Products & Tips

Groutsmith™ Consumer Products

ABOUT CLEANING GROUT

When tile is installed, rarely is the grout sealed by the installer. This allows dirty water, spills, soil & bacteria to penetrate into the grout, leaving you with dirty, stained grout lines which are impossible to clean.

Cleaning grout can be a very tedious, long, back-breaking job. You spend hours on your hands & knees, just to see the grout dirty again in a month or two. Grout is very porous, therefore, quickly absorbs all liquid that comes in contact with it immediately. The liquid goes deep into the grout, rather than staying on the surface. Bacteria penetrates the grout & causes odor problems & mold. The #1 cause of dirty grout is due to cleaning the grout regularly. When you mop, you are moving around dirty water that is soaking into the grout lines. The more you mop, the more dirt settles in the grout. Many cleaning agents contain chemicals which attract dirt (which is why they clean well!), however, if residue is soaked into grout lines, they will continue to do their job & attract dirt to the grout. Our maintenance products will avoid this.

Grout is based primarily of cement and sand. Cement is alkaline based and is dissolved by acids. As baking soda and vinegar react, so do grout and vinegar. There are tile installers that remove very stubborn stains on grout with an acid (like straight vinegar, ammonia, bleach, or a stronger acid). There they have elected to dissolve the top layer of grout molecules so the stain is no longer attached to anything. While this works, it is not recommended by the grout manufacturers – needing to regrout is sometimes the result.

It is best to use a pH neutral cleaner which does not leave behind a residue. For general maintenance cleaning. We would recommend or Routine Clean GOLD.

SHOWER MAINTENANCE

Discontinuing the use of bar soap will drastically help reduce scum build-up, as this is generally from the wax in the soap. Keeping the shower dry by allowing as much airflow as possible will help prevent continued mold & mildew build-up. Mildew and mold can grow on caulking when an area is too wet for too long. There is no such thing as mildew or mold-proof caulk, only mildew/mold resistant caulks. Ideally, all wet areas should dry out completely at least once a week to minimize mildew and mold growth.

To keep shower doors clean, we do offer our Enduroshield services.

DO NOT STEAM CLEAN!!!

Steam cleaning & rotary machines can be effective on surface dirt but will not clean the deep grout. They can only remove a fraction of the dirt & bacteria in the grout & can be harmful to your grout & tile. Grout lines are weakened by high-pressure cleaning. Layers of grout are removed & water is forced under tiles. High-temperature water causes surfaces to expand & contract. Many steam cleaners use harsh chemicals which eat into the grout & make them even more porous. Grout lines will eventually crack & crumble & water will build up under tiles, causing them to loosen, crack & buckle.

GROUT SEALER TO THE RESCUE!!

Color restoration sealing grout is the most effective technique for creating perfect, stain-resistant grout lines. Our process begins with using a mild cleaning product to remove all surface dirt & bacteria. Color sealer is then applied to grout lines & any cracks which make grout porous. Our sealer penetrates deep into the grout, forming a protective barrier against stains, discoloration & bacteria. Our exclusive Color Restoration Sealer is warrantied for ten years.

ABOUT CLEAR SEALERS

Most clear sealers require that they are stripped & resealed every 2-3 years because the sealer tends to break down over time & often begins to yellow. Also, unless the grout is brand new, you are sealing in stains & discoloration. Our exclusive Restoration Seal does not have to be resealed & will protect against those stains.