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Tile and grout cleaning in Olympia, WA
Our tile and grout cleaning service usually gets kitchen, bathroom and entry grout across Olympia and Thurston County back to something close to its original colour. A pressurised rotary tool flushes each line and vacuums the dirty solution straight back out, and the price is agreed before anything gets wet. Our grout cleaning process lifts dirt and grime out of tile floors without harsh chemical residue.
Mopping moves the soil around the lines
Grout is porous, so it holds everything a mop pushes into it. Household mopping generally moves soil along the grout lines and leaves it in the pores, which is why the lines keep darkening in a kitchen that gets mopped every week.
Kitchens
Cooking grease and food collect around the stove and the sink, then get walked into the lines. For grease, the grout maker LATICRETE's care guide says to use an alkaline cleaner, which is what our pre-treatment is.
Entries and bathrooms
Entry tile takes the grit that comes in on shoes, and Olympia gets about 50 inches of precipitation a year, so a lot of that grit arrives wet and gets ground in. In a bathroom, the same few square feet in front of the sink and shower get walked on every day.
What our tile and grout cleaning includes
Here's what happens on the day, in order, so you know what the quote covers.
What's included
- Alkaline pre-treatment applied to the grout and given dwell time to loosen the soil
- Agitation along the grout lines
- High-pressure rinse from a pressurised rotary tool, with simultaneous extraction, so the dirty solution comes straight back out rather than spreading across the floor
- Neutralising rinse so nothing is left to attract soil
Why the pre-treatment is alkaline
The Tile Council of North America's guidance is that cement grout is alkaline and is dissolved by acids, so grout is better cleaned with an alkaline cleaner than an acid-based one. That's why we pre-treat with an alkaline solution and keep acids away from the lines.
What cleaning won't fix
Cleaning removes soil, and some grout problems have nothing to do with soil. We'd rather tell you before you book than after.
Not part of this job
- Staining that has dyed the grout itself
- Cracked or missing grout, which is a repair job
- Colour-sealing, which we don't offer
Which job your floor needs
If your grout needs colour-sealing or replacing, that's a different job, and we'll tell you honestly which one you're looking at. Photos of the worst lines help us tell you sooner.
Keeping grout lighter for longer
Most of the published care advice comes down to the mop bucket and the front door.
Mop with a pH-neutral cleaner
For everyday mopping between visits, LATICRETE's cement grout care guide recommends a clear, pH-neutral cleaner. Save alkaline products for a proper clean, and keep acids off the grout altogether.
Change the rinse water
The Natural Stone Institute's floor care guide says to change the rinse water frequently, and LATICRETE recommends getting mop water off the grout before it dries. Grey water left to dry in the lines puts the soil back where it was.
Stone tile is stricter
Marble, limestone and travertine are calcareous stones, and the Natural Stone Institute warns that vinegar and other acids can dull or etch them. LATICRETE says the same about acid-based products on polished marble. If your tile is stone, say so when you call.
Stop grit at the door
A mat inside and outside the entry catches sand and grit before it gets walked across the tile and into the grout. The Natural Stone Institute recommends it for stone floors, and grout on ceramic tile picks up the same grit.
How the price works
Tell us which rooms have tile and roughly how big they are. Photos help. We can usually quote on the call, written or texted, and the price is agreed before we start. Ask for a free quote.
If the job changes on the day
If we find something on arrival that changes the job, we tell you and you decide, rather than it turning up on the bill.
Hardwood next to the tile
Wood takes a different method, with solution applied in a controlled amount and never flooded. That's covered on the hardwood floor cleaning page. Ask for both when you request the quote.
Tile at a business
For offices, salons, gyms and apartment common areas, see commercial carpet cleaning for recurring schedules and after-hours or weekend work. Tell us about any tile when you book.
Where we work
We're based in Rochester and run this tile cleaning service in Olympia's Westside, Eastside, Downtown and South Capitol neighbourhoods, across the rest of Thurston County and around the South Sound.
Straight answers about tile and grout
How much does tile and grout cleaning cost?
Every job gets its own quote based on how much tile there is and the state of the grout. We can usually give you a price on the call, and it's agreed before we start. Get a free quote.
Will my grout look new again?
If what's darkening it is soil, it usually comes back close to its original colour. Staining that has dyed the grout won't clean out, and cracked or missing grout stays that way. We'll tell you what we think you have before we quote.
Do you colour-seal or repair grout?
No. We don't colour-seal grout, and we don't repair or replace it. If that's what your floor needs, we'll say so before you pay for a clean that won't fix it.
Should I clean grout with vinegar?
We wouldn't. Vinegar is an acid, and the Tile Council of North America says cement grout is alkaline and is dissolved by acids, so it recommends an alkaline cleaner over an acid-based one. On marble or other stone, acids can etch the tile as well.
Get a price before anything gets wet
Tell us which rooms have tile and we can usually quote on the call. Or send the details through the form and we'll text or call you a price, usually the same day.