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Cleaning with steam cleaner

8 years ago

we have two bathrooms with tile floors that don't look sparkly and bad-looking grout despite our serious efforts. One has granite tile and the tub surround is white subway tile, and the other has marble tile. Some make it sound as though a steam cleaner could help a lot. If you have one and used it on similar elements, do you think one would help' me, and which one? Space is a serious issue (nyc apartment) and don't want to spend much money either. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

cleangeek
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Oxi Clean works great on tile and grout, you can use 4 oz in a bucket with a mop or add 2 oz to the steam cleaner reservoir and fill with warm water. Really dirty grout will require you to get on your hands and knees with a toothbrush or scouring sponge.

Cleaning With Oxi Clean
graywings123
8 years ago
"or add 2 oz to the steam cleaner reservoir and fill with warm water"

As far as I know, you cannot add anything to the water reservoir of a steam cleaner.

If you don't want to spend much money and you have limited storage space, then maybe a steam cleaner is not the answer for you.

You have three different types of tile - marble, granite, and (I assume) ceramic tile. Is there grout around the marble and granite, or just around the ceramic tiles?

I have not used a steamer on marble and granite in a bathroom. A steamer might melt any sealer that is on the marble or granite. What products have you tried thus far? You might try the Stone Tech line: Stone Tech
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I have a pretty good steam cleaner. Just my opinion, but if you couldn't get the tile and grout clean by scrubbing, I doubt that a steam cleaner is going to do it. If I were going to clean this, I would use a product that the guys on the John Bridge Tile Forums recommend, called Stone Tech Restore. I used it when I needed to deep clean a shower stall. This is an acid, and you need to be careful with it - rubber gloves, be careful not to splatter it, etc. But, man, this stuff really cleaned the tiles. Here is a link that might be useful: Stone Tech Restore
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We have a Karcher commercial German steam cleaner and compared to the cheaper models I've tried, it's really the bomb. Takes about 20min to heat up, but has a huge reservoir and can clean on full steam for about 2 hours. Comes with a zillion attachments for doing grout, stove interior, fridge, radiators, etc. It's also a very pretty yellow color. :) Pricey, but you can often find refurbished ones or look on eBay. I agree that floor cleaning really doesn't seem to have an inherently optimal procedure. You can use a Hoover type carpet shampooer on concrete, tile, or wood, but the ones I've seen don't seem to get very hot, certainly not to steaming -- they just kind of throw down warmish water and then suck it back up. (They do clean, but I don't think they do as good a job as a real steamer, and they do use a lot of water which isn't super for wooden floors.) You can use a steamer with lots and lots of washable pads, as we do. Or you can vacuum and then mop with 2 buckets. It's really a first-world problem, I suppose, but heck, floors have to get clean somehow and knees DO wear out. As cat owners we've appreciated our Karcher steam cleaner in preparation for visiting relatives who are allergic -- steam the floors and get a HEPA air filter going, and they don't even notice there are cats present.
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Both can usually be cleaned with a steam cleaner, though I would check a small, inconspicuous section of the hardwood floors before using it. The trick with hardwood is not to let the steam cleaner sit in one place too long, just as you wouldn't let liquid sit on it too long. Older hardwood floors without a good finish on them may be likely to turn darker with the steam (as they would with any wet product), though the moisture may actually be good for it, causing the wood to swell slightly. I personally like Shark's steam cleaner, which is the best one I've used, but I know there are a number of newer ones on the market. My BFFs and family also use Shark products; they are of consistently good quality. Hope this helps.
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palomalou
Original Author
8 years ago
Afraid all three tiles have grout (not to mention husband's shower floor of glass mosaic.)
fillmoe
8 years ago
My experience with my Sargent Steam is that it works on the soap scum and dirt, but it doesn't do much to mineral deposits. Also, we, like you, have a very tight space to work in in our bathrooms in an old San Francisco house. It's a struggle to get the wheeled console into a position that makes it easy to clean the shower and around the toilet. Our water is not too hard, and I've found that a Krud Kutter solution works great. If your grout is not sealed, get it clean and then seal the grout with an oil-based sealer made for wet-location use.
Cape Carol
8 years ago
I have had a Shark steam cleaner for years. I bought while listening to QVC rave about how I couldn't live without it so I bought it. Turns out I could live without it but that's another story. It does an ok job on most things but I would NEVER add oxi-clean to the reservoir. I agree with graywings that most steam cleaners tell you not to add anything. Maybe you could wet the tiles w/oxi clean & then steam it but that sounds like too much work to me. I use mine only occasionally to steam my mattress. I cannot remember when I have used it for anything else in several years. Save your money & take one of the suggestions above.

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