What can I use to clean white bathroom tile? I have 3 bathrooms with white tile and it is very tiresome trying to keep the white caulk between each square tile clean. I have been using a toothbrush to scrub it, but I thought you had a better idea. Please help.
By Onesummer
I know this will sound strange, but my granddaughter sent me 100 ways to use Coke. Cleaning grout was one of them. Just pour a can of Coca Cola on the floor or the counter and wipe it up. Must use the name brand.
Hope this will help.
I have an amazing new cleaner that got my grout white! It's called ZEP Grout Cleaner. It's only sold at Home Depot. I bought a 14yr old house that came with white tiles, and what was supposed to be white grout. I poured some on and used an old brush that's used to clean bird cages. And voila, I have amazing white grout. I'd tried absolutely everything to get this floor clean, and this was the one thing that worked!
Maybe your grout is dirtier than mine, but I just apply some Soft Scrub with a cloth making sure it's covering all the grout. Then I have a glass of tea while it works.
I just used hydrogen peroxide on my grout, and it worked. Just put it on, let it sit for a while, scrub it with a small brush (I used a small brush used for your nails) and wiped dry. I was amazed, as it took off lots of grime left by a previous owner of our condo.
I have successfully used vinegar on grout. Pour white vinegar directly onto the grout and let sit a few minutes, then use a scrub brush or Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Wipe away excess with a towel. I have found that it's best to clean a small area at a time.
Don't clean it. Paint it. Go to the hardware store in the tub and tile section. They have paint in a bottle that has a roller on it. I think it worked great. And it stayed on a long time.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Any ideas on cleaning shower grout without chemicals? I've thought about using a steam cleaner, but I don't know if they really work. What is the best type?
By Carol from NH
Try a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. Also, they'll last longer if you don't get them too wet.
I've heard that Home Depot, and probably regular hardware stores like ACE, sell a non-toxic citrus grout cleaner.
My bathroom grout in my ceramic tile is filthy. How do I get it clean without replacing it?
By KAREN from Whitelaw, WI
I have been successful cleaning grout with a toothbrush and bleach.
Ammonia. Dilute it and spray it on. Let it sit for a half hour or so then scrub with a brush. You can even use Windex. This will work better than bleach or anything else I've tried, with much less scrubbing.
Does anyone know a secret on how to clean tile grout on the bathroom floor? I have tried everything I could think of including some horrible smelling chemical I got at Lowe's. Thanks for any and all ideas.
By Gail
Allow vinegar to soak on the tile grout by placing paper towels on the grout soaked with it. Take care to try not to leave it on the stainless steel or aluminum type drain that's in the shower, as too much exposure could pit it.
How can I clean filthy grout on tile floors without getting on my hands and knees? I live in an old rental house that has filthy floors. I have arthritis in both knees and can't afford to hire someone to clean the floors.
By lasamons
No need to get down on your knees. Use something like Simple Green, or like mentioned before for carpet odors salt and lemon juice in a spray bottle - anyway spray on floor. Use a broom to scrub your floor! Then mop up residue. Hope this helps!
My entire shower is tiled, ceiling and all. There is a residue, hard water stains (?) that turns pinkish and responds to over the counter and home-made cleaners. However, the ceiling tile grout turns dark gray and nothing I've tried gets it clean.
I've already tried baking soda, Borax, Scrubbing Bubbles, Comet, BonAmi, Melaluca stuff, Brillo, and Magic Erasers. Aside from straight bleach, what else should I try? I usually look like someone from HazMat when cleaning the ceiling. I would prefer something not harmful to children and pets.
By tsoup from Hampton Rds., VA
Did you try CLR? I know it's for hard water stains, but really it seems like you've tried everything.
Did you try fresh lemon juice? Try a small area, let it sit (you will probably have to experiment with how long it should stay on the grout), rinse and see what happens. There's a show on the BBC Channel called 'how clean is your house?' and those two women who clean are forever coming up with ways to clean things with lemons.
Or, see if Hints from Heloise - I don't know if you remember, but she had a newspaper column where you could send your cleaning questions to - see if she has a website and ask her.
Wait! Email Martha Stewart's web and I feel sure that woman can solve anything.
Maybe you can buy a white grout pen like at Home Depot kind of hardware store (is the tile supposed to be white in the first place?)
Then if and hope and pray it worked, I'd re-seal the grout. I know we were told by our contracter that tile grout has to be re-sealed every 2-3 years. You can buy the sealer at Home Depot stores.
I'd do the same on the grout that you were able to turn white again; maybe it will keep it white and you won't have to go through the grief again of grout issues, which I personally hate.
I'm just thinking that once you get it white (again, if it's supposed to be white) you can seal it and maybe it would stay white.
You know, I just thought of something. Go to a tile store, the kind where you buy the tile and they install it for you. I bet there's someone there that can recommend a product for you or could at least tell you what's going on with your weird grout.
Or ask someone at Home Depot. Really, you'll have to get lucky there because the Home Depot by us has most of their employees straight from high school who not only haven't a clue, but don't want one either.
