Should You Hire a Professional to Clean Your Tile and Grout?

Unlike carpets that you can vacuum and steam-clean, tiles require more attention and more serious cleaning than any other floor or wall. Tiled floors are lovely and their designs can truly brighten up the house, but tile and grout can accumulate more dirt and their appearance will turn less appealing over time. Furthermore, filthy grouts in the bathrooms and kitchens are bacteria magnets and can be a health risk, especially when you have children in the house.

Hiring a cleaning service may be expensive for the average homeowner, but is it worth it to have the tile and grout professionally cleaned?

Image credit: Andy Franklin

What is grout?

Grout is the combination of sand, cement, and water and it is filled between the floor tiles during installation. Dirt and grease are easily absorbed by grout; thus, you often see marks and patches on the tiles making them look filthy and old. Areas that get a lot of foot traffic are bound to get grimy because of dirt from shoes directly attaching itself to grout. In the kitchen, food stains and mildew contribute to the grout stains, while the bathroom grout also falls victim to mold, mildew, and soap scum.

Dirty grout means deadly bacteria

Grout is a breeding ground for bacteria, and not cleaning it means different diseases from microbes and mold may spread right inside your home. It also releases a pungent smell that can give anyone a headache or make one’s stomach turn. The more grout suffers from neglect, the harder and longer it takes to clean it. Besides causing illnesses, unclean floors tend to become unattractive and make the house a far from ideal living space.

Hire a professional cleaning service

It takes regular, proper cleaning to remove the build-up of deep-down dirt on the grout because it is difficult to clean. Extra care and special cleaning supplies and equipment are necessary to clean the grout effectively. Instead of doing it on your own, you can rest assured that the cleaning will be done by floor-cleaning professionals who have the skills and experience to get the job done right and on time. 

It may be cheaper to clean the tile and grout yourself, but you may end up losing more money in the long run. Check with your Chicago financial advisor to see what makes the most sense. Steam-cleaning machines can be rented in hardware stores and supermarkets; however, you need to learn how to use it and use the correct cleaning solutions. You would have to spend an entire day cleaning the kitchen floors and walls, and you are not sure that everything has been cleaned properly. Precious time and money would have been wasted.

A professional tile and grout cleaning service may seem to be a big expense when you pay upfront, but hiring experienced people to clean and sanitize your home will be worth it. You just need to find the right professional that will give you the best offer for your floor.

How much?

The biggest factors you have to consider are the dimensions of the area to be cleaned and the time it will take to clean. Cleaning companies will ask you for the square footage of the area to calculate the price. If it’s the initial visit, the rate may be higher because of the amount of grime on the floor. Regular visits will get you a lower flat rate and you will get a notice in case of a price change.