I don't love to clean.
I know that some people really enjoy it.
I appreciate clean, and the ability to maintain clean, but that has not been a priority so far in my busy life.
I accept that daily cleaning is not one of my strong suits, but I can also say that I will be the first to volunteer to clean something that is REALLY dirty. I love the satisfaction of being challenged by dirt, or grime, or stain and overcoming it. I can only get that feeling when the transformation is dramatic.
It may be a little early to start talking about spring cleaning here in Rochester, but Sunday morning the sun was shining for the first time in a long time. I got a good look at my pretty white, marble hexagons, and white grout and I saw them for what they really were. Not white, not even close. That's the thing about winter, the lack of natural light & never being home when there is actual daylight can really affect the way you perceive your environment (or that's the excuse I'm going to use anyway).
We installed the floor tile 10 years ago, (when I was an optimist, lol) and I rebuffed the notion that it was foolish to use white grout. Some years later, I further challenged myself by getting a black dog.
This is Marbles (get it?)
This bathroom and it's white tile floor has been the setting for no less than One Million teen-girl selfies, thousands of pedicures, slop sink for art projects and tie-dye sessions, almost daily crime scene for TWO naughty dogs, and at least one hot-pink hair salon appointment. So it's been through a lot.
I'm happy to say I have not been a slave to it, as some predicted. I sealed the tile floor when it was installed and then a few years later, used a grout colorant to stain & re-seal the grout between the tile. I can see now that the time has come to deep clean, and brighten up that grout again. Like most people, for regular cleaning around the house I use grocery store products, Windex, Lysol, and Clorox. However, in attending product seminars through work, I've discovered a product that has worked minor miracles. I keep it around for really special occasions like this one. It's called Mighty Indigo, and it's meant to be used on tile, stone, and grout. Van Hearron formulated it to be low VOC, Ph. neutral & a leader in home safe cleaners. I have used it around the Concept II tile showroom and in my home with great results especially on porous stone and grout. I have also used it successfully on carpet (coffee), outdoor furniture fabric (rust), and my favorite cardigan (red wine). Normally, I would grab my bottle of Mighty and get right to it, but it recently came to my attention that Van Hearron also makes two more concentrated formulas for tougher jobs. I was really excited about this because I already felt that Mighty was superhero, and now I hear that he has two bigger, stronger brothers? This was the perfect test.
I skipped the Indigo Scrub, and went directly to the Highly Concentrated Cleaner to make the most of my time. I worked in 2'x2' areas, pouring the cleaner on the stone tile without diluting it. I let it sit on the area for 5-10 minutes, and then agitated it with a bristly brush and let it sit again for 5-10 more minutes before rinsing. The brush made a nice foam that immediately turned from white-white to a cappuccino cream color, letting me know it was actually pulling dirt right out of the stone and grout. It was VERY satisfying to watch. I used the brush again in the rinsing process, making sure to remove all of the foam and product. When my rinse water was clear, I was left with remarkably white grout, and snow white marble tiles. I was very pleased with the results. Have you ever forgotten to take off your sunglasses for a few minutes, even though you were inside? That's kind of what this was like, everything is amber and wrong, and then you take them off...
I only have one negative to report, and that is, over the next 24 hours, every single one of my nails broke off. So, because of that, I have to recommend wearing gloves to anyone who wants to give this product a try. It was not fume-y or hard to work with, the result was fantastic, and in my opinion, my effort was small. I am going to re-apply a stone tile sealer to the entire floor before it gets dirty again, because I feel that any tile sealer that was there, has been removed. This time I will use VanHearron's Stainguard 5000 because it is a "lifetime sealer" (that was not available 10 years ago), and I don't think we are quite done abusing this room. As a result of this very positive experience I had with the Heavy Duty Concentrated Cleaner, we will be adding it to the other tile cleaning products we currently stock at Concept II from Van Hearron. If you live in the Rochester, NY area (or are just passing through), and are looking to make your tile floor look like new again, stop by our showroom where we have a selection of these VanHearron tile cleaners in stock.
If you have any good stories about how the "Mighty" products have helped you out of a sticky situation please share them in the comments!