As a floor cleaning professional, you’ve most likely used a number of different machines and cleaning methods through the years. As a commercial cleaner, you know that professional companies like yours rely on top-quality equipment like a floor scrubber machine (or floor buffing machine) in order to do a great job and save on labour.
You’ve also probably encountered the need and importance of jobs such as cleaning grout and tile.
That’s why knowing how to use a floor buffing machine as a tile and grout scrubbing machine is vital when it comes to cleaning and maintaining floors for your customer’s buildings and facilities.
This article covers some of the important aspects of tile and grout cleaning that you’ll benefit from knowing as a professional cleaner.
Why Cleaning Grout Is Crucial for Any Business
Over time, even the best-installed tiles and professionally grouted finishes can look old, dirty, and fatigued. Just looking that way can be ‘bad for business.’
Yet, if you’re only concerned with how the grout or tile of your client’s facility appears, you would be missing a much greater problem (that might very well be developing) right under your feet.
All that appears to be dirt in the grout is a collection of dust, dirt, grime, grease, and other foreign contaminants that get tracked in from outside or even other parts of the building or facility.
Depending on the facility and environmental factors, some of it could be mold or mildew forming. Neither of those is pleasant to deal with.
But, left untreated (not cleaned properly), that dirt and grime and even germs and bacteria begin to eat away at the grout.
And every footstep, and each rolling wheel of a cart or dolly across those tile floors creates friction with the dirt and starts acting like tiny particles of sandpaper.
Now running sandpaper across the surface of a rough piece of wood, eventually gives you a smooth finish. However, the same “sandpaper” action on a tile and grout surface will end up with a floor that begins to fall apart.
What happens when grout breaks down.
Given enough time, the dirt and grime (and whatever other foreign matter that collects in the grout) will break up the grout. Pieces will start falling away. And the dirt and debris will work deeper and deeper into the porous nature of the tile.
When the grout finally gets down to the bottom of the tile, all that dirt and dust and debris begins worming underneath the tile, ultimately compromising the strength of the adhesive and creating the perfect recipe for the tiles to start cracking, and then breaking apart!
This Is Why a Tile and Grout Cleaning Machine Is So Important!
The cost of repairing a single tile may not seem like a big deal to commercial properties that deal with budgets in the millions of dollars, but having to repair multiple tiles -or the entire floor- within a couple of short years simply because the tile was not cleaned properly is a tremendous added expense.
Investing, instead, in a quality floor scrubber machine or a tile and grout machine is the best option that protects the investment already made in those tiles.
So, what machine do other professionals tend to use? There is a wide range of brands and models available. Depending on the size of the floor surface you need to maintain, the skillset of your crew who will be working on cleaning the tiles, and other factors, some might choose a large surface area machine while others may focus on more streamlined, lighter-weight machines that are perfectly suited for smaller areas, tight corners, or high foot-traffic buildings.
Criteria when considering a tile and grout machine
Manufacturers like Centaur Floor Machines have been leading the way for decades when it comes to building floor cleaning machines that can be used for a number of different applications including tile and grout cleaning.
Trusted by some of the leading professional cleaning and commercial facilities throughout Canada as well as the United States, Centaur machines are built to last and get the job done right the first time.
Professionals prefer these machines for a number of reasons.
1. They are robust and durable
It’s easy to assume that just because a machine is used frequently on “hard” daily jobs, that it won’t stand up to the test of time for long. That is patently untrue when it comes to Centaur machines.
Fellow professionals prefer these because of their durability and robust construction. This makes them easy long-lasting with some professionals using their original machine 40 years after they purchased them.
2. They are powerful
The powerful motor on these floor machines create great torque and can handle additional weight for jobs like stripping the floor. This allows commercial cleaners to cover more areas and get their job completed in a shorter amount of time.
3. They are versatile
With an army of accessories and attachments, these floor scrubber machines can polish, strip, wax, clean tile and grout, and so much more. Having that level of versatility is incredibly important for the most seasoned veterans responsible for commercial floor maintenance.
Read Later: The How to Clean Grout with a Tile & Grout Cleaning Machine
When you want to choose a tile and grout cleaning machine that other seasoned professionals use, it may be time to consider a Centaur floor machine.