Grout cleaning

[k3am]

Anyone have a recommendation for a steam grout cleaner we can use on a large scale? For hardwood? DD was “kind” and bored enough to steam clean and scrub the joints in our hardwood floor. It looks really good and I’m disgusted that they got as bad as they did.

She did it using a Bissell steam shot. Only problem? It took about 3 hours and the kitchen is maybe 4x4. The floor runs through the family room and dining room, maybe 300 sq feet.

Not sure if there’s a DIY option that won’t take 30 days to do the rest or if we’re better off hiring it out. She really wants to do the rest in exchange for $5.



The right side is what she’s finished, the black joints are what the rest looks like.. we lived here for years and didn’t realize they weren’t supposed to be black. 😳🫢

[momin2013]

Woooow - good job, kid! I don’t have a rec for a better machine. If it were me I’d offer to pay her to finish it, even if it happens in stages. What a difference!

[hazelden]

You can Google the Go Clean Co recipe for using Tide to clean floors. I used this method to clean the floors in our rental before we sold it and the floors had never been cleaner (we lived there 15 years prior to renting/selling). I only used the Tide concoction on tile flooring, but it was remarkable how well it cleaned. Maybe see what the internet says about using it on wood floors and try a test area?

[InBetweenDays]

No recommendations, but just be very careful using a steam cleaner on hardwoods. They can damage wood floors and are generally not recommended to be used on them.

[k3am]

InBetweenDays, goo dpoint. We're only using the steam between the joints, which probably is equally bad or worse. FWIW, the floors are OLD and already water damaged in several places and (hopefully) not long for this world as we want to renovate in the next few years (although.. we've been saying that for 5 years, so who knows if/when it gets done.)

[aspentosh]

I also used the GoCleanCo water/bleach/tide recipe for our tile and grout (not hardwood, though) and it made a huge difference. A really stiff brush is helpful. Maybe leave out the bleach and try it, because she does recommend hot water and tide on hardwoods.