How we made this guide: picks, prices and specs come from our catalog and the makers' published specs, owner quotes come from customer reviews on our product pages and every guide is checked and edited by Trevor Hall.
To clean tile and grout with a machine, sweep the floor and apply an alkaline pre-spray at the label's dilution and dwell time. Agitate the grout lines, then rinse and recover in one pass with a spinner tool such as the Mytee 8903 at $951 on an extractor that delivers at least 800 PSI. Turbo Force rates its TH-40 spinner at 400 to 1,000 square feet per hour, so a 500 square foot lobby takes about 30 to 75 minutes of spinner work (our calculation: 500 divided by 1,000 and by 400). The steps are simple, but high pressure on soft stone takes practice.
Quick answer
Spinner tools need real pressure. Mytee recommends at least 800 PSI for the 8903 and rates it to 3,000 PSI, so a 500 PSI portable sits below the recommended minimum. In our range, machines that clear it include the Mytee LTD12-LX portable (regulated to 1,000 PSI) and the Mytee ETM-LX-PLUS electric truckmount (1,000 PSI). The EDIC Endeavor multi-surface cart has a pump that adjusts from 70 to 1,200 PSI. Browse the high-pressure carpet extractors we carry.
What you need
The method is the same on a lobby, an entryway or a hallway.
- A broom, dust mop or vacuum to lift loose soil first.
- An alkaline pre-spray made for tile and grout, plus a pump-up sprayer to apply it.
- An agitation tool: a stiff brush on a handle for small areas, or a counter-rotating brush machine for large ones.
- A high-pressure extractor with vacuum recovery, such as the Mytee LTD12-LX plus a spinner tool such as the Mytee 8903.
- A neutralizing rinse, only if the cleaner's label calls for one, and a sealer for the grout.
The machine is the part most guides skip, so the rest of this post covers it in detail. For the wider picture on extractors, see our guide to using a carpet cleaning machine.
Step 1: Clear and sweep the floor
Clear the floor, then sweep or vacuum so the pre-spray works on the film in the grout lines, not on grit that would only turn to mud. Check for loose tiles and cracked grout first, because a spinner sends water into any gap.
Step 2: Apply the pre-spray
Mix an alkaline tile and grout cleaner at the dilution on its label and spray it on in sections you can finish before it dries. Let it dwell for the time the label gives. Never let it dry on the surface.
Step 3: Agitate the grout lines
Scrub the lines so the cleaner reaches the soil. A stiff hand brush suits a small area; a counter-rotating brush machine suits a large floor. The Mytee CRB3010 Carpet Shark at $1,811 takes the Mytee A961 tile and grout brushes, a set of 2 with stiff black bristles. If your extractor is below a spinner's recommended pressure, this is your route: scrub the pre-sprayed floor with the CRB, then rinse and vacuum up the dirty solution with the extractor, and skip the spinner in Step 4. The Tile Council of North America calls applying the cleaner and then vacuuming up the dirty water the best way to clean grout. See our guide to CRB cleaning.
Brushes for the CRB route
Mytee A961 Tile & Grout Brushes for 10″ Carpet Shark (Set of 2)
$180.71 · 5.0 from 1 review
Stiff tile and grout brushes that fit the 10 inch Carpet Shark, sold as a set of 2.
Step 4: Rinse and recover with a spinner tool
A spinner is a sealed head with a spinning jet bar. High-pressure solution comes out of the jets, and the vacuum pulls the water straight back up the handle, so the rinse and the recovery happen in a single pass. Mytee's Spinner user manual says to switch on the extractor's vacuums, pump and heater (if it has one), then squeeze the trigger so the force of the spray spins the bar. Make one wet pass followed by two dry passes. Overlap each stroke and keep the head flat on the floor.
Four tools in our range do this job. The Mytee 8903 has a 12 inch cleaning path and two stainless 1502 jets on a 1.5 inch wand. The Mytee 8904 puts the same 12 inch head on a T-handle at $951. The Mytee 8908 Counter Spinner is a 7.5 inch hand tool for small areas at $581. The Turbo Force TH-40 has a 12 inch rotary deck.
