check On Amazon |
|
Steam Cleaner
| Portability: 15-foot power cord Water tank:45-ounce Accessories: 15 Work time: 45 minutes | Check On Amazon | |
|
Steam Cleaner
| Portability: 8- foot power cord Water tank: 40 oz Accessories: 18 Work time: 40 minutes | Check On Amazon | |
|
Steam Cleaner
| Portability: 16-foot power cord Water tank: 6.6 oz Work time: 28 minutes | Check On Amazon | |
|
Steam Cleaner
| Portability:25 ft power cord Water tank:0.35 oz Work time:15 minutes | Check On Amazon | |
|
Steam Cleaner
| Vapamore MR-75 Amico Hand Held Steam Cleaner | Portability:3.5 lbs Water tank:0.21 qts Accessories:17 Work time:10 minutes | Check On Amazon |
Tips about effective Grout Cleaning with a Steam Cleaner
Some tips which help you to have and use the steam cleaner in the most effective and efficient way are;
- The steam cleaner has a base unit in the form of a wheel containing water and a nozzle connected to the hose by a specific switch to provide the steam. You just need to direct the wand in order to steam clean the grout.
- The most effective way to clean the grout goes between the tile without hard work is to utilize the pressurized steam cleaner as an ideal option.
- The steam cleaners often support a convincing performance by cleaning the grout through the application of pressurized spray in between the grout linings.
What is Grout?
Grout is a paste (thin material) made up of cement, water, and sand. Grout is basically used to fill the gaps present between the tiles and to stabilize the tiles. As grout contains sand which is porous in nature, it easily attracts all the dirt and debris towards itself.
The thing affecting the grout most is the continuous dampness and untidy mop water which leads to the growth of mold and causes the discoloration of the grout from off-white to dark brownish gross.
Types of Grout
Basically, there are three main types of grout found in the tile which are as follow:
- Sanded grout
- Sand less grout
- Epoxy grout
Contaminants of Soil
There are generally three main kinds of contaminants present in the soil that cause contamination on the floor, therefore, resulting in the accumulation of these contaminants on the tile and grout, producing different injurious diseases affecting our health and tile deteriorating chemical agents. Some of these contaminants are mentioned below:
Biological Contaminants
- Skin and hair flakes
- Body oils
- Urine droplets
- Saliva
- Fecal particulates
General Soil Contaminants
- Oil
- Grease
- Sand
- Dead bugs
- Herbicides
- pesticides
Mineral Contaminants
- Lime
- Rust
- Calcium
When to Replace a Grout?
A saying that “prevention is better than cure” applies here too. If you steam clean your grout regularly, your grout will remain neat and tidy. If not, a time will come when you won’t be able to clean it anymore.
At that hour of need, the only option left behind is to replace the grout. The circumstances under which you need to replace a grout are discussed below:
Cracking of Grout
The most prominent sign of grout to be replaced is the cracking of the grout. When the grout gets cracked, the grout will fall apart and eventually cause the tile to be broken down. Therefore, giving the ultimate sign to replace the grout immediately.
Holes Formation
Another major sign of the grout to be redone is the formation of holes in the grout. You might not ignore the holes formed in the grout, even if the smaller holes are present.
Because these holes make the grout exposed to the surface and environment, hence, causes the seeping of the moisture in the grout and damages the floor.
Mold and Mildew
Stains are normal to happen but not mold and mildew. If you notice the mold or mildew in the grout, it is an instant sign to reform the grout simultaneously.
Maintenance of Grout Stability
It is very important to maintain grout stability on the floor. For this purpose, general cleaners are never recommended because it contains different chemical agents such as chelating agents which affect the maintenance of grout badly.
Also, it caused disruption of grout structure, thus resulting in the breakdown of the natural stone tile floor. Not only damage the floor but the human health and environment too, as it contain chemical agents that may accumulate in the grout and attached to different products that will be interacted with these groups.
Conclusion
Well, from all the research studies and observations, it is clear that there is no damage caused by steam cleaning on grout until or unless you use some chemicals harmful to the grout and tile or the grout is already damaged.
It is prohibited to use the steam cleaner on the damaged grout. But, as a whole, steam cleaning shows more effective and efficient results among all other procedures to clean the grout in a perfect manner.
Doing steam cleaning regularly will help you to look your house tidy and longtime. If you want to know more about home cleaning read other blog posts on our website.