Tile flooring may be hard, durable, and beautiful, but the sparkling white grout between the tiles doesn’t last forever. With time, grout, whether in your kitchen or bathroom floors, gets marked by colored liquid spills, soap scum, mildew, crumbs, and grime from mop water.
So, how do you achieve a fresh new look?
You don’t have to buy anything fancy to revitalize your dingy grout. Using a few household products, a bit of elbow grease, and the following simple steps recommended by our vetted contractors in Washington DC, you can whiten the lines between your tiles once again.
Tools and Materials
- Stiff nylon bristle brush
- Warm water
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Baking soda
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Oxygen bleach
- Home steam cleaner
- Mixing bowl
- Microfiber cloth
- Spoon
Steps for Cleaning Lightly Stained Grout
The best way to tackle stained grout is to begin with less corrosive materials such as warm water, vinegar, and baking soda. If there is no improvement, turn to mildly abrasive materials like oxygen bleach.
1. Scrub With Warm Water and a Stiff Brush
If your grout is in decent shape and you want to maintain that look, all you need to do is to clean it regularly with warm water and a stiff brush. Simply fill a spray bottle with warm water, then mist and scrub along the grout lines.
If you don’t own a stiff-bristled brush, get a brush specifically designed for cleaning grout at your local hardware. Never use a wire brush to clean your grout joints, as it will strip away the sealant, damage the grout and scratch the tile.
2. Clean With Vinegar and Water
If plain water doesn’t do the trick, it’s time to introduce trusty old vinegar to the mix. In your spray bottle, combine equal parts vinegar and warm water, spray the mixture on the grout, let it stand for five minutes, then scrub vigorously with the nylon-bristle brush.
Regular distilled white vinegar is perfect, but go with cleaning vinegar if you have it on hand. Rinse immediately with clean, cool water. If the rinse water is dirty, this solution is working, so continue until you get the desired look.
3. Apply a Baking Soda Paste and Spray With Vinegar
Baking soda is a very versatile and safe household cleaner. Add it to the mix, and it will deliver even more cleaning power. Pour about 1/4 cup of baking soda into your mixing bowl. Slowly add cool water and stir with a spoon to create a thick paste.
Next, apply the paste on the grout lines, then spray your vinegar and water solution from step two on top of the paste. The paste mix will foam up. Once the foaming stops, scrub with your hard-bristled brush and rinse with cool, clean water.
Steps for Cleaning Deeply Stained Grout
If you’ve neglected your tile grout for quite some time, it becomes stained to the point where even water and vinegar or baking soda paste can’t quite do the job anymore. Use these steps if the grout is deeply stained and discolored.
1. Clean With Hydrogen Peroxide
If you’ve tried all the steps above and nothing seems to work, don’t worry. There’s one more ingredient in your grout-cleaning drawer: Hydrogen peroxide. It’s a mild antiseptic used in cleaning wounds to prevent infection. It’s also a powerful cleaner that won’t create future grout problems.
Spray a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide directly on your grout, scrub, rinse away, then wipe with a microfiber cloth. Alternatively, use it instead of the water when making the baking soda paste. It will cut through residue on the grout to remove discolorations.
2. Apply Oxygen Bleach
For tougher stains and really grimy grout, turn to oxygen bleach. Unlike chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach is non-toxic, eco-friendly, and doesn’t have a harsh chemical smell. It’s primarily found in powdered form, so you’ll need to mix it with water in the ratio of about two parts bleach to one part water.
Cover the grout lines with the thick paste, and let the solution penetrate the area for 10 to 15 minutes. Once the grime has been loosened from the grout, rinse with clean water wash it away with a cloth.
3. Clean With Steam Cleaner
When all methods have failed, your last resort is a residential steam cleaner. This power tool will help you steer clear of harsh chemical cleaning products and make quick work of an otherwise tedious and arm-killing job. Its nozzle directs steam onto the grout, loosening the grime.
Steam cleaners have several attachments, including nylon brushes made specifically for grout cleaning. Use it or your hard bristle brush to scrub the grout while you steam. When you’re done, rinse, and dry the area.
Clean Grout to Refresh the Look of Your Tiles
Stained grout can detract from the good looks of pretty tile. Showing the tile lines some love will breathe new life into a tired bathroom or kitchen, extend the grout’s life, and avoid premature and expensive grout replacement.
If you have tried all cleaning methods without success, you can always turn to professional tile and grout cleaners for help. Get a free home repair quote from PunchList and we can help you find a qualified contractor near you for the job.
