The sustainable way to make old tiles look new again: Deep cleaning and sealing saves money and the env.

The Boston area is famous for our wonderful schools, hospitals, care facilities, and laboratories - some of the best in the world. All those rooms mean a lot of tiled surfaces, which can appear dirty and grimy, no matter how often they're cleaned. It may not be the tiles - it may be the grout. Ceramic floors and walls, although cleaned daily, hold old dirt and biohazards in grout lines and can look so dingy that facility managers consider replacing them - an enormous cost in money, time, and labor. Not to mention the burden on over-stressed, increasingly expensive landfills! Consider using a non-hazardous deep cleaning and sealing process. First, technicians thoroughly clean and sanitize all the grout, using a non-toxic, water-based etcher. They then apply a sealer to guarantee that your grout remains impervious to stains, mold, mildew, biohazards and other contaminants. Finally, most grout sealers may be colored; some may be custom-matched to a spectrum of paint colors. Changing grout color can easily transform the look of a space - it allows you to match or contrast grout lines with tile work, appliances, or color schemes. Ask your service provider or technicians for a grout cleaning and sealing process that: Cleans and imparts uniform, consistent color to all grout joints; protects new and old grout from spills, stains, dirt, mold, mildew, biohazards, and other contaminants; restores the look of tile surfaces, saving thousands of dollars in replacement costs; is available in a variety of colors; and has a quick drying time (under ten minutes), resulting in minimal downtime. A high-quality, green grout cleaner and sealer is an invaluable service application to refurbish - rather than replace - the acres of tile work in Boston's labs, universities, and hospitals. Save money and the environment! Today, your medical staff, lab workers, students, guests, and patients can enjoy completely sanitized tile work - that looks brand-new. Jay Marr is regional manager, for RD Weis Companies, Boston, Mass.