Industrial Tile Cleaner: DIY Or Hire A Professional?

Step into a bustling warehouse or industrial setting, and you’ll likely hear the sound of machinery filling your ears and the scent of oil and grease filling your nostrils. Amidst the constant activity and production, you notice something else, too - the sight of grimy and discolored tiles on the floor.

These tiles, once bright and shiny, are now caked with layers of dirt, grime and grease. It’s a common site in factories and manufacturing facilities across the world. Around-the-clock work has caused the flooring to deteriorate quickly.

Fortunately, there is a solution to restoring these floors to their former glory - industrial tile cleaner. This powerful cleaning solution is specifically designed to cut through tough stains and grime, leaving tiles looking clean and shiny once again. 

These once-neglected floors can be transformed back into a clean and safe working environment for employees. However, many factory managers may wonder whether it’s better to tackle the cleaning process themselves or hire a professional cleaning service to do the job. 

DIY Industrial Tile Cleaner 

Industrial cleaning involves the specialized personnel, methods and special equipment needed to clean dirt and grime - and potentially hazardous areas - of a facility.

This highly specialized cleaning service is important because a safe and clean environment keeps your facility compliant with state and federal contamination laws, as well as worker safety laws. A clean environment is also critical for operational efficiency, compliance and avoiding legal issues.

While industrial cleaning can be a highly specialized and complex component of your operations, there are some aspects that can be handled internally with the right industrial cleaning supplies. For some facilities, this DIY approach may include tile cleaning.

In order to perform a thorough cleaning, you may need:

• Industrial-strength floor cleaner: This type of cleaner is designed specifically for industrial settings and can effectively remove tough stains, grease and grime from tile floors.
• Industrial strength grout cleaner: This type of cleaning solution is designed specifically for cleaning and removing tough stains from grout, which is the material used to fill gaps between tiles. These cleaners may contain various active ingredients, such as alkaline, acid or enzymatic compounds, depending on the type of grout and the nature of the stains that need to be removed.
• Scrub brushes: Heavy-duty scrub brushes are essential for deep cleaning tile floors. They can be used to scrub away dirt and grime from grout lines and hard-to-reach areas.
• Mops and buckets: A good quality mop and bucket are necessary for cleaning larger areas of tile flooring. Industrial-grade mops can handle larger areas, and heavy-duty buckets can hold larger volumes of cleaning solutions.
• Pressure washer: A pressure washer can be used to blast away dirt, grime and debris from tile floors. This is especially useful for outdoor or heavily trafficked areas.
• Squeegees: Squeegees are useful for removing excess water from tile floors after cleaning. This product helps to prevent slipping and reduces the risk of accidents in the workplace.
• Protective gear: Workers should wear protective gear such as gloves, eye protection and masks when working with industrial cleaning supplies to ensure their safety.
• Degreasers: Industrial settings often have machinery that produces oil and grease that can accumulate on tile floors. A degreaser can be used to break down and remove these tough stains.
• Neutralizing solution: A neutralizing solution is used to restore the pH balance of the tile floor after cleaning, preventing any damage to the tiles.

While you have these cleaning supplies on hand or you temporarily rent them to perform the job, it’s important to keep other considerations in mind if you’re thinking about going the DIY route. These considerations include:

• Cost: The cost of cleaning supplies and equipment can add up quickly, especially if the factory needs to purchase specialized equipment or cleaning solutions. Hiring a professional cleaning company may be more cost-effective in the long run.
• Time: Cleaning tile floors can be a time-consuming process, especially if the factory is large or has a lot of foot traffic. Hiring a professional cleaning company can free up time for the factory’s staff to focus on other important tasks.
• Expertise: Cleaning tile floors properly requires expertise and knowledge of the best cleaning methods and solutions. If the factory’s staff is not trained in the proper cleaning techniques, they may inadvertently damage the tiles or create a hazardous environment.
• Safety: The use of industrial-strength cleaning chemicals and equipment can be hazardous if not used properly. Hiring a professional cleaning company can ensure that all safety protocols are followed.
• Quality of cleaning: Professional cleaning companies have access to specialized equipment and cleaning solutions that can provide a deeper and more thorough cleaning of tile floors. DIY cleaning may not achieve the same level of cleanliness.
• Maintenance: Maintaining tile floors requires ongoing cleaning and upkeep. Hiring a professional cleaning company to perform regular cleaning can ensure that the floors are properly maintained over time.

