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Written by Silver Lining Floor Care

Grout Cleaning Tips & Advice

Grout Cleaning – where to start?

Grout cleaning is a common reason why people call for a cleaning service. First of all, we need to answer ourselves why did it get dirty in the first place. In flood restoration, we must stop the source of water before the attempts of the drying. Then we can move on to dealing with the effects of the leak. The grout on your tiles can become dirty for variation of reason.

Reasons for the grout to be dirty

Most common, it is simply dirty from foot traffic. and it may show this dirt sooner than the tiles or stone itself. The porous material of the grout sokes with soil and dirt much easier than the tile itself.  It also lyes little beneath the tiles so the dirt accumulates in grout lines.

It could be a simple staining. Ink is a perfect example as it probably works well on your imagination. You can see how it can penetrate the grout much deeper than dry soil particles. It as well could be an oil-based stain or makeup. Even the regular soil if left for too long may penetrate deep. All stain removal from any surface depends on:

  • the age of the stain
  • how was it spilt
  •  was it treated at all
  • Temperature – hot coffee will go deeper than a cold one

Cleaning your grout

floor cleaning

The first approach for all the grout cleaning is the same – brush it out with chemical help if needed. Based on the sample and our judgment we will use the most suitable approach but the basics are always the same – CHAT (Chemicals, Heat, Agitation, Time). You can read more about the basics of cleaning everything.

We can’t ever say how bad is the grout on the floor as the stains may occur randomly and are hidden around the general soil. Only once the entire grout and tiles cleaned, the may appear. This is the same as all other stains on all other types of flooring.

During the job, it may require some additional work and another approach is not the 100% grantee that all the stains will be successfully removed.

With the grout, there is another way to tackle and restore the grout fully. Dig it ut and relay the grout. This is a very different job, very often greater than the cleaning itself. It may take days to do it. Once, you re-grout the floor it has to wait for around a week before it cures properly and then you can seal it for better performance and additional protection.

DIY Cleaning

most importantly is the regularity of cleaning. This way you will not require our help often, therefore, it will save you some cash. First, remove dry soil by vacuuming or sweeping, as a result, there will be less dry soil to soak in the grout after cleaning. Follow with mopping using a flat mop and appropriate cleaning products.

Grout is cracking!

cracking surface

That is a very different matter. We can repair it, but the underlying cause is elsewhere. As it cracked it means something is moving. Either the tile itself wasn’t properly fitted. Tile moves or the entire building has moved a bit and it caused the grout to crack. Nowadays, you can purchase a flexible grout, which lowers the risk of cracking. This is something you do not want to safe the money on, it is an investment. If you buy it too cheap, you will lose everything. The product will not do what it supposed to do. Removing the old grout and re-grouting is a massive job. Make a wise choice when purchasing the grout, tile fitter you employ and even the builder that will build your house or extension.

Our grout cleaning work

How can we help with grout cleaning?

We are not the builders or tile fitters, we focus on floors. The maintenance and keeping the good performance and the good looks of your floor. We want it to be a bliss to your eye and give you peace of mind. Please get in touch with us to get any advise or quote on your floors. We are here to give you the best possible solution.

We can also help you in:

 

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  • wool carpets
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What Is So Great About Wool Carpets?

What is so great about wool carpets and wool in general?

Wool is a natural fibre and we try to replicate it tirelessly for years, but from the beginning, we are trying to achieve the impossible.

I do admire our efforts, we all should aim for the impossible.

Let’s do it from a wool carpet owner’s point of view and see if I can capture what you want from your carpet.

MUST:

SHOULD:

COULD:

  • Could be good insulation for your home
  • It could be eco-friendly

Must, should & could vary on the individual. For me, eco-friendly would be in the must section. Ideally woven so there is no synthetic in it at all and natural colour.

Wool can achieve all: must, should & could. As long as you have some maintenance programme in place and you are proactive about it.

Let’s follow the list above:

MUST

MUST BE PRETTY

Nowadays you have a variety of colours and designs. You mix and match them with other types of floor covering like wood & stone. You have pastel colours to choose from, you have interior designers who can help you with your choice. It is an indefinite must, so you are happy with your choice. Just go to the shop or have a shop come to you with samples and help you make the choice.

EASY TO LOOK AFTER

Wool carpets and fibres are so special mainly because of their outer layer, called a cuticle. It repeals any spills and it is easy to clean.

I have a dog and we only washed her a few times in her life. I think she hates us for it and is terrified of the bathroom even though she loves swimming at the seaside etc.

