How do you clean

[n2mark]

the caulking between floor tiles?

[Not_Giving_Up]

1. Very carefully

[Left Is Write]

2. With a toothbrush.

:D

I wish I had tile. I have this frickinfrackin rassafrassin vinyl junk with the damn dimples that trap dirt has to be handscrubbed dulls the finish crapola.

[n2mark]

6. I take it

you do not like vinyl floor?

[Left Is Write]

8. Not so much.

I'd rather have hardwoods or tile.

We just had all the carpet on the first floor, the stairway, and the upstairs hall replaced, and we toyed with the idea of replacing the vinyl at the same time. I just couldn't justify the expense when we don't plan to be in this house more than another year or two.

[n2mark]

9. I was thinking of taking up my carpet

and adding vinyl floor since tile is so expensive. Should I wait?

[Left Is Write]

10. I don't know. It depends on what you like.

There is some very good, high end vinyl out there, but it's just as expensive as wood laminate and darned near as expensive as hardwood.

What we have is run of the mill vinyl flooring chosen by the builder. It's in our foyer, front hallway, main floor bath, laundry room, and kitchen/dining area. It's light in color and full of those little dimples that trap dirt, which is why I need to handscrub the floor. I'm thinking of getting a Hoover Floormate and seeing if that eases the workload a bit.

Anyway. Where is the carpet that you're considering removing? How bad is the carpet?

[n2mark]

12. I have two dogs and

have shampooed the carpet almost monthly, there are ripples in my carpet now. The dogs are trained, but I look at my tile in my kitchen and compare it to the carpet then I feel everything needs cleaning. Do you know what I mean?

[Left Is Write]

13. I know exactly what you mean.

If I had my druthers, I'd have hardwoods or tile in every room and use area rugs in the living room and office for coziness.

[yellowdogintexas]

15. tile does not have to be expensive, lots cheaper than wood that is for

sure. You can get a nice basic neutral tile for under $1.50 a square foot, and having it down when you sell will add to the speed of your sale. If you know someone who can lay tile and is willing to help you, you can save on installation.

We are going to put tile instead of wood in our kitchen den because it is much more cost effective than wood. Carpet had to GO, and I don't want it back.

[yellowdogintexas]

3. diluted bleach and water, squirt it on with an old Windex bottle

scrub with a toothbrush or other small brush.

[n2mark]

7. So what happens if I get this on the tile?

[jmowreader]

11. If it's ceramic tile, nothing

If it's marble or slate, probably still nothing.

After the grout is clean, put Grout Sealant on it.

[yellowdogintexas]

14. nothing, your tile should be glazed in some fashion, unless it is

saltillo, which is the Mexican clay looking tile and is very absorbent. It is normally sealed when it is put down, but if it has been down a long time it may need resealing. Bleach may spot that type of tile.



Use the stream setting on the spray bottle so you focus the cleaner on the grout itself, that will cut down on splashing. But tile is very durable, stain resistant, heat tolerant etc. The grout is what gets dirty. It this old grout? Newer silicone based grouts are easier to clean than older types of grout.

another thing you can do is take the toothbrush and dunk it in the bleach water then scrub the grout.

My friend who has white 4" tile countertops with white grout keeps a bottle of bleach and water on the counter top and just squirts everything down and keeps it under control.

[Sperk]

4. ZAP...it works great....better if you have a rug cleaner with bristles

to give it a good scrubbing before you mop up.



http://www.zap-restorer.com/?source=gg&camp=zap&grp=name&term=zap

[n2mark]

5. Thanks,

the shower looks like my kitchen floor.