When deciding whether your factory should use its own employees to clean its tiles and flooring, it’s important to weigh the costs, time commitment, expertise, safety, quality of cleaning and ongoing maintenance required in order to determine if the DIY approach really is the best course of action for this project. The alternative is to work with professional industrial cleaning services, which are experienced in routine deep cleaning services, including tile cleaning.

Professional Industrial Tile Cleaners

While it can be tempting for a factory to take a do-it-yourself approach to tile cleaning, a professional industrial cleaning company can provide several advantages, including access to specialized equipment and expertise. To get the job done, the cleaning company would typically follow a process that includes several steps, such as:

1. Sweep and mop: The cleaning process may begin with a thorough sweeping of the floor to remove debris and loose dirt. Next, an industrial-strength mop is used to clean the tile floors, which are often heavily soiled with grease, dirt and other contaminants. The cleaning solution used is specifically formulated for industrial settings and is designed to cut through tough stains and grime.
2. High-pressure cleaning: For heavily soiled floors, high-pressure cleaning may be used. This involves using specialized equipment to blast the floor with high-pressure water, which can dislodge dirt, grime and other contaminants.
3. Scrubbing: Industrial cleaning services may use mechanical scrubbers or manually operated scrub brushes to deep-clean tile floors. This can be particularly effective for removing stains and buildup in grout lines.
4. Chemical cleaning: Chemical cleaning agents are often used to remove tough stains and grease buildup. The cleaning solution is applied to the floor and allowed to sit for a period of time before being rinsed away.
5. Steam cleaning: In some cases, steam cleaning may be used to deep clean tile floors. This process uses high-temperature steam to sanitize and clean floors without the need for harsh chemicals.
6. Polishing and sealing: Once the tile floor is cleaned, industrial cleaning services may apply a sealant or polish to protect and enhance the appearance of the floor.

Industrial cleaning services use a combination of these techniques to ensure that the tile floors in factories are cleaned thoroughly and effectively. They use specialized equipment and cleaning solutions to tackle tough stains and grime that may be difficult to remove with traditional cleaning methods.

One of the biggest concerns a company may have about hiring an industrial tile cleaner is the cost. Often, DIY approaches are less expensive … at least in the short term. However, a factory can save money in the long term by avoiding costly damage to the tile floors and by ensuring that the floors are properly maintained over time.

How To Find Professional Industrial Tile Cleaners

Finding the right professional industrial tile cleaner can seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, a factory can locate a reliable cleaning company that meets its specific needs. Here are five tips to locating the right professional for your tile cleaning job:

1. Look for a company that is licensed, bonded and insured. That's especially important in an industry where a tile cleaner may be working with hazardous chemicals and dangerous industrial equipment. 
2. Ensure a company is specialized and certified in managing hazardous waste and industrial cleaning. Your perfect cleaning service should have the capability not only to clean onsite but also to help you safely and legally dispose of hazardous materials that accumulate during the cleaning job.
3. A professional cleaner should provide a hazardous waste walk-through. It’s always a good idea to have a company you are considering walk through your factory first to identify any potential hazards or challenges. During a walk-through, you provide the company with a tour of your facility, allow the industrial cleaning professionals to take notes, and discuss your concerns and problem areas along the way. This also allows the tile cleaning company to provide you with a more accurate estimate based on the services you need.
4. An industrial cleaning company should work with your schedule. Of course, you'll need to give them some notice for routine cleaning, but you'll also want them to have emergency response capabilities in case a situation occurs and floor clean-up is part of the emergency clean-up services required.
5. Check references. Find out how a company performs from other industrial facilities like yours to ensure the company has the expertise, equipment and quality standards you, your employees and your customers deserve.

While DIY tile cleaning services are possible in a factory, hiring professional cleaning services can provide peace of mind, ensuring that the job is done properly and efficiently in the long run.