Wand-style spinner
Mytee 8903 Wand Style 1.5″ Spinner Tile & Grout Cleaning Tool
$951
Rated 800 to 3,000 PSI; the listing names concrete, grouted tile and ceramic tile as uses.
Rotary-deck option
Turbo Force TH-40 12" Turbo Hybrid Tile & Grout Cleaning Tool
$1,099
Turbo Force lists 650 to 2,500 PSI, water up to 230 degrees F and a 12 inch deck.
The TH-40 runs on a truckmount or a high-pressure portable with vacuum recovery. Turbo Force's owner's manual warns never to put your hands under the deck while the tool runs or after you release the trigger. Wait 2 minutes for the spray bar to stop, and never aim the tool at anyone.
PSI: what each tool needs
The pressure figure decides how well a spinner cleans. Mytee's Spinner user manual says its tools were tested at 500 PSI and recommends at least 800 PSI for operation, and Mytee's Spinner spec sheet sets 3,000 PSI as the maximum.
| Tool or machine | Pressure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mytee 8903 spinner | 800 PSI recommended minimum, up to 3,000 PSI | Two 1502 jets, 12 inch path |
| Mytee 8904 and 8908 spinners | 800 PSI recommended minimum, up to 3,000 PSI | 8904: 12 inch path on a T-handle; 8908: 7.5 inch hand tool |
| Turbo Force TH-40 | 650 to 2,500 PSI | 12 inch rotary deck, water up to 230 degrees F |
| Mytee LTD12-LX | 1,200 PSI piston pump regulated to 1,000 PSI | 2.2 GPM, unheated, 145 inch water lift |
| EDIC Endeavor | Adjustable, 70 to 1,200 PSI | 147 inch water lift, 142 CFM |
Match the machine to the tool before you buy either. A spinner rig of the LTD12-LX and the 8903 comes to about $6,300 at today's prices.
The machines that run these tools
Mytee's Hard Surface Cleaning brochure pairs the Mytee LTD12-LX with its Spinner tools as a hard surface cleaning duo. It holds 11 gallons in each tank and has two LX vacuum motors, a 150 ft hose run and two 50 ft cords drawing 20 and 15 amps at 115 V. Mytee's Speedster LTD user manual says each cord needs a grounded 20 amp outlet on its own 20 amp circuit, so check the site's outlets before the job. It has no heater. The warranty is 1 year parts and labor, 2 years on major components and 10 years on the roto-molded housing and tanks. Use only low-foam or non-foaming detergent in it.
Portable for spinners
Mytee LTD12-LX Speedster Portable Carpet Extractor, 11 gal., 1,000 PSI, LX vacuums
$5,377
1,000 PSI regulated pump, dual LX vacuums, built for the Mytee spinner tools.
The EDIC Endeavor is a multi-surface kit that covers carpet and hard floors. Prices start at $8,482. The listing gives a 13 gallon capacity, a 5 year warranty and a weight of 167 lb (174 lb with the heater), so plan on a ramp or lift for van work. The Carpet/Hard Surface and Complete kits add a 2,000 W in-line heater. One owner liked the first machine enough to buy a second:
“I was impressed with my first machine and decided to get a second. It's easy to move and operate.”
EDIC Endeavor Multi-Surface Cleaning System owner · 5 out of 5 stars
Multi-surface kit
EDIC Endeavor Multi-Surface Cleaning System
From $8,482 · 5.0 from 8 reviews
Carpet and hard-floor kit with an adjustable 70 to 1,200 PSI pump, sold in three variants.
Step 5: Neutralize and dry
Follow the cleaner's label on whether a neutralizing rinse is needed. Let the floor dry before foot traffic returns, and judge the result only when it has dried.
Step 6: Seal the grout
Cement grout is porous, so a sealer slows how fast new soil sinks in. Epoxy grout is the exception: the Tile Council of North America says it is virtually as stain proof as the tile. Apply sealer only to clean, fully dry grout and follow its label for coats and dry time.
