How to Clean Grout

How to Clean Grout

Posted by Vapor Clean on Jul 09, 2021

Dirty grout makes your beautiful kitchen, bath or floor tile unsightly. Cleaning your tile grout in time can save you from having to entirely replace the grout later on. Dirty grout is found on floor tile due to foot traffic and on kitchen tile from spills and constant use. Once you learn the best way to clean grout, this task will be kept to a minimum and your grout—and tile—will sparkle once again.

When to Clean Grout

Tile grout that has become heavily embedded with dirt, mold or mildew often cannot be cleaned. So, cleaning your grout as soon as you see discoloration often can prevent the more difficult and costly task of replacing your grout.

If your grout appears to be a uniform color (such as gray), the grout may have been tinted during installation. Tint is sometimes added to tile grout for aesthetic appeal or to reduce the visual effect of dirt.

Safety Considerations

Mixing vinegar with bleach will produce a toxic chlorine gas that can be fatal. Never mix these two products under any circumstances, not even if the area is well-ventilated.

Never mix baking soda and vinegar inside of an enclosed container. This will cause the container to explode. When cleaning grout with chlorine bleach, work only in a well-ventilated area.

Tools

  • Stiff nylon-bristle brush
  • Clean plastic bowls
  • Clean, empty spray bottle
  • Spoon
  • Latex or nitrile gloves
  • Sponges
  • Old toothbrushes
  • Steam cleaner

Materials

  • White vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Oxygen bleach cleaning product
  • Non-scratching kitchen cleaner

Instructions

The best way to clean grout is to begin with less caustic materials such as vinegar and baking soda. If these do not work, scale up your efforts to include mildly abrasive materials, chlorine bleach and steam cleaning, only if needed.

1. Clean With Vinegar and Water

In the spray bottle, combine vinegar and warm tap water and fill to about the halfway mark. Add a squirt of dish soap. Turn the bottle over a few times to gently mix. Do not shake.

Spray the solution on the tile and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not let the solution dry. Scrub the grout vigorously with the nylon-bristle brush. Rinse immediately with clean, cool water.

If the rinse water is dark, this cleaning method is working and you can continue. If not, proceed to the next step.

2. Clean With Baking Soda, Vinegar and Water

If vinegar and water alone are not cleaning the grout, continue with them but add an abrasive.

Baking soda is a mild abrasive that may help clean the grout stains. Pour about 1/4 cup of baking soda into a bowl. Slowly add cool water to the baking soda while mixing with a spoon until a thick paste is formed.

Apply the paste to the grout with an old toothbrush. Using the vinegar/water solution from the previous step and dialing the nozzle to mist, lightly spray the tile. The paste mix will foam up. Immediately scrub with the nylon brush. Rinse with cool, clean water.

3. Clean With Hydrogen Peroxide

Add about 1/4 cup of baking soda to a clean bowl. Slowly pour in hydrogen peroxide to form a thick paste.

Wearing latex gloves, apply the paste to the tile grout with the toothbrush. Scrub with either the toothbrush or the larger nylon brush. Rinse with clean water.

4. Clean With Oxygen Bleach

If the previous methods are still not working, thoroughly wash the tile off and switch to an oxygen bleach product.

Make sure the surface is clean. Spray the product directly onto the tile grout. Let the product sit on the grout for about five minutes. Scrub the grout with the brush. Rinse thoroughly with water and allow to dry.

5. Clean With Non-Scratching Kitchen Cleaner

Some non-chlorinated kitchen cleaners are mildly abrasive and yet do not scratch fine surfaces. These dry powders use a base of finely ground feldspar, salts and limestone to gently scrub away dirt, mold and mildew.

While they are designed to not scratch tile surfaces, it’s always a good idea to first test them on an inconspicuous area of the tile.

With a toothbrush, scrub the tile grout with a paste-like mixture of the cleaner and water. Try to stay on the grout lines as much as possible. Rinse off with cool water.

6. Clean With Chlorine Bleach

A chlorine-based kitchen and bathroom product often can clean the grout. This type of product may erode the grout if you scrub too hard or if you clean too often with this mixture.

Mixing vinegar with bleach produces toxic chlorine gas. In earlier steps, you may have applied vinegar to the tile. So, be sure to thoroughly clean and rinse the tile with water to remove all traces of the vinegar.

Add some of the chlorine bleach to a clean bowl. Wet an old toothbrush with water. Dab the toothbrush in the chlorine bleach to make a paste. Scrub the grout with the toothbrush. Stay on the grout as much as possible.

7. Clean With Steam Cleaner

A home steam cleaner may be able to clean tile grout when all other methods have failed. Steam cleaners bring water to a boil in a canister and direct steam through a hose to the tile surface.

It usually takes about 10 minutes for the machine to heat up. Once the water has reached its temperature point, you’ll have between 30 and 60 minutes to clean before you need to replenish the water.

Steam cleaners have several attachments, such as a jet nozzle, a sponge nozzle and several sizes of nylon utility brushes. The jet nozzle alone usually isn’t enough. You will need to scrub the grout with one of the nylon utility brushes.

WARNING: Most steam cleaners will have a brass or steel bristle utility brush. Do not use any type of metal bristle brush on the tile as it will scratch the tile and gouge the grout. Add only water to the steam cleaner’s canister.


Source - https://www.forbes.com/advisor/home-improvement/how-to-clean-tile-grout/

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