Professional Service or DIY for Home Cleaning? Know the Difference

Home cleaning is no easy task. Many people avoid hiring professionals to save cost, but what they do not realize is that eventually, their surfaces can ruin completely, leading to higher restoration costs. Professional cleaners not only have the access to the best products, they also follow a proper procedure. A professional service knocks off all the hidden villains on your tile, grout, glass surfaces, tubs and other such areas of your house, thereby improving the longevity and the aesthetic beauty of your homes and offices.

On the other hand, if you want to perform a DIY task for home restoration, then you will have to use the best products and perform the procedures in a step-by-step way to get desired results. If you are still confused, we will go in detail regarding the pros and cons of both, professional cleaning services and DIY tasks.

But before you decide whether a service or DIY is better for you, we shall first understand why proper cleaning is required for tile, glass, grout or stone surfaces.

Importance of Thorough Cleaning of Tile, Grout, Stone and Glass Surfaces:

• Thorough or deep cleaning ascertains the health and hygiene of your surfaces.
• It is absolutely necessary for porous surfaces like natural stone tile that is prone to moisture absorption and subsequent mold breeding.
• Deep Cleaning also manages to tackle dense and stubborn stains like rust on all kinds of porous or non-porous surfaces.

• Prolonged neglect in deep cleaning of floors, showers or countertops result in residual damage, which subsequently lead to higher maintenance costs.
• Professionals often perform a preventive maintenance procedure by sealing your surfaces to prevent mold and stains.
• Glass doors and shelves often get stained and covered with hard water dots and soap scum in bathrooms.
• Cleaning these surfaces will not only give you aesthetically beautiful home interiors but also showcase your house keeping skills.

Everything you Need to Know about Professional Cleaning Services:

When to Hire a Professional?

Do not consider yourself as a super human being when it comes to tile and grout cleaning. You can always hire a professional service for home cleaning when,

• Lack of Time:

If you have a very hectic lifestyle, then you can hire a professional service provider. For a working mom, weekends can get very hectic looking after other chores like childcare, laundry and other such routine work. Spending time and energy on deep cleaning is not practical. In such a case, hiring a pro would save you lot of time and energy.

• You have been ignoring cleaning since long:

If you have been ignoring house cleaning for long, you may find dense and stubborn stains on your shower tile, kitchen tile or countertops. These need a proper cleaner or a good cleaning professional to remove. You also need an experienced person to get the sheen back on your surface. Doing it yourself will need a tremendous amount of effort and time.

• There is an Upcoming Event:

When there is a festival or an event coming up, you obviously cannot spend time scrubbing floors and showers. You may have plenty of other things to look into. During such times, an external service provider proves to be a blessing. They help you get the sheen back on your surfaces, so that you can cast a good impression on your guests.

Benefits of Hiring Professional Restorations:

• They have an in-depth knowledge about different kinds of home surfaces and the products that can be used on them.
• They also have access to better products and advanced equipment to restore and clean your surfaces.
  Professionals also guide you to sealing methods to prevent further staining, which you might not be aware of.
• They first scan the area and perform their patented procedures with first-hand experience and knowledge. An amateur like you can end up ruining the surface.
• You can ask them for a proper and accurate estimate of labor, material and cost before they begin. When you perform DIY, you might be unaware of how much time or material it will cost.
• Some professional companies also offer labor warranties on their services, which can let you sit back and relax.

Disadvantages of Hiring Professional Contractors:

You may have to pay a little higher when you hire a professional service contractor and this may add up to your home restoration costs. But then, when you calculate the expenses, time invested or effort put, you might be inclined towards hiring a pro only.

What Factors should you keep in Mind Before Hiring a Professional Restoration Service Contractor?
Not all service providers offer labor warranty or guide you for sealing procedures or maintenance products. Some may even advise you to get polishing services done to restore the sheen on dull tile. While hiring a good company, check for:

• Labor Warranty
• Sealing Services
• Polishing Services
• Guidance on Maintenance Products for maintaining the surfaces after sealing.

Everything you Need to Know about Do-It-Yourself Home Cleaning and Restoration Methods:

Common Products Used for Do-It-Yourself Home Cleaning:

The common home remedies you might have heard of for floor tile cleaning are:

Vinegar:

It is cheap and easily available at home. But it does not penetrate deep into the pores of the tile and grout. It only performs superficial cleaning. It leaves the surface rough after retraction. You will need a lot of paste to effectively clean the entire surface. The scrubbing will take a lot of effort too.

Lemon:

Although easily available at home, it may leave a whitish mark on the surface. It also robs the surface of its natural lustre. You will need a lot of lime juice to effectively clean the entire surface. The scrubbing will take a lot of effort too.

Hydrogen Peroxide:

It disinfects the surface superficially but also discolors the tile and grout.

Baking Soda:

Although it is cheap and easily available at home, it does not penetrate deep into the pores of the tile and grout. Only performs superficial cleaning and leaves the surface rough after retraction.

What Products to Use from pFOkUS for DO-It-Yourself?

It is always better to clean floor tile and grout with a deep-penetrating cleaner that eliminates mold and germs from the root. It is always better to use a natural stone approved cleaner as it does not cause any etching marks on the surface and it leaves a lovely sheen also by nourishing the floor tile and grout. We recommend you to use Imperia Deep Clean by pFOkUS that is a combination of all these features. It is a leading stone, tile, grout and glass restoration product manufacturing company in the US. All our products are manufactured after years of research in the laboratories.

For floor tile maintenance, you can use Imperia Maintenance or Valore Maintenance that helps you get rid of the superfluous germs and dirt and maintain the sheen of your surfaces.

We also recommend you to Benaz for glass door cleaning. This one is a powerful glass cleaner that helps you maintain the cleanliness and clarity of your glass surfaces.

Benefits of Do-It-Yourself Methods:

Do-It-Yourself methods not only help you learn something new, but also helps you lower the cleaning and restoration costs at home.

Disadvantages with Do-It-Yourself Methods:

Do-It-Yourself methods have some disadvantages also:

• You end up wasting time and money.
• You have insufficient knowledge about the process and this may also end up damaging your surfaces.
• Wrong products may damage your surfaces and also your hands.
• You may not have the knowledge to first remove pre-existing sealers before applying the fresh ones, this may make your surface look hazy.
• You may lose patience or get tired mid-way and get non-uniform finishing as a result. Trained people know how much time and energy it will take to clean your surfaces.
• Trained people also know more about cleaning the mess later on and this helps them give your finished surfaces sooner.

Final Verdict:

It is always better to hire a professional service provider for home cleaning, but if you must do-it-yourself, you must use high-quality products to get the best results. You can hire services of D’Sapone for home cleaning or purchase high-quality products from pFOkUS and do-it-yourself.