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I’m thinking of buying the new tile & grout cleaning machine. Does anybody have it & what do you think?
I just got it at end of last year and I like it. Does a great job. My only concern is the size. I run a 2 man crew so we can handle it. One person crew may be in for a rough go. If I remember correctly, you have a part time helper, so I would just schedule tile/grout jobs on the days you have the helper if possible. FYI, the machine has been updated and is different (see bigger) than the model that was at the state meetings.
I would echo Devlin. Does a great job but is large and heavy. The only other thing that might be a negative is the amount of water it uses. If you have 2 people on the job, one will be on ‘bucket duty’ filling water and emptying the holding tank.
Agreed that a lot of water will be used. The new models come standard with auto-fill and auto-dump feature which, if possible, I have been using every time to limit the bucket brigade.
At our state mtg it did a good job but looked like a huge pita….it would take a lot for us to go there….
Dave,
In many ways it is a pita (pain in the….), but if you have a lot of tile in your area, it is worth it in my opinion. National average is $1/sq ft for cleaning tile (not sure if this includes sealing grout, but I think it does). I would much rather clean tile/grout than clean upholstery. Both are a pita, but I am often not happy with upholstery results when I’m done, but so far am extremely happy with tile/grout results. Need the grout to be completely dry to see the full results as wet grout (concrete) appears dark. Tile and grout also allows for a lot of profitable add ons if you want to take it a step further (cleaning showers/counters, color sealant, repair if so inclined…polishing!……..). All are big ticket items. That said, the machine is BIG, and a big expense, and if you think you’re just going to get requests for cleaning bathrooms, I wouldn’t get it. I just took a class at a local distributor taught by a guy from Phoenix, and all he does is tile/grout. His average ticket is $3K, and his most expensive “package” is $19/sq ft. He repairs, cleans, polishes, etc. and obviously knows a heck of a lot more than I ever will about tile/grout. I know Phoenix has a TON of tile/grout, much more so than my area, so I don’t expect to reach what he does ever, nor do I plan to add all his services. Most of the cleaners in my area seem to be adding tile/grout cleaning to their list of services.Total;y agree…however, in PA, in the north, where the winters are still chilly and no amount of quarries around here like Indiana or Vermont, etc…t & g is not huge yet, but is growing. I predict that people will still prefer area rugs or carpeting to cold feet in the morning.
At $1 or so a sq ft it would take a lot of foyer, halls and family rooms to get me to purchase and transport and unload and clean and go through the rigamarole (sp) to clean a 8×10 foyer…vs the brush with FAE and cleaner….it does do a pretty good job here on 90% of the t & g……
It would work well for commercial…as for repairs etc, that would mean setting up another business entity for me and not going to happen…sounds good though.
Have a great year…
DAve
I feel the T&G machine is ment for a monthly contract w/ Taco John’s, Subways, ect. or bi-yearly w/ car dealerships and other businesses.I have used it on a few residential jobs of 300-500 sqft. and found I could do OK at 50 cents/sqft to clean only. I would use a rule of thumb of under 500sqft = $1.00 and over $.50. My goal is to ramp up my efforts and sell some contracts by March. As for the size, I can load and unload from van easily alone. With back of machine toward van door, face the machine and grab the large handle at the rear of machine. Bend your knees and “Roll” the machine onto your thighs and set rear wheels onto the step in your side door. Just regrip and set it up in the van. Taking it out of the van seems to be slightly harder.
Just an FYI, if your machine looks like this, you can probably load it with one person:
http://www.century400.com/products/index.php?id=1.007-061.0
•Dimensions: 26” L X 17.5” W X 36” HIf you order a new machine from corporate it will probably look like this from now on:
http://www.century400.com/products/index.php?id=NinjaWarrior
length 33.5 in
width 22 in
height 43.25 in
This machine, I would not advise trying to load and unload with one person without a ramp.I have loaded both machines in my van. The old model was delivered to me for our state conference and I loaded it by myself ok. Still heavy, but you can do it. The new model machine is what I have and use. It is very tough to load empty by yourself, and if it has anything in the water tank or recovery tank, my hat goes off to you if you can get it in your van by yourself without using a ramp. Weight of each is comparable, but the old one is more compact design and has handles in better areas for lifting IMO. I have a regular Ninja for carpet/upholstery, so maybe I am just used to lifting old style body model though. The new one is larger in size overall, and doesn’t have the handle in the front like the old one. You have to lift the cover to the water tank and use that opening as a handle (or at least that’s the best option I have figured out so far). Also, the back handle is much higher which seems to makes it tougher to lift too (I’m 6′ 4″ for reference). All that said, I’m still glad I ordered it. Dave, I totally agree that the tile/grout brush attachment may be the better way to go for many operators. I love that Heaven’s Best gives us that option. Just my 2 cents.
Well guys just to add a little bit more to this.. I just ended up getting the new tile & grout machine and can I say “WOW”.. I was able to play with it a couple times but today did a real job for a guy with a management company that has really been sending me alot of work for the last couple months. I was trying to show him how well the machine worked so I could get their tile work along with the carpet cleaning.. All I heard was wow what an amazing difference it made to his tile.. We took before and after pics so I will uplaod them this next week.. This guy uses several different contractors for his make readys but im trying to show him that I can handle alot of the things he needs done.. He didnt know that I could do patchs and carpet dying but he does now.. By the way I bought ramps to get the machine in and out of the van.. I only have one hand to use and am able to get it in and out with no problem..
I had a Realtor call me in to clean a home she had listed…
The T&G wreaked of dog urine, and the maid service cleaned it 3 times.
I opened the door and the odor almost knocked me over!
I used the new machine on it just once, and it solved the problem.We purchased the TandG machine a couple of months ago and love the results. A couple of modifications I would make is having a clamp for the hose that connects to the water. When it pressurizes, it tends to blow the hose off and spray the entire bathroom. I know this from personal experience. Also, when you are finished, and have pumped all the water out, remember that there is still about a gallon of water in the machine. I am going to have a bucket that I can dump it into via the T handle in the back. One more thing to remember, DO NOT TRY TO TAKE THE MACHINE UP AND DOWN STAIRS BY YOURSELF WITHOUT HELP! I just about killed myself and almost damaged the stairwell in a customers home. I am tempted to get a couple more sets of hoses so that I can leave it on one level.
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