Notes by surface
| Surface | What to watch |
|---|---|
| Ceramic and porcelain tile | Glazed faces tolerate most alkaline cleaners and a spinner head; grout lines take the soil, so aim the pre-spray and dwell there. |
| Natural stone | Acidic cleaners can etch calcium-based stone such as marble. Use a product the label says is stone-safe, and test a hidden spot first. Turbo Force's manual says to fit the TH-40's brush ring on marble, travertine and other soft stone that grit under the hard boot could scratch. It also warns that extreme pressure and heat always carry a risk of floor damage. See cleaning marble floors. |
| Terrazzo | Follow terrazzo-specific care; see cleaning and restoring terrazzo floors. |
| Concrete and rubber studded floors | The 8903 listing names both as uses. For concrete, Turbo Force offers an optional 12 inch concrete bracket for the TH-40, sold separately, which its manual says to set so the ring sits about the height of a credit card off the surface. |
Notes by floor size
For a small patch of tile, such as an entryway, a hand brush and a small extractor are enough. For lobbies and hallways, a spinner covers ground faster. If you scrub whole floors every day, a floor scrubber changes the math. If you also run an auto scrubber for daily upkeep, see our guide to using an auto scrubber. Our tile and grout scrubber guide compares eight of them, and the floor machines for tile, floor machines for carpet and scrubbers collections list what we carry.
Common mistakes
- Running a spinner below the maker's recommended pressure: 800 PSI for Mytee's Spinners, 650 PSI at the bottom of the TH-40's range.
- Skipping the dwell time, so the pre-spray never loosens the soil.
- Letting the cleaner dry on the surface before the rinse.
- Using an acidic cleaner on natural stone without a label that allows it.
- Using an acid cleaner on cement grout. The Tile Council of North America says grout makers do not advocate acids because they attack the cement in the grout.
- Running a TH-40 on a worn boot. Turbo Force's manual says floor damage will occur if the boot wears so thin that the spinning jets contact the floor.
- Sealing grout that is still damp or dirty.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to clean tile grout?
The Tile Council of North America recommends an alkaline cleaner for grout, because cement grout is dissolved by acids. Pre-spray the cleaner, let it dwell, agitate the lines, then rinse and recover with a spinner tool on a high-pressure extractor.
What pressure does a tile and grout spinner need?
Mytee recommends at least 800 PSI for the 8903 and rates it to 3,000 PSI. Turbo Force lists the TH-40 at 650 to 2,500 PSI.
Can a regular carpet extractor clean tile and grout?
Yes, at lower pressure: scrub the pre-sprayed grout, then rinse and vacuum up the dirty solution with the extractor, which the Tile Council of North America calls the best way to clean grout. A spinner is faster but needs pressure: Mytee recommends at least 800 PSI for its Spinners, and Turbo Force rates the TH-40 from 650 PSI.
Do I need to seal grout after cleaning?
For cement grout, usually yes. The Tile Council of North America calls sealer a very good idea for cementitious grout, while epoxy grout is virtually as stain proof as the tile and does not need it. Apply sealer only to clean, dry grout and follow the sealer's label for coats and dry time.
What should you not use to clean grout?
Avoid acid cleaners on cement grout and on calcium-based stone such as marble. The Tile Council of North America says cement grout is dissolved by acids and advises against oil or wax based cleaners. It also warns that even a good alkaline cleaner leaves a sticky soap film if it is not rinsed.
Clean grout lines with pressure, not elbow grease
Related guides
- Best Floor Scrubber for Tile and Grout: 8 Machines by Floor Size and Grout Condition
- How to Clean Epoxy Floors Without Dulling the Coating: Daily, Weekly and Machine Scrubbing
- How to Clean and Restore Terrazzo Floors (Daily Care to Burnishing)
- How to Clean Marble Floors Without Etching: Daily Care to Honing and Polishing
