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.
Please try not to use bleach for anything :-( It's toxic to the environment and hazardous to your lungs :-(
Here's a safe and healthy tile/grout cleanser and if anyone wants a complete list of Homemade Green Cleanser Tips/Recipes just click on my contact button and I will gladly email the Word document to you:
Tub, Tile and Grout Cleaner: Rub in baking soda with a damp sponge and rinse with fresh water. For tougher jobs, wipe surfaces with vinegar first and follow with baking soda as a scouring powder. (Vinegar can break down tile grout, so use sparingly.)
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 go back after about a half hour and use a stiff brush to scrub. It doesn't take much scrubbing, mostly just a couple or three swipes over each part and it's clean.
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Home Depot now sells paint for grout. You can change your grout to a darker color with this product. It is located in the tile department in the same aisle as the grout and mastic. (03/24/2009)
How do you clean white grout on a tile floor and is there anyway to re-grout in a darker color?
CD from Grand Island, NE
Answers:
RE: Cleaning Grout
I have used a product form QVC Shopping. It is the greatest! Go to QVC.com. The item # is V-2137. It comes in different colors so you can change your grouting color if you wish. I did both of our bathrooms myself and didn't use the whole bottle. If I can do it, anyone can!
If I could, I would be a spokesperson for this product. A + product! (12/01/2006)
By Karifl
RE: Cleaning Grout
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. (12/01/2006)
By Pat437
RE: Cleaning Grout
I use Clorox bleach to clean my grout. Just pour it, leave a few seconds or a minute, then scrub it with a toothbrush. It's white again! (12/02/2006)
By Thelma
RE: Cleaning Grout
I have tried everything, including what has been suggested on this page. I tried Scrub Free w/bleach from Wal-mart ($2.50). You spray it on and wait 10-15 minutes. It was almost all clean and the few leftover spots I rubbed with my $2.00 grout sponge from Lowe's. I can't believe how clean my grout is. (12/11/2007)
By scrub free w/ bleach
RE: Amazing Grout Cleaner
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 14 year 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! (01/29/2008)
I have white tile floors with white grout. The grout is very dirty. I have tried several different cleaning materials for grout but none work very well. Should I dig out the grout and begin again? If so, what color should I use?
Gal from St Paul, Minnesota
Answers:
RE: Cleaning Grout
Get a spray bottle and fill it with Bleach and squirt the area. Depending on how dirty the grout is determines how long to leave the Bleach on. After I let it soak awhile, I just wash it down with clean water. No scrubbing required. (05/14/2006)
You can try this. Westley's Bleche-Wite. (yep, thats how it is spelled!). It is in the automotive section at Family Dollar and costs around $2.00. It is a whitewall/blackwall tire cleaner for cars, but we use it around the house mostly for stubborn stains or brightening up white items. Do not use on painted surfaces though. Test a small area first to determine how long you need to let it set. You may or may not have to scrub but just rinse. We use it for our tennis shoes alot! Spray on, let sit a minute or two, scrub lightly and wipe off. Works like a champ. Brightens white plastic lawn furniture too! Great for white garbage buckets and bathroom sinks, showers, tubs if whitening is needed. Hope this works for your grout too! (05/17/2006)
I tried using the hydrogen peroxide to clean my grout, what an easy way and beautiful results with it! As you can see from the photo, the top is before cleaning, the bottom is the section I cleaned. I used a hair dye bottle with a narrow tip to squirt the HP on the grout, let it sit for 5 minutes, and barely had to use a scrub brush. The grout had never been cleaned in the 20 years this tile floor was down, thank you so much pavanco1 for this tip! Now to finish cleaning the other 150 square feet. (11/16/2006)
Can anyone tell me what to use to clean grout. I have porcelain tile floors in my kitchen and dining room, and the grouting is dirty and stained. I've tried different cleaners such as Pine Sol, bleach, etc., but nothing seems to really make the grouting look like new again. The grout was "sealed" when installed two years ago, but it didn't seem to protect it against everyday spills and dirt!
Debbie from NJ
Answers:
Clorox Clean-up
06/29/2005
Spray on Clorox Clean-up, or make a similar bleach solution yourself. You can also consider dying the grout.
By Anna
Advice
06/29/2005
Part of the problem may be that you need to use a very stiff scrub brush in addition to the cleaner. I found a nice grout brush at Target for about $3 that worked wonders on my bathroom tile.
Good stiff plastic bristles and it says "grout brush" on the label. I went up and down the rows of brushes and scraped them on my hand, looking for the one with the stiffest bristles.
My sister in law had brown grout put in on her kitchen tile because she knew that the grout would eventually brown up, but then wished she hadn't as it looked perpetually dirty after day 1.
A friend had new grout laid over the old grout and sealed, just 'cause she didn't like the browning effect of the original grout and then wasn't pleased because the second layer of grout dried orange, even though the sample was more beige. Sometimes that happens.
By Holly (Guest Post)
Stiff Tooth Brush
06/30/2005
Clean the grout with soft scrub cleaner and a stiff tooth brush, then reseal.
By Danielle (Guest Post)
Awesome
06/30/2005
Hydrogen peroxide works really well and a product called Awesome found at Dollar tree works really well. You do have to scrub though and then rinse. You can do the wipe up with a big rag mop. Mine isn't sealed. I have heard you have to do it every year.
By suzi homemaker (Guest Post)
Hydrogen Peroxide
06/30/2005
I have a house full of floor and wall tile, I often use hydrogen peroxide to clean up the grout lines. It will break down the dirt and then you can rinse the tile with water on a damp mop or rag.
Try Bar Keeper's Friend. Go to barkeeperfriend.com It's sold at Bed Bath & Beyond. I've seen it off and on at Wal-mart. Some grocery stores carry it also.
By Jennifer, CA (Guest Post)
Coca Cola
07/21/2005
Tile grout can be cleaned with coca cola.
Just pour it full strength on the tile grout and leave it for about 30 minutes or so (you can test it) and then use a tooth brush or scouring pad. I've tried this and it works. Just mop the floor when you're through and you're done. Have fun grouting!
By peggygv (Guest Post)
Toothpaste for Stains
08/03/2005
If you have white grout, and a stain that just won't come out, I've used a whitening toothpaste and scrubbed the spot with a toothbrush. Peroxide didn't work on a spaghetti sauce stain, but the toothpaste did. Go figure.
By Gail (Guest Post)
Grout Brush
01/13/2006
I have that nice grout brush from Target that another poster mentioned. It's worth the money because it is made specifically for that purpose, has nice stiff bristles and a nice sort of padded gripper handle. I think it would also work well for shower door tracks, altho I haven't used it yet for that. I tried a Magic Eraser on my dirty grout and it got it clean as could be; however you'd have to use too many of them, as they wear out quickly. Might work though on just a badly stained area. Also Clorox Clean Up works but I imagine just some straight bleach would do the trick.