Good luck. Post your results, ok? I'd like to see what worked for you.
Also, have you tried Barkeeper's Friend? I use it on my kitchen sink, otherwise called, spawn of Satan, because the porcelain sink stains when you just look at it.
I buy it at Kroger, my local grocery store, but I bet Target-like stores have it too.
I tried everything on it including soaking it in bleach, most of the products you tried; no luck.
Then I read about Barkeepers's Friend and it worked. Plus I found out today that it got rid of hardwater stains in my husband's bathroom. Don't ask me, he's the only one who gets hard water stains in his commode. Well it worked! and believe me, I tried everything and anything, even CLR and that type of thing, with no luck.
But someone on this site said not to use bleach in the commode for hard water stains - it will set them.
Yes, I read this bit of advice AFTER I used bleach in my commode.
I'm not saying that bleach will set the stains in your grout, but I'd try a small section first.
Good luck!
Have you tried Oxiclean?
Have you tried toilet bowl cleaner? I have used it on dark floor grout and it usually ends up at the original color. It probably has some clorine in it so be careful with eyes, especially on the ceiling.
Hi I clean my bathroom tile grout with toothpaste spread on to an old toothbrush if you have a large area to cover then spread toothpaste onto a soft bristle scrubbing brush. Let me know what worked the best. Good luck, Helen
By Fran from Scotland
You could paint it white. The hardware store would advise you on the proper paint to use.
I think the contrast looks really nice and especially so if that's a floral tile that is showing in the photo (instead of a plant) and happens to have even a small similar amount of the grout color or any other items in your bathroom that might have a similar color for that matter :-)
People are often charged more for tinted contrast grout during installation ;-)
I have used Clorox wipes or even baby wipes to clean the grout. It is time consuming and hard work as you have to rub the grout possibly with the help of an old toothbrush but it works.
Our Dollar Store in America makes a cleaning product called Tuff Stuff. Its in the automotive section. If you have a dollar store in your area, run, dont walk and grab yourself a couple of cans of it. You will be glad you did. Spray it on, wait 5 minutes and wipe it off. It will clean the grout and the tile. If the stains are stubborn, use an old toothbrush. I'm telling you, it works. Does great on carpets too.
My bathroom floor tiles and grout are white. The grout is really dirty and almost black in some places. I have tried several grout cleaners. Does anyone has one that really works for this stubborn area?
By Rose
I made the mistake of choosing a light colored grout for my ceramic floors and now they look gross and dingy. How do I restore the color to the grout and keep it from looking so dirty?
By Adriana P. from Galveston, TX
I feel your pain. My late husband was such a spiller of coffee that I considered mopping the whole floor with coffee to make it at least consistent.
We have a shower that doesn't get the best ventilation, so I have a hard time keeping mildew out of the grout. It is exhausting trying to clean it. I saw a suggestion of a Clorox bleach pen. Do you think that will work? or does someone have a better idea. I'm sick of spraying bleach and scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing!
By Michelle P
You may need to regrout. After time, grout becomes porous and picks up mildew quickly. Once you do that, I suggest you get a squeegee (sp?) and wipe down the walls after you shower. It only takes about a minute to do all 3 walls. I use a small fan facing the shower to dry it quicker as I don't have ventilation either. This should help somewhat. My housekeeper cleans the shower walls and ceiling with Clorox Cleanup about once a month and this maintains it well.
What is the easiest way to clean kitchen grout without scrubbing?
By Sherrie P.
Someone else might be able to tell you how to clean grout, but the grout in my bathroom floor was discolored, so I purchased some grout paint at Home Depot. You use a small brush to paint it on (you don't have to avoid getting it on the tiles), then immediately use a dry cloth to wipe over it, wiping the tiles, not the grout. It was fast and easy and worked great. The paint can also be used on kitchen countertops and walls and in shower stalls. It is very durable and will hold up to frequent cleaning. It comes in several colors.
The grout on my shower floor has a few black lines that don't clean out. What to do?
By Jeanne from Cortez, CO
After painting old grout with concrete paint do you mop regularly using vinegar and water solution to clean ceramic tile floors?
By Alexxis F.
What is the best way to clean tile and grout that is mucky?
By marion from Parsippany, NJ
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
How do you effectively clean grout without harmful chemicals? Should I replace the grout in the shower?
How can I clean dirty floor tile grout? I've tried so many different suggestions, and really don't want to pay for professional cleaning.
I live in an older apartment and the grout between the tile is really dirty. Is there an effective way to clean this without completely re-grouting? Thanks in advance!
After years of searching for something that cleans my ceramic tile pores and grout with no luck, I finally found a solution!
To clean dingy grout, use the new "White Out" which has a small sponge brush. It's ideal for grout lines and puts a waterproof seal over your grout, which will last a long time.
Is there any easy way to clean grout? It tool me 2 hours to clean an 8 ft. x 6 ft. section, on my hand and knees with scrub brush and bleach. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
How do you clean white grout on a tile floor and is there anyway to re-grout in a darker color?