MUST LAST

If maintained well it can look like new forever. Although it is not a hard-wearing fibre. It will wear out with time, it can deteriorate as it is a natural fibre, and it will turn to soil eventually. We have clients with 25-year-old wool carpets and it looks like it was fitted yesterday. I will share their secret with you soon.

INEXPENSIVE

Just by following the idea that you can have wool carpets that look like new after 25 years.

You can buy cheap carpets for £5/m2 or you can buy proper wool carpets for let’s say £70/m2.

The cheap carpet is likely to be synthetic, it will ugly out very quickly and if you want to keep it looking nice you would probably have to buy a new carpet let’s say every 3 years. Over 25 years you would spend just over £40/m2, you would have to have contractors change it for you 8 times, with disruption and additional charge every time for fitting and disposal. You would be producing plastic garbage which will end up in our oceans costing a fortune to our planet and future generations.

When making your initial investment higher, it would save money and worry for the future, causing no disruption to you and your family. It would cost nothing to our planet, if properly disposed of, it would just nourish the soil with its protein fibres.

It may seem like a lot to spend now, but it is definitely cheaper for everyone in the long run.

SHOULD

SHOULD FEEL NICE & BE SAFE

Have you ever had a chance to stroke a dog with a nice coat? My dog is so soft! People love petting her as she feels so great. She is well-fed and well-exercised. That’s my secret.

Most carpets in the shop feel nice. It’s a very private matter of what is “nice”.

If I fed my dog bad food and did very little exercise the coat would probably lose that nice touch.

As long as you maintain your carpets correctly they will be soft and nice to touch and play with.

EASY TO CLEAN

Have you ever seen the stained dog?

Wool carpet is naturally resistant to stains. Heat, carpet structure, fibre type, and time, all play a factor in stain removal.

It’s all about maintenance.

If it happened that the stain is permanent, no worries, there are always colour correction services you can use.

MOTHS

Wool is protein-based fibre and moths, like any other living creature, need proteins to survive. 80% of dust is actually our skin, which is protein-rich. Therefore, dusty dark places rarely vacuumed are a paradise for these butterflies. Again, maintenance!

COULD

INSULATION

Wool is great insulation. Both during the summer and during the winter. You don’t often see animals wearing jumpers or jackets, do you?

ECO-FRIENDLY

It’s a natural product, what else can you ask for? If disposed of properly it will be food for the earth. Of course, you can have different construction types. Tufted carpets have a primary backing adhered to the secondary backing with some adhesive. Woven carpets have no other material but wool and maybe cotton. There is no adhesive in these carpets. Nowadays you don’t see them often as they are expensive to make and it seems that humans for some reason have inverted their priorities and there are not many who actually care about the impact on our planet from our daily choices.

Summary

To summarise, wool is a great fibre in pretty much every aspect. If not maintained well it will lose its value which often cannot be restored as the damage done is permanent. It can basically damage 2 ways.

Physically and chemically.

Physical damage occurs every day with foot traffic. 80% of soil in wool carpets is dry soil. It means it’s insoluble either in water or in solvents. Dry soil and foot traffic act like sanding paper to the fibres stripping the outer layer of wool, the cuticle. We can remove dry soil by dry soil extraction machines commonly known as vacuum cleaners. Dry soil and water will just create mud. It’s easier to sweep the dry soil rather than spray and mop, isn’t it?

Chemical damage occurs when the wrong chemicals are used for water extraction cleaning. The results of the cleaning will be fabulous but wool is altered chemically and it can become visible in years ahead and you would never blame your carpet cleaner for it as you wouldn’t be able to link it.

Thanks for getting here

I hope this will give you enough information when it comes to selecting a carpet cleaning firm to clean your wool carpets. It is all about maintenance & you can read about its importance of it here.

We are IICRC qualified in carpet cleaning and 5 other areas, we are WoolSafe approved contractors, and Johnny Czarnota – the technical director of the company, is a WoolSafe approved carpet inspector. Therefore, we have vast knowledge about wool and how to look after it. If you have any questions please call for free advice.

We also restore other types of flooring, like wood, stone, ceramic and porcelain, oriental rugs, vinyl, etc.  It gives us a wider understanding of any floor.

Get in touch with us if you need any help with any floor.

DO NOT REACT TO ACCIDENTS, RESPOND INSTEAD. 

Advise for floor cleaning, Carpet cleaning, wool carpets
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  • Floor-Sanding-London
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Sexy Wood Floors

Sexy floors

Please note, this is based on my very personal opinion. You can agree or disagree, there is no right or wrong here. When writing this, it is some sort of therapy to me.

