I have light colored tile floors throughout my house. I have dogs. I sweep, Swiffer wet jet and steam mop but never feel like they are clean, especially the grout lines. So I got to thinking about buying something like a carpet cleaning machine but one for floors that has scrub brushes and water etc. Great thought but I am clueless about what to buy. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips for me for these dang floors?
What kind of machine would I buy? Does one even exist for tile floors?
These are the things that I ponder when I cannot sleep. LOL
Thanks!!!
I have a Hoover Floormate, which can be used to wash wood, tile & linoleum. I use it on all 3, from time to time. They do have grout scrubbing brushes (you change the heads from the regular ones), but I have not yet used them. I actually just use a hand-held scrub brush & grout cleaner when I want to get it bright white. I bought it about 3 years ago, and it was about $150.
I have tile and a hoover floor mate. It is fine, but doesn't really take care of the grout very well...Once a year, I literally scrub all my grout with a toothbrush and soft scrub, then rinse it all the best I can. Then back to the floor mate. I don't think swiffer wet jet works very good on tile. I am contemplating buying a steam mop.
What I really dislike about the floormate is being stuck to using a detergent that I have to purchase. Other than that, I think it is a great machine.
I clean my tile grout while on my hands and knees with scrub brush. I use a grout brush from Home Depot that has strong bristles.
I do have a Shark steamer which is a canister type machine and it works similar to a power washer and gets the dirt out. It is a mess to use, a lot of sweat equity and I do not do it on a regular basis. However, the tile smells fresh and is clean, at least a few minutes!
I have the floormate too and LOTS of tile. This seems to work the best and now that I see there is a special grout scrubbing brush from Queenof theCastles post so I think I'll check into that. One thing I WISH we would have done initially but were never told to do is seal the grout! Every once in a while I use grout cleaner to clean it. DON'T use bleach, it breaks down the grout so then you have crumbling grout :-(. I have a steamer that cleans the tiles but doesn't seem to do a whole lot for the grout.
maybe you need one of those roomba thingys that just runs all the time between your steaming sessions.
The builder did not seal our grout either. I finally cleaned it all with grout cleaner then sealed it. It stays looking good now. I also have the floor mate, but haven't been too happy with it. I did not know you could buy the special scrubbing brushes, so I will try those.
I actually bought some of those floor cleaning slippers and like them. But my husband laughs hysterically when he sees me wearing them.
I have tried everything. Nothing cleans grout except a scrub brush and your hands. I can get by with a deck brush and Clorox clean up but it almost hurts my wrists more than just getting on my hands and knees. :(
I have had a few of those scrubby machines they don't apply enough pressure to remove the dirt.
I have a lot ot tile too and I love my Hoover Floormate http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-FloorMate-Floor-Cleaner-Spin.... I find the key to using it is to move slowly. It isn't perfect, but it gets the floors clean enough. One person commented that you have to use their specific cleaner. That is true, but in the manual it also says that you can use white vinegar. White Vinegar is a GREAT natural cleaner for lots of things! Look it up online. (the smell will go away as soon as it dries).
