Tile and grout cleaning for bathrooms, kitchens and tiled floors

Usually a long way, rarely all the way, and we will give you a realistic idea before we start rather than after. Grout stains through the material rather than sitting on top of it, so how far it comes back depends on the original colour, how old it is and what has been used on it before. Bleach in particular limits what is recoverable later.

Only with the right product, which is why we identify the surface first. Natural stone, terracotta, slate and polished concrete are porous and reactive, and the acid based cleaners that work well on ceramic will etch them permanently. If you know what your tiles are, tell us when you book. If you do not, we will work it out on site.

A standard bathroom is usually a few hours, because the time goes into dwell and agitation rather than the passes themselves. A large tiled floor takes longer. We would rather quote it properly after seeing it than give you a number over the phone that we have to revise on the day.

It is worth considering in a shower or a busy kitchen, because sealed grout absorbs less and stays looking better for longer. It has to go on properly dry grout, and it is not permanent, so it will need doing again eventually.

Tell us which rooms and roughly how old the tiling is. We will look at the surface and the state of the grout, give you an honest view of how far it will come back and a price. It can go on the same visit as your regular clean.

Partly because of the mopping. Grout sits slightly below the tile surface and is porous, so a mop lifts soil off the glazed tile and deposits a share of it into the grout line along with the dirty water. Over years that builds up inside the material rather than on it, which is why the lines keep darkening in a bathroom that is cleaned every week.

It lightens the surface without removing what is embedded in it, so the improvement is cosmetic and short lived, and the colour greys back over the following weeks. Used repeatedly it also breaks down the grout itself, which eventually crumbles and washes out of the joint. ⚠️ Never mix bleach with an acidic cleaner, with ammonia, or with any other product: the combination produces dangerous gases.

Cleaning removes what has soaked into the existing grout. Sealing puts a barrier over clean grout so it absorbs less from then on, and needs redoing periodically. Regrouting is a trade job: the old grout is cut out and replaced, which is the right answer when it is cracked, crumbling or stained beyond recovery. Cleaning cannot fix a grout line that is physically gone.

Silicone is different from grout and often the part that actually looks bad. Discoloured silicone is usually stained right through rather than dirty on the surface, and once it is, cleaning will not recover it. Replacing a bead of silicone is inexpensive and makes more visible difference to a shower than almost anything else. Persistent black spotting there is very often mould, which we cover separately.

Usually priced per area or per room, with bathrooms often quoted as a whole because the wall tiling, the shower and the floor are one job. What moves the price is the area, the condition and the surface type. That's why we quote rather than publish a flat rate that would be wrong for most homes. Tell us the basics and you'll have a price back quickly, with no obligation attached to it.