Grout Cleaning Tricks
A FEW WAYS TO CLEAN THE GROUT BETWEEN FLOOR TILES
When you first installed tiles after renovating or installing new flooring, they looked shiny and pristine. The tiles themselves sparkled and stains didn’t exist, and the grout cementing the tiles together was as white as snow; but that was a few years ago. Even though you’ve done your best to sweep and mop regularly, the stains and dirt have still managed to make their way into your tiles. The sparkling image that was your kitchen or bathroom now looks aged. Unfortunately, no matter the tile or grout material used, dirt and dust creep into the grout and give it that brown, dirty look. No worries, though! These stains aren’t permanent, and with a little bit of time and effort, you can get your tiles looking good as new!
BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR*
Do you recall those earlier years of school science classes when your class would experiment with baking soda and vinegar volcanoes? These two chemicals, when mixed together, create a reaction that can actually be quite effective at cleaning the grout between your floor tiles. Some of the ingredients and tools that you’ll need are baking soda, household vinegar, water, a bowl, a spray bottle, and a scrub brush.
First, mix some baking soda and water together in the bowl until a paste is formed, and mix some vinegar and water in the spray bottle. After making your solutions, apply the baking soda paste to the grout and let it sit for a few moments before spraying it with the vinegar solution. After spraying, there should be a mild reaction, so don’t worry when things get a little fizzy! After a few moments of it sizzling, scrub it with the brush, mop up the mess, and voila! The grout should be sparkling. If this process doesn’t immediately clear up the stains, try again. While this is a safe cleaning method, Transworld Tile also recommends wearing rubbing gloves to avoid any potential irritation.
OXYGENATED BLEACH*
Billy Mays wasn’t wrong when he boasted about the powers of Oxi Clean. Oxygenated bleach, or sodium percarbonate, is a powerful cleaning product that can effectively clean out the stains in grout. The cleaning product can be found in most supply stores and is relatively cheap to buy. Because the cleaner is usually very concentrated, we recommend mixing it in with water. The supplies you’ll need include a bowl, some oxygenated bleach —a generic brand will work— some water, and a scrub brush.
Add a tablespoon (or whatever the bottle recommends) of oxygenated bleach to one or two cups of water in the bowl. Apply the mixture to the grout, wait a few minutes, and start scrubbing away! The chemicals in the mixture should effectively loosen the dirt and allow it to be scrubbed away easily. After scrubbing, mop away the excess. If the stains remain, we suggest trying this out a second time, especially if the stains have been there for a while. Additionally, because oxygenated bleach can be corrosive, we recommend wearing rubber gloves to prevent irritation.
STEAM CLEANER
What’s more effective at cleaning than some super hot water applied at high pressures? The grout between floor tiles is hard to clean, especially if the stains have been sitting there for quite some time. A steam cleaner is a great non-chemical way to clean up the stains and get your bathroom floor looking good as new. The only things you need for this cleaning method are a steam cleaner and some water.
After plugging in the steam cleaner and allowing it to clean up, get to work on moving it over the grout in between the floor tiles. The high temperatures serve as an effective mechanism at stirring up the dirt. After going over the grout with the steam cleaner, mop up the water and dirt! It should look bright and shiny once again. Like the other methods mentioned above, we recommend trying it out twice if it doesn’t work out the first time!
MAGIC ERASER
Mr. Clean was named as such for a reason! Magic erasers are bars bought at most supply stores and is a fairly safe and non abrasive way to clean the grout between floor tiles. Additionally, they’re super cheap and very easy to use and clean with. All of the supplies you’ll need include the trusty Magic Eraser and some good ol’ water.
Start by wetting the eraser and then get to work at scrubbing the grout. You’ll soon see why they call it a Magic Eraser as the dirt mysteriously vanishes! After a good grout scrubbing, mop up the excess water and dirt with a mop. You’ll swear it was real magic that restored your tiles to their former glory!
Keep your flooring always looking like it was freshly installed with these grout cleaning methods. Transworld Tile is always working our best to bring you the best in tiling tips, tricks, products, and services. Never let your kitchen or bathroom flooring look bad again with our floor tile company! Thanks for reading and we hope to see you back here soon!
* With these methods, we recommend trying out the cleaning method on a small section of the grout between floor tiles so as not to make sure the chemicals damage the coloring of the tiles or grout. While we would never recommend methods that would put your floor and tiles at risk, Transworld Tile would rather you err on the caution side.
