Ceramic Tile Cleaning Archives - West Cheshire Tile Doctor

Ceramic Shower Cubicle Tile Grout Renovation Lower Whitley

Deep Cleaning Shower Ceramic Cubicle Tile and Grout in Lower Whitley

We were recently contacted about cleaning a Ceramic Tiled shower cubicle by a landlord in Lower Whitley which is set in the rural countryside of Cheshire. The area was once part of Lord Daresbury Estate, the Greenall Whitley brewery and only a short drive from my base in Warrington.

The client had been renting out their cottage and following the end of a long lease they discovered the shower cubicle had never been cleaned properly and was now full of mould. The grout lines in particular had attracted a lot of staining and in some places were orange with the dye that occurs in soap and shampoo. It would be difficult to attract a new tenant with the bathroom in this condition, and so I was asked to clean the shower tiles and the grout and make it presentable again.

Ceramic Shower Cubicle Tile Grout Before Cleaning Lower Whitley

Deep Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

I started by spraying the grout lines with Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is a double action grout and mould remover and was designed for situations like this. After leaving it to dwell for ten to twenty minutes the grout lines were scrubbed with hot water and a stiff brush then rinsed off with more water.

There was still some staining left so I coated the wall tiles and grout with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel and again left it to soak in, being a gel, it stays put for longer so it can get to work breaking down the dirt.

As this was soaking in, I removed all the old silicone around the cubicle, between the tiles and shower glass and shower tray. Once this was done, I gave the stubborn areas a further scrub and rinsed the soiling off with more water. When working on these type of jobs, rinsing is much easier in the shower. In other situations, where immediate drainage is not an option, we use a wet vacuum to extract the soil away.

I forced dried the tiles and grout and then set about replacing the silicone sealant I had stripped out earlier.

Sealing a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle

The last step was to seal the grout by spraying on Tile Doctor Aerosol Tile and Grout Sealer which is very quick to do and ensures water simply runs straight off the tile and grout and doesn’t collect on the surface. The tiles themselves are ceramic so are sealed in production so there is no need to apply any products to them however the grout has a rough surface which can attract dirt and mould so it’s always best to protect it.

Ceramic Shower Cubicle Tile Grout After Cleaning Lower Whitley

The work took about 4 hours and once done the shower was transformed and looked amazing. I was confident they would not have a problem attracting a new tenant now.

My client was delighted with the work we had done and were rather relieved that more work and tile replacement was not needed.

I also suggested that they should invest in some Tile Doctor Aqua Pro Cleaner and recommend it to the incoming tenant, this is a pH neutral product which is designed with everyday use in mind. It will remove the scum build up and any hard water deposits, ensuring the shower does not get back into poor condition.

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle in Cheshire

Deep Cleaning Shower Ceramic Cubicle Tile and Grout in Lower Whitley Read More »

Ceramic Wood Plank Effect Shower Tile Cleaning Kirby Wirral

Limescale Removed from Ceramic Wood Effect Tiles in West Kirby Wet Room

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Wirral Tile Cleaning / Alastair Robb

We received an enquiry from a new homeowner in West Kirby keen to discover if anything could be done to renovate a wet room that had been tiled completely in Ceramic wood effect tiles. It had not been used since the previous owners moved out four months earlier and was stained with limescale and the usual build-up of grime and dyes you find from the regular use of soaps and shampoos etc.

I went over to survey the wet room tiles and see for myself the extent of the staining. I’ve never come across a wet room tiled exclusively in wood effect tiles before, it was certainly different and the limescale certainly detracted from its look.

Ceramic Wood Plank Effect Shower Tile Before Cleaning Kirby Wirral

I worked out a solution to resolve the problems agreed a price to do the work and a date was scheduled for the work to take place.

Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Wet Room

Limescale can be removed using an acidic product such as Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up or Acid Gel, however you must be careful as some natural stone tiles such as Limestone can be etched with the use of acidic cleaning products. Fortunately, these tiles were Ceramic and so this wouldn’t be a problem. For this job I decided to go with Tile Doctor Acid Gel as being in a gel form it is much easier to control and it would stick better to the vertical surfaces.

