Tile and Stone Maintenance

Category: Cleaning (Page 3 of 6)

Microscrub – The Swiss Army Knife of Tile and Stone Cleaners!

Every now and again, something comes along which changes the way we think. I have chosen to profile such a product this month: Microscrub. To understand the real benefits of MicroScrub I must first explain the conventional approach to cleaning stone and tiles. Normally, we first have to understand the nature of the contaminant we are cleaning and then select an appropriate cleaner. Usually, for example, if we have grease, oil or general grime, we would want to use an alkaline cleaner. For mineral deposits, or grout residue, we would typically opt for an acid-based cleaner. The problem is that, firstly, it is not always a good idea to resort to strong chemicals, whichever side of neutral on the PH scale they are, and secondly, we would want to make sure that we do not expose acid sensitive stones to acidic cleaners – so we must also know a bit about the chemistry of the stone we are trying to clean. If we are trying to break down some other problem deposit or surface stain, such as rubber marks, or trying to remove surface coatings, we might even have to resort to a solvent of some kind.

So, in order to cope with all eventualities, we need an alkaline, an acid and a solvent in our tool kit, and we have to know how and when to use them. This is why Microscrub is such a great product; it can deal with mild to moderate cases of all of the above – so with just one product we can solve a number of problems and issues.

So what is it and how does it work? Microscrub is basically a cream abrasive cleaner, but there is more to it than that of course. There are 3 components to the product:

1. A mild cleaning solution (only slightly alkaline, so not a strong chemical)

2. A grinding powder derived from calcite ( the mineral in limestone – so it won’t scratch marble, limestone or other softer stones)

3. And last but not least, the nano-technology.

As a mild cleaner in its own right, Microscrub will breakdown mild surface soiling such as general grime and dirt, but, it is the calcite-derived abrasive that will do most of the hard work. For example one problem area that we touched on above is how to ‘safely’ remove a grout haze off a polished marble? – Well although problem might suggest an acidic cleaner, we cannot use one as it will destroy the surface of the marble. Microscrub will safely abrade the residue off with no ill effect on the marble’s surface. In the same way there are many surface contaminants that can be safely and effectively removed from most stone surfaces, for example, hard-water deposits or soap-scum in shower areas – think of Microscrub as an ‘exfoliating cream’ for stone.

Just the cream abrasive element alone makes Microscrub a great product but it is the nano-technology that really makes this product so unique and versatile. There is a lot of hype around the term ‘nano’ at the moment, so what is the nano-technology actually doing in Microscrub? Well it is quite simple actually, all it does is reduce the surface tension of the cleaner so it can more easily penetrate the small pores and micro pores of the surface you are trying to clean, this makes the cleaner much more effective as it does not just ‘flow over’ the smaller pores and leave the dirt untouched.

Microscrub can be used to safely and effectively tackle a number of problems such as:

* Removal of coatings and waxes

* Deep cleaning

* Removal of cement based or even fine epoxy based grout residues

* Removal of lime-scale and soap-scum deposits

* Removal of some metal marks from porcelain

Of course there will always be a need for the traditional approach, where the soiling is so ingrained or the contamination so heavy that Microscrub alone would not be sufficient. However, Microscrub can be added to other cleaners as a booster, adding the abrasive and nano, surface-tension-busting effects to really turbo-charge the cleaner. And that’s not all, every day I find new uses for it, I even cleaned my UPVC window sills with it, so if you are going to put one product into your cleaning kit this spring, make sure it is Microscrub – the Swiss Army Knife of Tile and Stone Cleaners.

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.

FAQ’s – How Should I Clean An Original Victorian Tile Floor

These days, a lot of people do come across a fantastic and original Victorian tiled floor when they move into a new house. They may discover it when taking up an old carpet or any other floor covering. Now Victorian tiled floors can be characterised by the small and  unglazed clay tiles in earth-like colours such as black, red, buff and often with white, blue and green shades incorporated. The floors themselves are typically laid in geometric repeating patterns with elaborate borders in many cases.The main challenge with these kinds of floors is to remove many years worth of polishes, waxes, dirt and grime. One product that will work wonders on such a floor is Aquamix’s Heavy Duty Tile and Grout Cleaner. This will be sufficient in most cases. However, should you find that the floor has deeply ingrained dirt, residues of adhesive, grout haze or paints then a product like Sealer and Coating Remover will remove these stubborn elements completely.

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.

FAQ’s – How Do I Clean Away Mildew And Mould From My Tile Grout?

The answer to this is relatively straightforward and there are two ways to go. First, if you have a small coating of mould, algae or mildew on your tile grout then you could use a simple tile cleaning product like Shower Tile Cleaner. This should more than do the job for you.

However, if you have a thicker coating of mildew, algae or mould on your tile grout then we’d suggest spraying some diluted household bleach onto the stained areas and leave the bleach on there for at least an hour – always test on a small area first to be safe. Then, rinse it off well using plenty of clean water. This will certainly clean off all the mould for you. If you still have stains left remaining then perhaps you should consider recoloring the grout with Grout Colorant.

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.

How To Clean Limestone Floors and Tiles

If you want to clean limestone and care for your limestone floors it can be a relatively simple task. However, you do need to take care with stone like limestone as it is prone to damage by acid and acidic-based products since it is a calcium-based product.Limestone, in general terms, is relatively soft when compared to say granite or indeed marble. This means that it is always sensible to consider wear prevention. Here is a simple 6 – Part guide to cleaning limestone and maintaining limestone floors:

1. Ensure that your limestone is sealed with a high quality product to help protect wear and tear. We suggest a product like Sealer’s Choice Gold.

2. Make sure you try and eliminate grit from the limestone floor as this is the main cause of wear and tear to a limestone floor. Place dust mats inside and outside the room to remove grit from shoes and to help prevent the transfer onto the floor.

3. Vacuum and sweep the limestone floor on a regular basis. This also helps to remove grit and other contaminants.

4. Clean up any spillages as quickly as possible and don’t allow them to dwell and hence stain the stone.

5. Clean the limestone floor regularly using a mild and neutral cleaner. This will help clean the stone without harming the grout or the sealer.

6. Once a quarter conduct a deep clean using a high quality alkaline cleaner.

For more routine cleaning use a product like Concentrated Tile Cleaner. For deeper less periodic cleans, we’d suggest using Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner. This is a very powerful degreaser and deep cleaning solution.

Copyright Ian Taylor and The Tile and Stone Blog.co.uk, 2013. See copyright notice above.
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