Tile cleaning after the tiling and grout application. Learn what you can do yourself and what is best left to the tile cleaning professionals. Read more.
Please note that the price information in this article was based on data from 2018 and may now be outdated.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $25/m2 to $35/m2 for tile cleaning that involves cleaning ground. Of course, if your cleaning is for some reason complicated, expect a higher price. The lower price range is for easy jobs. If you don’t know if your tile cleaning is an easy or a difficult job, ask for several quotes from Australian pros and see what works for you and your budget.
These are several things that can influence grout and tile cleaning in Australia. Here are some of them:
Where your home is makes a difference because the price of tile cleaning is different across the states. In Victoria, your cleaner will charge you as high as $37 per square metre, while you can get the same job done in New South Wales for $25.
As for the size, obviously, the more square metres that need cleaning, the higher the price is. However, this also means that some of the cleaners will have a minimum charge for their cleaning. It simply doesn’t pay off to come and clean 2 square metres of the kitchen tiles.
In relation to the size of the tiling, you will have more tiles to be cleaned in the bathroom that is covered in tiling from the bottom to the ceiling than in the kitchen, which just has a strip of wall tiles.
The intensity of the cleaning depends on how dirty those tiles are and whether there is mould and mildew on the grout. If all it takes to get these tiles clean is just a few wipes of the tile-cleaning solution, then you are in luck. But, if some intensive treatments are required, you can expect a higher price.
Other services can include sealing and sometimes even tile resurfacing. Sometimes, these are included in the price of the tile cleaning, but sometimes, they are not. Make sure to ask first and hire the cleaner later.
You can expect the same or similar price for the cleaning and sealing of your tiles, just like for only cleaning. It will be anywhere between $25 and $40 per square metre. Some professionals even include the sealing in their price of sealing if mildew and mould are present.
Sealing is important because it protects the grout. The grout is the only place where the mildew and mould can live. While you don’t have to seal ceramic tiles, you have to seal your grout.
If you are not sure if your grout is well sealed or if you doubt that it has been sealed at all, drip some water directly into the break between the two tiles. If the grout turns dark or it absorbs the water, it hasn’t been sealed.
The first rule of grout removal – don’t leave it to harden! The more it hardens, the more work you’ll have to remove it. Hard grout means that you will have to either scrape it, dissolve it or remove your tiles entirely.
Since the grout hardening happened precisely because you’ve just had your bathroom tile installation, of course, you’d be reluctant to remove them. Therefore, your options are scraping, dissolving, or combining these two.
If you have ceramic tiles, you need to use warm water and wipe it over the entire surface of your tiles covered in grout. You should, then, take some wire wool and begin scraping and rubbing the grout.
It will, at the same time, rub off and dissolve in water. Once removed, you should wipe the tiles again, leave them to dry and polish them with a dry cloth.
However, the story gets a bit more complicated if you have the quarry tiles. The adhesives used for their type of grout are much stronger, and it will not likely be dissolved and softened with just warm water.
There are several things you can try to clean your grout. Some of them are industrial products, and others are homemade cleaners. They are:
Industrial grout cleaning products come in all shapes and sizes. They can be sprays, gels and pastes. Usually, they are generic tile cleaners, but there are also those types that specialise in removing mould.
These can be based on chlorine, but there are more and more products that are chlorine-free. Make sure that you try them on a little surface or even on a spare tile first to make sure they will not discolour.
Sugared water is simply one part sugar and ten parts water. You spread it over the tiles and grout and scrub them thoroughly after an hour. This will definitely not hurt your tiles, but it can help you keep them clean. Make sure to wash this solution thoroughly after cleaning.
Vinegar is one of the most commonly used cleaning agents in the household. White vinegar is acid, so be careful not to damage tiles. Pour it sparsely on the tiles and grout and scrub it off. Don’t let it sit on the tiles, and wash it all away when you are done.
Baking soda paste is what is used for the most stubborn mildew and the dirtiest bathroom tiles. It is made out of baking soda and water, or for truly horribly dirty tiles – baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Make the paste and apply it to the grout. Spray the vinegar on it and watch it foam. Scrub it all down and wash it away.
These are all interesting suggestions for grout and tile cleaning, but the truth is – you can never be as thorough and as efficient as the professionals. Mildew and mould form on the grout that hasn’t been sealed properly or where the sealant has worn off. They can also happen on the cracked tiles.
These are the issues that can be avoided if your tiling is done by a professional. Get quotes from tilers all over Australia and get the bathroom tiling installation costs that you need.
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