What is sexy or attractive?

To us humans, sexual attractiveness can mean very different things. For most of us, the attraction is often based on some indefinable quality such as body shape and colour. If we get deeper into the subject it may also include character, attitude and respect, etc. In most cases, we judge something to be alluring when we look at it. Perhaps it is a monotone skin colour or a nicely shaped body. Darwin would have us believe that we are simply looking for the healthiest individual, so we can produce healthy descendants but hopefully, it is more than just that. As we all know health can be both physical and physiological, but I feel that subject is a whole separate book.

How do we make ourselves sexy?

Maintenance cleaning vs deep cleaning

We all try to look good every day. We don’t only want to be attractive to our partners or spouses, we also want other people to find us attractive and there is nothing wrong with that – it boosts our confidence. Consequentially we all seek to make ourselves as appealing as possible by being well-groomed, applying makeup and using supplements such as shampoos, conditioners, toners and even vitamins to make us look and feel as good as possible.

There is also another way, but it is not as fast. One can go to the gym to keep yourself trim, toned and active. Along with regular visits to the gym you can choose to eat only healthy and nutritious food to get the inside as healthy as the outside appearance.  The problem with the gym and healthy food option are that it will not happen overnight, it is hard work and many fail at the early stages or fail temporarily which puts them back a step or two. It takes hard work determination and tenacity to look and feel good all the time.

Maintaining an attractive look also applies to wooden floors. As with our bodies, they are both made of nature’s finest materials, but they also take a lot of knocks and wear and tear and like humans they gradually get older. Also, unfortunately like some people (hopefully not you, reading this) they sometimes also get walked all over.

More about maintenance, in general, you can read here.

 

How to make wood floors sexy?

Like our bodies, there are basically 2 different methods of finishing your wooden floor to make it look as attractive as possible: We use Pallmann products mainly.

1.     Lacquer (or the makeup approach)

  • It is a topical coat (should it not be topcoat? Topical means “current” but it may be that this is an expression used in the Industry?).
  • It will cover any imperfections and is much more forgiving
  • However, as with makeup, too many coats can make the floor look “plastic”
  • It will only protect the surface of the floor
  • It can be shiny or satin

2.     Oil (or the gym and healthy nutrients approach)

  • As with the gym, it protects the outer surface and from within by saturating the wood.
  • If the sanding process is not done to a high standard it will expose imperfections.
  • It will also expose the natural beauty and grain of your wood floors –
  • giving it a more natural finish.
  • It will also protect the floor surface as it seals and nourishes the wood simultaneously.
  • If properly maintained it will stay attractive for a very long time.

See what we use for finishing the wood floors.

Attractiveness and ageing

With us, humans ageing is very personal. No two of us go through the same exact experiences or have exactly the same natural make-up.  As it is with humans, so it is with wooden floors. Scratches on oiled floors can add character and the beauty of age. Whilst scratches on a lacquered floor are simply not regarded as pretty. One other thing about an oiled wood floor is that you can top up the oil as you go with patch repairs that seamlessly blend it in with the rest of the floor. On a lacquered floor, when a repair is needed, the only good option is a full re-sand and reseal.

Lacquer or oil?

Both will give you the same result; ‘a beautiful floor’. If you like the highly polished look of a shiny floor – lacquer is a better option. If you like the more natural look then the oil is the better solution. Both require some maintenance as does everything in life. But the maintenance is simple easy and inexpensive, and it does prolong the life of your floor.

There is no right or wrong here. This comparison is not spot on. Lacquers and oils have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Note from the author

Thank you for reading this article. If you read this far it means that you care about your floor. I am just sharing my knowledge here and giving my personal opinion. Recently, I have been through a lot of health issues and I found writing this article very therapeutic. I hope it was also helpful to you. Thank you.

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Looking After Your Oiled Floors

 

Taking care of your oiled floors is a breeze. Magic Oil, suitable for both residential and commercial environments, brings out the natural beauty of your floor while providing protection against spills and stains. Unlike lacquered floors, scratches on oiled floors add character, and patch repairs are possible. Here’s how to maintain your oiled floor:

  1. Act promptly: Clean up spills and stains immediately to prevent long-term damage. Even the toughest finishes have limits.
  2. Regular cleaning: Use a neutral floor cleaner recommended by the manufacturer to clean your floors regularly. Follow the instructions provided in the datasheets.
  3. Extra protection: Periodically, apply magic oil care for an additional layer of protection. Note that spills should still be cleaned up promptly.
  4. Cleaning process: Start by removing dry soil by vacuuming or sweeping. Then, use a high-quality microfiber mop to apply the diluted product and mop the floor. Allow the floor to dry, which should take no longer than 10 minutes.

