Why You Should NOT Seal Your Tile Grout

So, you have just remodeled your kitchen, laundry room or bathroom, and the tile and grout you picked look fabulous. Or maybe you have a tile floor that sees a lot of traffic, and you want a way to keep it cleaner and for longer. You want to protect your walls or floors and make cleaning much easier in the long run. The next logical step is grout sealing right?

Many grout sealers claim to prevent mildew and mold growth while making cleaning much easier. Plus, sealing your grout is what everyone does isn’t it? While it is true that many people seal their tile grout for these reasons and more, it’s important to know that when you seal your grout, it actually makes cleaning much harder in the long run.

Almost every website that touches on this topic of grout sealing is for it, but we are going to tell you why we are against it.

Grout is porous and therefore absorbs liquids. Because of this, the reason you should not seal your tile grout is that the sealer’s liquid chemicals combine with the grout to create a surface that is actually much more difficult to clean. By sealing the grout, you have created a much harder surface which can be good on the one hand but bad on the other when it resists cleaning attempts. Also, when unsealed grout gets wet, the water can evaporate and dry. When a crack forms in your sealed grout or between your sealed grout and tile, water or other liquids can get in there but are not able to get out by evaporating and drying, essentially becoming trapped by the sealed grout and causing issues down the line due to the retained moisture.

To be clear, we are talking about grout and not the tile itself. Natural stone like marble, slate, and limestone is different and needs to be professionally sealed (ceramic and porcelain do not).

So, what do you do then? Nobody wants to deal with dirty grout lines.

There are a few things that can help you maintain your tile grout and keep it looking new. Vacuum your tile before cleaning it to get all the debris off first – that way you aren’t essentially scrubbing dirt into the grout when you clean. Also, make sure you change the water you are using to clean with often for the same reason. Lastly, don’t wait until it is filthy to clean. If you are regularly cleaning your tile and grout, it will have less of a chance to take in the ground-in dirt and will stay cleaner longer.

If your tile grout is old and coming up in places and seemingly beyond help,  think about regrouting your tile. It is amazing what this can do for the look and feel. Maybe choose a darker grout that will show less dirt. If your grout is in good shape and intact but very dirty, consider calling in a professional. They have commercial-grade machinery that is more powerful than what the average business or homeowner has access to. Plus they have the experience and know-how to clean your tile grout both effectively and safely.

TruClean Floor Care delivers customers thoroughly clean floors using professional, eco-friendly cleaning techniques for tile, carpets, upholstery, rugs and more.

To schedule a service, contact us today!

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