On arrival I split the shower into sections focusing on the wall tiles first. The method was straight forward, apply the Tile Doctor Acid Gel, allow it to soak in for twenty minutes and then manually scrub into the tile and grout with a stiff brush. Rinse off and then re-treat any stubborn areas that needed further work. With the wall tiles done I moved onto the floor using the same process as the walls but using a wet vacuum to remove the residue on the floor.

Once complete and dried the wet room looked transformed, I got the impression I was in an old wooden ship and began to appreciate why the previous owner had gone for the effect.

My client was very happy with the difference and much relieved I had been able to vanquish all the limescale.

Ceramic Wood Plank Effect Shower Tile After Cleaning Kirby Wirral

I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Aqua Pro for regular day to day cleaning; this has a neutral formula and will eliminate any build-up of shampoos and soaps as well as any hard water deposits which build up over time. It has a nice fresh lemon smell and comes with a trigger spray for easy application. Due to the tiles being ceramic there is no need to apply a seal as the surface is sealed at the factory.

Professional Restoration of a Ceramic Tiled Wet Room in West Cheshire

Limescale Removed from Ceramic Wood Effect Tiles in West Kirby Wet Room Read More »

Rejuvenating a Mouldy Ceramic Shower Cubicle Tiles in Mere

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Wincham Tile Cleaning, Work History / Alastair Robb

Mere is an affluent part of Cheshire adjacent to the historic Tatton Park estate and famous for the luxury Mere Resort and Spa. Many of the houses in the area have ample gardens that lead down to a lake, after which the village is named (‘Mere’ meaning a lake that is broad in relation to its depth).

I was fortunate to visit this lovely area of Cheshire recently after receiving an enquiry from a home owner who was keen to have own of his bathrooms refurbished. Unfortunately, the ceramic tiles surrounding the bathtub with shower over had gone mouldy over the years, with the grout lines particularly blackened and dirty.

The root cause of mould build-up is generally due to a lack of ventilation and the simple action of leaving a window and door ajar after having a shower helps to cross ventilate and can reduce the problem, of course this is not always desirable during cold weather so improved mechanical extraction is always better.

Bathroom Before Refurbishment Mere Cheshire

Cleaning and Recolouring a Ceramic Tiled Bathroom

Upon my arrival, I soon got to work, starting by giving the cubicle wall a clean with Tile Doctor Duo Clean. This is a new Tile Doctor product which has a fast and effective double-action formula that cleans grout and removes mould. I left the product to dwell for five to ten minutes, before vigorously scrubbing the grout lines to remove the copious amount of mould and black spots.

Following this, I rinsed the entire area down with clean water and left it to dry, before removing all the old silicone, as this was to be replaced. The next step involved drying down the clean grout lines quickly by using my heat gun.

Recolouring Bathroom Grout

Cleaning the tile and grout with Duo Clean prepared the grout lines for recolouring using a Tile Doctor Grout Colourant which is available in a wide range of colours. The product is made from an epoxy resin and is formulated to recolour and rejuvenate existing grout joints, it also has the added benefit of forming a barrier over the grout sealing it and therefore protecting it further.

In this case a White colourant was selected to match in nicely with the rest of the bathroom and it was painted on over the grout using a small brush, any excess is wiped off the tile before it gets chance to dry.

To complete the restoration, I buffed the tiles and installed a fresh silicone sealant around the base.

Bathroom After Refurbishment Mere Cheshire

I’m pleased to say my customer was so happy with the outcome that he asked me to do the other two bathrooms, you can’t get a better testimonial than that.

Professional Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle Restoration in Cheshire

Rejuvenating a Mouldy Ceramic Shower Cubicle Tiles in Mere Read More »

Shower Cubicle Tile and Grout Refreshed in Sale

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Warrington Tile Cleaning, Work History / Alastair Robb

It’s not unusual for Shower tile and grout to become stained due to the dyes that are found in soap, mould can also be a common problem but usually this is down to inadequate ventilation. Whilst we do sell products that can keep your tile and grout clean we are also able to assist when a really deep clean is required. The photographs below are a great example of this and are of one of three shower cubicles we were asked to clean and restore at a modernised Victorian property in Sale, Cheshire.

