We were recently contacted about cleaning a Ceramic Tiled shower cubicle by a landlord in Lower Whitley which is set in the rural countryside of Cheshire. The area was once part of Lord Daresbury Estate, the Greenall Whitley brewery and only a short drive from my base in Warrington.
The client had been renting out their cottage and following the end of a long lease they discovered the shower cubicle had never been cleaned properly and was now full of mould. The grout lines in particular had attracted a lot of staining and in some places were orange with the dye that occurs in soap and shampoo. It would be difficult to attract a new tenant with the bathroom in this condition, and so I was asked to clean the shower tiles and the grout and make it presentable again.
Deep Cleaning a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle
I started by spraying the grout lines with Tile Doctor Duo Clean which is a double action grout and mould remover and was designed for situations like this. After leaving it to dwell for ten to twenty minutes the grout lines were scrubbed with hot water and a stiff brush then rinsed off with more water.
There was still some staining left so I coated the wall tiles and grout with Tile Doctor Oxy-Gel and again left it to soak in, being a gel, it stays put for longer so it can get to work breaking down the dirt.
As this was soaking in, I removed all the old silicone around the cubicle, between the tiles and shower glass and shower tray. Once this was done, I gave the stubborn areas a further scrub and rinsed the soiling off with more water. When working on these type of jobs, rinsing is much easier in the shower. In other situations, where immediate drainage is not an option, we use a wet vacuum to extract the soil away.
I forced dried the tiles and grout and then set about replacing the silicone sealant I had stripped out earlier.
Sealing a Ceramic Tiled Shower Cubicle
The last step was to seal the grout by spraying on Tile Doctor Aerosol Tile and Grout Sealer which is very quick to do and ensures water simply runs straight off the tile and grout and doesn’t collect on the surface. The tiles themselves are ceramic so are sealed in production so there is no need to apply any products to them however the grout has a rough surface which can attract dirt and mould so it’s always best to protect it.
The work took about 4 hours and once done the shower was transformed and looked amazing. I was confident they would not have a problem attracting a new tenant now.
My client was delighted with the work we had done and were rather relieved that more work and tile replacement was not needed.
I also suggested that they should invest in some Tile Doctor Aqua Pro Cleaner and recommend it to the incoming tenant, this is a pH neutral product which is designed with everyday use in mind. It will remove the scum build up and any hard water deposits, ensuring the shower does not get back into poor condition.
Source: End of Tenancy Shower Tile Renovation Service in Lower Whitley Cheshire