Cleaning Grout With A High-Pressure Carpet Extractor

This is the third part of a four-part article about the multiple uses of carpet care equipment.

Another prevalent use for carpet care equipment is for cleaning tile or grout, a solid, water-resistent material that can withstand high pressure. When converting carpet machines to tile and grout cleaners, high pressure — around 500 psi or more — is very important, according to the experts.

“Tile cleaning won’t turn out well if you use 200 or 300 psi,” says Morrow. “You need at least 500 psi and above to rinse the soil, and you have to agitate the tile really well.”
 
Some of the portable units have variable pressure to quickly move from cleaning carpet to cleaning tile.

Truck-mount machines are most commonly converted to tile and grout cleaners with the appropriate attachments and are capable of delivering the greatest amount of pressure.

“There are three ways to clean tile and grout with a truck mount,” says Morrow. “One is with a buffer attachment, which you would use to scrub the floor and then wet-extract it. The second way is with a four-jet hand tool that delivers hot water to the floor. And the third method is a circular device that puts down 1,200 psi of hot water on the floor, followed by extraction.”

The problem with pressure washing tile and grout is janitors can blow out the grout if it’s cleaned on a regular basis with high pressure, says Jasper.

Because truck mounts are so versatile, they can be used to pressure wash a variety of hard surfaces in addition to tile, including stone, air ducts and roofs. Janitors can even pressure wash exterior wooden decks and concrete walkways with the use of a pressure-washing wand, says Yeadon.

Certain carpet extractors can even be used to clean acoustical tile, says Jasper.

“Some machines have pumps that are able to handle a peroxide-type solution, which is sprayed on acoustical ceilings,” he says. “It will clean them without affecting their sound proofing or fire rating.”