Shower cubicle before cleaning in sale Cheshire

Cleaning Ceramic Tile and Grout

We started by spraying the tile and grout down with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a strong alkaline cleaner, spraying it on mixes it air which helps it to stick to Vertical surfaces allowing it to get to work on the dirt. We left it to dwell for ten minutes before scrubbing it in by hand using a stiff grout brush; this process certainly improved the grout but unfortunately it had become too badly stained to be satisfactory so we decided to recolour the grout using a white grout colourant.

To get the wall tiles and shower glass clean we sprayed on Tile Doctor Oxy-Pro, again leaving it to dwell for a while before gently scrubbing it away with water. Once dry we set about stripping off the silicone strip around the base of the shower wall which was stained and impossible to get clean again.

Recolouring Grout

The grout colourant comes in a tube and is very straightforward to apply although I must admit the work is quite tedious. Two coats of white colourant were required to get the uniform appearance needed and I think you will agree the effect is quite transforming. The other advantage of these particular colourant products is that they are epoxy based and form a barrier of the grout preventing future staining and making it very easy to clean going forward.

The last step was to apply new silicone along the base of the cubicle and give the tiles a quick buff.

Shower cubicle after cleaning in sale Cheshire

I think you will agree it was quite a transformation and the cubicle now looks like it was recently installed.

Restoring the Appearance of Shower Cubicles in Cheshire

Shower Cubicle Tile and Grout Refreshed in Sale Read More »

Ceramic Kitchen Tiles Refresh and Grout Recolouring in Warrington

1 Comment / Ceramic Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Warrington Tile Cleaning, Work History / Alastair Robb

It can be amazing and equally frustrating just how quickly grout can become dirty and discoloured. I was recently contacted by a couple in Warrington to see if I could help them with their Ceramic tiled kitchen floor that had only been laid six months earlier. To their dismay, in that short time the grout had become discoloured and difficult to clean. They had given up trying to resolve the situation by themselves and so turned to Tile Doctor for some professional assistance.

Naturally I was happy to assist and so arranged to visit the property to conduct a small cleaning test where I demonstrated how with a combination of the right tools and products I could indeed get the grout lines clean again. Seeing the results of the test, the couple were more than happy to book me to complete the job.

Kitchen tiles before cleaning and grout recolour in Warrington

Grout Cleaning for Dirty Ceramic Tiles

On my return to the property, I repeated the same successful test clean across the entirety of the floor. This involved the application firstly of Tile Doctor Remove and Go, which is a strong cleaner, stripper and degreaser. I scrubbed the product thoroughly into all the grout lines, making sure I did not miss any dirt and stains.

I then started to clean the Ceramic floor tiles using our high alkaline cleaner, Tile Doctor Pro Clean. This was scrubbed into the floor in a similar fashion to the Remove and Go and then rinsed off with plain water extracting the waste water with a Wet Vat. The floor was left to dry over lunchtime.

Recolouring Grout for Ceramic Tiles

In the afternoon, I explained that whilst I could get the grout clean it was only a matter of time before it became dirty again. So, to provide a permanent solution I recommended to the customer that we apply an epoxy Grout Colourant, which adds a protective barrier over the grout. An alternative would have been to apply a Grout Sealer however this is best applied to new grout and in this case would not have guaranteed the uniform appearance required.

Before applying the Grout Colourant, I made sure the grout lines were dry by giving them a quick blast with a heat gun. I then started to colour the grout lines with our White Grout Colourant, which is part of a range made by Tile Doctor and is available in ten popular colours, including Black, Charcoal Grey and even Cappuccino Brown.

The difference made to the floor was quite remarkable. Not only is the grout now a uniform brilliant white, but it should remain so for a long time to come. You can see this yourself in the photograph below!

Kitchen tiles after cleaning and grout recolour in Warrington

Restoring the Appearance of Grout on a Ceramic Tiled Kitchen Floor in Cheshire

Ceramic Kitchen Tiles Refresh and Grout Recolouring in Warrington Read More »

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West Cheshire Tile Doctor

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