Tile and grout cleaning in Casuarina and the northern suburbs

Northern suburbs homes and their grout

The northern suburbs are where most of Darwin lives, spread between the coast at Nightcliff and Casuarina Beach and the inland suburbs out to Leanyer, Karama and Malak. Much of the housing went up in the decade after Cyclone Tracy: solid ground-level block homes and elevated houses built to the cyclone code, plus the unit complexes along Nightcliff, Rapid Creek and Coconut Grove. Almost all of it is tiled right through, often with the smaller tiles of the era, which means a lot of grout per square metre and grout that has been through forty wet seasons.

The usual problems in these suburbs are showers in older ensuites where the grout has gone black in the corners and along the bottom rows, and living-area floors where decades of mopping have turned light grout brown. Both clean up far better than people expect. Where grout has stained through, colour sealing gives one even colour again; where it has only gone dark on the surface, a clean and a clear seal is enough.

Units, apartments and rentals

Casuarina, Nightcliff and Rapid Creek have a high share of units and townhouses, many of them rented, and many with tenants coming and going around the hospital, the university and government postings. For a unit, tell us about parking and any lift or stair access in the quote notes so the cleaner can bring the gear straight in. For an end-of-lease clean, book us for the day before the bond clean and put the handover date in the notes; a bond clean wipes tiles down but rarely deep-cleans grout, and grout is what gets noted at the inspection.

Coastal air and the wet season

Homes near the coast at Nightcliff, Casuarina and Brinkin get sea breezes, which helps bathrooms dry, but nothing in the northern suburbs escapes the build-up: from October to April, showers without a strong exhaust fan can stay damp around the clock, and that is when grout mould takes hold. A clean before the build-up, with sealing, is the best time to book if you want to go into the wet season with grout that dries quickly and wipes clean.

What we clean in Casuarina

• Showers and bathrooms: mould, soap scum and dull tiles, $159 a shower recess, $229 a bathroom, $179 each extra bathroom
• Kitchen and floor tiles: $9/m² for living areas, kitchens and hallways
• Grout sealing: clear sealing from $5/m², colour sealing for stained grout
• Tile and grout cleaning as an end-of-lease add-on

Not offered: regrouting, re-tiling, waterproofing, shower leak repairs or silicone replacement. Every price is published.