Every homeowner can benefit from learning expert tips for cleaning grout and include them as part of their DIY checklist.
As you know, the grout in tile floors, kitchens, and bathrooms gets dirt, ages, and eventually becomes stained or discolored.
Today, we show you how to make your grout look clean and bright again.
Fortunately, there are many DIY methods for How to Clean Grout in your house – that has been discolored over the years – So let’s check out the three steps required to remove grout stains:
How to Clean and Restore Grout: DIY Steps
Here are the three steps on how to clean stained grout yourself – and get your floors, kitchen, and bathroom tile looking their best by using household products:
Over time, grout can accumulate dirt, age, and become discolored, detracting from the overall beauty of your home. However, fear not, as learning how to clean grout yourself is a manageable task every homeowner can undertake.
This expert guide’ll delve into effective DIY methods for rejuvenating stained grout, ensuring your tile surfaces regain their brilliance.
As The Spruce mentions, maintaining clean grout is crucial for enhancing the visual appeal and longevity of tiled surfaces.
Step 1:
Utilize Gentle Cleaning Solutions Before resorting to harsh chemicals, commence the grout cleaning process with a mild solution of warm water and dish soap.
This gentle approach effectively tackles minor stains without causing damage to the grout or surrounding tiles.
Authoritative sources such as Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, and Apartment Therapy endorse the beauty of using simple water and dish soap to clean grout.
Step 2:
Harness the Power of Vinegar and Baking Soda For more stubborn stains, a combination of vinegar and baking soda is a potent DIY cleaner.
This natural solution removes grout discoloration and eliminates bacteria and odors, leaving your grout looking fresh and revitalized.
Citation: Renowned publications like Martha Stewart, This Old House, and Bob Vila recommend vinegar and baking soda for eco-friendly grout cleaning solutions.
Step 3:
Employ Hydrogen Peroxide for Stubborn Stains. In instances where conventional methods fail, hydrogen peroxide emerges as a formidable ally against stubborn grout stains.
Its powerful whitening properties penetrate the grout, effectively eradicating even the most entrenched discoloration.
According to Family Handyman, they also advocate for the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide in eliminating tough grout stains.
Additional Techniques for Grout Restoration:
- Chemical Grout Cleaners: When confronted with severe stains, opting for specialized grout cleaners can provide a targeted solution. However, exercise caution and follow manufacturer guidelines to prevent damage to the grout and surrounding surfaces.
- Grout Cleaning Tools: Innovative tools such as drill brushes offer a convenient way to tackle grout stains efficiently. These attachments and effective cleaning agents ensure the thorough removal of dirt and grime from tile surfaces.
- Tile Grout Renewer: In cases where stains persist despite extensive efforts, grout renewal compounds offer a practical solution.
- By concealing existing grout imperfections, these products provide a cost-effective alternative to regrouting, saving time and effort.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Does Grout Get Stained?
- Floor grout stains result from dirt getting pushed into the porous grout or settling between tiles and staining the grout. People, rust, and pets stain grout while tracking mud or dirt onto the tile.
- Kitchen tile backsplash grout stains due to food or beverage incidents.
- Finally, Bathroom floor and wall tile grout stains occur due to hard water-containing calcium or iron deposits, hair dyes, or harsh soaps.
Should You Use “Bleach” to Clean Grout?
While you should never clean “colored grout” with Bleach, you can consider using Chlorine Bleach for “White grout.”
Chlorine bleach can be used on white grout to remove severe stains if it is diluted with water first.
However, being a harsh caustic chemical, it can damage the grout itself if applied at full strength or allowed to sit too long.
Also, Chlorine bleach can react with other chemicals you may have used earlier to clean your stained grout and produce noxious or dangerous fumes. For these reasons, bleach isn’t recommended for cleaning grout.
If you use chlorine bleach, wear hand and eye protection, apply it with a brush at full strength, have adequate air ventilation, use extreme caution, rinse, and remove all bleach residue with water as quickly as possible.
How Do You Keep Grout From Staining?
If you want to avoid difficult cleaning, the best thing to do is prevent your grout from staining. Ensuring the grout is sealed correctly is the first step to prevent staining.
Regularly clean the grout using a mild approach, such as warm water, vinegar, and baking soda. If you keep the grout clean continuously, you won’t have to bring in heavier chemicals to remove accumulated stains.
How Often Do You Reseal Grout?
As stated above, proper sealing is vital to preventing grout from staining. Unfortunately, many homeowners go years or even decades without resealing their grout.
Ideally, you should try to reseal wall grout once a year and floor grout twice a year, and be sure the grout has been thoroughly cleaned and dried before sealing.
What Is the Best Homemade Tile Grout Cleaner?
The most powerful homemade cleaner is hydrogen peroxide. As described earlier in this article, white vinegar and baking soda paste are also great home remedies and highly effective ways to remove grout stains.
How Can I Maintain a “Safe” Tile Floor Surface?
Tile floors are hard surfaces that can become dangerous household surfaces when water or oil is left alone. The Canadian Centre for Health and Safety offers some great “preventative” tips for potentially dangerous falls on hard surfaces.
How do you Remove Mold on Stained Grout”?
Mold typically grows and thrives on porous surfaces such as wood and drywall; however, grout is a porous substance that can accumulate mold spores if left untreated.
The best way to attack suspected mold is to use a chemical mold cleaner spray such as RMR-86. Unlike bleach, spray mold killers destroy mold spores on contact. For more information, see our article on how to remove mold from wood and drywall.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to clean stained grout, you should have no trouble keeping your tiled floors and walls looking new. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure for grout cleaning.
If you clean your tile grout regularly and don’t let the stains accumulate over a long period, you’ll find it much easier to keep your tile grout looking great.
Thank you for visiting BestHomeGear.Com. Please leave a comment below and let us know any other tips you learned for cleaning grout in your home.
Additional References and Reading:
- How To Clean Grout With Baking Soda – WikiHow.Com
- Best Vinyl Siding Cleaner You Can Buy – Besthomegear.com
- How To Become A Tile Installer – BLS.Gov
- How Much Do Tile, Grout, and Supplies Cost? – HomeDepot.Com
- Ready To Repaint Your Old Kitchen Cabinets? – BestHomeGear.Com