Why oil in the first place?

Is lacquer better than oil? In the long run, the answer is no. While lacquer may offer slightly better protection initially, it requires full restoration when worn and doesn’t age gracefully. Oiled floors, on the other hand, develop character with scratches. The choice between lacquer and oil also depends on the desired sheen, with lacquer offering a shinier appearance.

  1. It reveals the natural beauty of your floor & brings the grains up and makes your floor look more natural
  2. It also seals the floor & protects it from spills and stains
  3. Scratches on oiled floors add character and become less obvious with maintenance while on lacquered it makes the floor look ugly
  4. A damaged oil floor can be patch repaired while lacquered has to be fully sanded off and redone

It’s worth noting that oil is not suitable for every type of wood, such as bamboo timber.

In terms of health, magic oil is one of the most natural and healthiest products available. It’s a step above having no finish at all, which is not as durable.

How to look after your oiled floor?

While there is no foolproof finish for your floors, it’s important to clean up spills and stains promptly. Just like bulletproof vests are not 100% bulletproof, no floor finish is completely impervious. Regular cleaning with a neutral floor cleaner is recommended, following the manufacturer’s instructions provided in the datasheets.

For added protection, you can use magic oil care periodically. This thin film finish provides an extra layer of defence for your floor. However, it’s crucial to remember that spills should still be cleaned up as soon as possible, regardless of the additional protection.

The frequency of using magic oil care depends on factors like traffic, daily/weekly usage, and maintenance. Areas with higher footfall, such as the kitchen, may require more attention compared to less frequented spaces like the bedroom. Assess the condition of your floor and adjust the usage of magic oil care accordingly.

By practising regular maintenance and attending to spills promptly, you can keep your oiled floors in great shape and ensure their longevity.

How do I clean my oiled floor?

  1. First, remove the dry soil. Either by vacuuming or sweeping.
  2. We recommend that you use a flat, microfibre, good-quality mop.
  3. Spray some diluted Neutral cleaner like Pallmann Clean Neutral on the floor and then mop it, leaving the floor to dry.
    1. Drying times should not take longer than 10 minutes.
  4. You may use Magic Oil Care undiluted or diluted 1:2 with water for extra protection
    1. Leave 1h before walking

You can purchase all the needed products recommended by us.

Just click on the links below and add them to the cart.

  1. Pallmann Flat Microfibre Mop
  2. Pallmann Clean Neutral
  3. Magic Oil Care

What about the health factor?

In terms of health, Magic Oil is one of the most natural and healthiest products available. It’s a step above having no finish at all, which is not as durable.

 

 

I hope this gives you all the information you need to look after your floor. If you have any other concerns please do not hesitate to ask the question. Just send us an email at . We may not know the answer, but we are very keen on educating ourselves all the time.

You also might find these articles valuable.

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Basics of Cleaning Everything

Basics of Cleaning

  • Chemicals
  • Heat
  • Agitation
  • Time

CHAT – these are the 4 basics when it comes to cleaning everything. Whether it is dishes, wood floor, or your skin. It is all about balance, like everything in life.

Chemical

At Silver Lining Floor Care we try to stay as eco-friendly as possible, following ‘Zero Waste’ idea, we try to minimise on chemical input. Chemicals have no benefits when it comes to health, and our ultimate goal is to protect your health and those you love. At the same time, we try to do as much thorough cleaning as possible when it comes to your wood floors, stone floors, porcelain, carpet, rugs or any 0ther floor.  This will directly benefit your health. That is why we use….

Heat

As we minimise our chemical input we increase on the heat for water used for cleaning to allow better penetration. With higher temperature water tension changes which allow water to penetrate surfaces that are being cleaned. To achieve this while cleaning your carpets, we have a truck-mounted machine to increase the heat of our water to maximum instead depending on your water tap. Depending on the fibre we will make sure it is safe to use. Water is the most common solvent and is actually very powerful, yet many people forgot about it and add sometimes unnecessary chemicals.

Time

Since our chemical input is low, our heat is high, how about time? Instead of working with strong chemistry, while decreasing its power, we shall just give it a bit more time. Time cure everything. If you are to wash your dirty frying pan, you often leave it in the sink overnight so it dissolves in most common solvent (water) mixed with a cleaning product. Dishwashing chemicals are usually very strong, sometimes too strong to safely use on wool carpets. Either we leave the pre-sprayed weak chemicals or we just dedicate more time for cleaning.

Agitation

This is a mechanical part of the job. It is a sponge when it comes to dishes or your skin. We use different types of brushes, pads for our rotary machine. We have carpet brush for agitating the pre-spray for carpet cleaning, diamond brushes at different grids when it comes to stone and hard floor to agitate the cleaning solution. For wood we use different grids of sanding paper to achieve the desired effect.

CHAT – basics of cleaning – summary

You could wash your oily, dirty frying pan with slowly running cold water but it would just take forever and probably wasted a lot of water. You could also use some chemicals, increase temperature, leave it to dwell in the warm water with some cleaning products and use the sponge to clean and rinse at the end. As I said at the beginning…. It is always about finding the right balance in these four. Very often a good chemical can be water. It is healthier and we may spend a bit more time during agitation and boost up the heat to achieve very same results as with high chemical input in order to save on time, often with less agitation. The ‘high chemical’ methods are not necessarily great for your health, your family’s health, for the technician’s health and for the health of our planet.

Can you put a price tag on your health? Probably not. Can you put a price tag on time? Probably yes. This may be one of the reasons why some cleaning firms might be more expensive than others. Some will use strong chemistry in order to save time.  We’d rather spend a bit more time and value the biggest treasure which is our health. Health is the new wealth. Price and value are very different aspects. It all depends on priorities.

The best way to minimise chemical use is good maintenance.

Advise for floor cleaning, Carpet cleaning, Stone, Wood, Wood Floors, wood floors, wool carpets
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  • Maintenance cleaning vs deep cleaning
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Maintenance Cleaning vs Deep Cleaning

Maintenance cleaning – what are the benefits?

Maintenance cleaning  – the real cost. What is cheaper, better for you and your family, and our planet? And most of all, what is better for your health and can you put a price tag on your health? I will try to answer those questions for you and I shall try to keep it short and simple.

Everything requires maintenance

Probably everything that you ever bought and own will require some maintenance. Not only material items but also the most important things in life like relationships, friendship & family.  If you look after them and maintain them well, as a result, it should bring joy to your life. Therefore having less stress and headache, giving you more free time to spend with friends & family and loved once. Healthy, happy,  stress-free life, isn’t it the ultimate goal to all of us?

Maintenance cleaning of your floor

How often do you clean your teeth? Do you wait until they get dirty and then give them a deep clean? Probably not. Because at this point cleaning may not be an option anymore. More likely you clean them every day in order to keep them in good condition. As a result, you have less stress going to the dentist, therefore it should result again with a happier and healthier life.

Same applies to your floor. If it’s carpet, wood or stone. The floor acts as an air filter. You change the filter in your car every year, don’t you? It traps small particles from the air and as a result, creates a cleaner environment for you. It seems like it would be better to keep it clean rather than clean it after it gets dirty and clogged and doesn’t do such a great filtering job any more.

The real cost of the maintenance?

There are two types of costs. Direct and indirect cost. Direct cost is the money that you may need to pay and indirect cost is your health, health of our planet and consequently the health of everyone around you. Keeping your floor nice and clean may cost you directly a bit more rather than having it done once a decade. Maybe we should prioritise things differently? Estimate the value of our own health, health of our planet and what we will leave behind for our children as a result. Can you really afford to ignore all of these? When you maintain your “stuff”, as a result, it will give you more pleasure, better health, it will last longer.

There is so much to write about, but probably I should leave it for another topic to keep it nice and simple.

Benefits of maintenance cleaning for you

  • your floor is constantly kept clean and fresh
  • clean floors keep the air cleaner
  • healthier environment for you and your family
  • one less thing on your head to worry about
  • you get to know us better each visit – we are building the relationship
  • easy to manage monthly fee – no need to suddenly spend much in one go
  • prevention is always better and cheaper than solution

Benefits for our planet

  • with good maintenance, much less water is wasted
  • fewer chemicals used or none at all
  • it keeps the air quality better which creates a healthier environment for life in general

Benefits for us

  • much less stress to worry about regular income
  • with less stress, we can focus more on providing great service (there is always space for improvements)
  • with the regular income, we can plan better and grow slowly with a solid base
  • we can invest in what I think is most important in life – education
  • we get to know you and your place better and your needs with each visit

To summarise, by helping yourself you are also saving the planet and helping us. Do you find value in maintenance? 1000 miles journey starts with the first step, make yours now and get in touch so we can work out a good plan designed specifically to your needs.

Advise for floor cleaning, Stone, Wood
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