Learning these three simple steps on How to clean grout yourself is something every homeowner can put at the top of their DIY checklist. As the grout in tile floors, kitchens, and bathrooms ages, it will eventually become 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 have been discolored over the years – So let’s check out the three steps required how to remove grout stains:
How to Clean Grout: 3 Easy 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:
Step 1: Clean Grout By Scrubbing it With Plain Water
Before you start applying chemicals or even homemade cleaners, the first thing you should try on your grout is warm water. Take a cup of warm water and a stiff cleaning brush to the grout.
Be sure to scrub vigorously, as the brush and water may be able to dislodge minor stains that have been left on the grout surface.
This method may not work for deep staining, but it is simple, low-cost, and worth trying before you move on to more aggressive approaches.
Step 2: Use Vinegar and Baking Soda To Clean Grout Stains
When mixed, vinegar and baking soda have a surprising ability to clean hard surfaces. To use this mixture on grout stains, you should follow this recipe:
- Mix equal parts of baking soda and water to form a “paste.”
- Using a specially designed “grout brush” or an old toothbrush, dip the brush into the baking soda and water paste you’ve created, and scrub the paste onto the stained grout.
- Mix equal parts of warm water and white vinegar solution into a spray bottle
- Spray the warm water and vinegar solution onto the baking soda paste you applied previously to the grout. You will see a chemical reaction as the baking soda and vinegar begin to “fizz.”
- Wait five minutes for the chemicals to work and naturally loosen stains on the grout.
- Scrub the grout again with some elbow grease to make sure the grout stains are gone.
- Remove the baking soda and vinegar paste with clean water; using a clean cloth or paper towels.
- Follow with a clean bucket of water and mop to remove any additional residue.
Step 3: Apply Hydrogen Peroxide To Clean Grout
If Steps 1 & 2 above fail to fix grout stains, you may need to move on to Step 3:
For extra stubborn stains that cannot be removed with baking soda and vinegar, you may need to take an additional step and use Hydrogen Peroxide to clean grout.
If you’ve accidentally spilled a bottle of hydrogen peroxide on your clothes, you’ll know it is a powerful whitening agent. The same effect can be used to whiten stained grout.
Fill a small container with hydrogen peroxide, and using a clean brush, apply it to grout, allow it to sit for a few minutes, and then scrub with a stiff brush. Peroxide is often the best solution for tackling tough stains without having to resort to harsher chemicals.
You can make a cleaning paste from hydrogen peroxide and baking soda for even more cleaning power. Mix a small amount of peroxide into the baking soda to turn it into a paste. This mixture can be applied to the grout and allowed to sit, scrubbing off as usual.
Additional Steps To Clean Stained Grout:
If the three “Home Remedy” methods above did not help remove stains from tile or grout in your house; here are three more aggressive methods on how to remove grout stains:
1). Chemical Grout Cleaners
You may have to use a chemical grout cleaner for the worst stains. Be sure to buy a product meant especially for grout and tile to ensure that you don’t damage either material.
Grout cleaners are harsh chemicals. Always be sure to ventilate the bathroom or kitchen you’re working in properly and wear rubber gloves to prevent skin irritation.
As with the other cleaning agents listed above, grout and tile cleaner should be applied directly to the grout, allowed to sit for a minute or two, and then scrubbed and removed with water.
Grout cleaning solutions such as the best-selling Grout-Eez at Amazon are the best approach for stains that remain after the “home remedy” methods listed above have proven unsuccessful.
2). Grout Cleaning Tools
There are a few handy grout cleaning tools on the market that many have had success with. Tools such as the Drill Brush available at Amazon are marvelous attachments you can use with any cordless drill.
In addition, tools such as the drill brush can also be used to remove hard water deposits or stains from faucets, tubs, or sinks.
When you use this method, we suggest using a shop vac to clean up any loose debris, followed by hydrogen peroxide or mold remover chemicals.
3). Tile Grout Renewer (Paint)
In some cases, you might try everything above and find that some of your stains are still too deep to be removed. This can occur when you try and remove rust from tile and grout. Sometimes it just won’t come out.
When this happens, you can use a Grout renewal compound (paint) to cover up the old grout and make it look new. Here is a quick video from an “actual user” with a 6-month follow-up. See how the option of grout renewer could work on your tile:
Grout renewers are essentially like paint compounds that are applied directly to your old grout with a small brush to give your grout a new look in your chosen paint color.
Grout renewers are relatively inexpensive and easy to apply, but you do have to be careful not to allow any to harden on the tile itself. Grout renewal can be purchased from Amazon as a liquid product from brands such as Polyblend Grout Renew or Grout Refresh.
Additionally, for very tight grout joints, you can also use a Grout Pen – which is also available in many colors.
While painting a grout renewer across all the grout on your floor may seem like a massive project, it is much simpler than the alternative of removing and re-grouting the entire area.
Grout renewers will give you the effect of entirely new grout – without all the work and at a fraction of the cost.
How To Clean Grout – Step-by-Step Guide (FAQ)
How Does Grout Get Stained?
- Floor grout stains are the result of dirt getting pushed into the porous grout or settling between tiles and staining the grout. People, rust, and pets stain grout as they track mud or dirt onto the floor tile.
- The kitchen tile backsplash grout will stain as a result of food or beverage incidents.
- And finally, Bathroom floor and wall tile grout occur as a result of hard water – containing calcium or iron deposits – hair dyes and harsh soap.
Should You Use “Bleach” to Clean Grout?
First off – Never clean “colored grout” with Bleach. Only consider Chlorine Bleach with “White grout.” Chlorine bleach can be used on the grout to remove severe stains.
However, being a harsh caustic chemical, it can cause damage to the grout itself if applied at full strength or if it is allowed to sit too long.
Also, Chlorine bleach can react with other chemicals you may have used earlier in your efforts to clean your stained grout and produce noxious or dangerous fumes. For these reasons, bleach isn’t recommended for cleaning grout.
If you do use Chlorine bleach, wear hand and eye protection, apply with a brush at full strength, have adequate air ventilation, use extreme caution, 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 in the first place, the best thing to do is to keep your grout from staining. Making sure the grout is sealed correctly is the first step to prevent staining.
You should also regularly clean the grout using a mild approach like warm water, vinegar, and baking soda. If you keep the grout clean on an ongoing basis, you won’t have to bring in heavier chemicals to remove accumulated stains.
How Often Should You Reseal Grout?
As stated above, proper sealing is key 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.
Toilet Repair Issues? Is your toilet leaking or constantly running? Check out this article for simple DIY toilet repairs.
What Is the Best Homemade Tile Grout Cleaner?
Among the homemade cleaners, the most powerful option is hydrogen peroxide. As described earlier in this article, white vinegar and baking soda paste are also great home remedies and a highly effective way to remove grout stains.
How Can I Maintain A “Safer” Tile Floor Surface?
Tile floors are hard surfaces that can result in a dangerous household surface 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 any suspected mold is to use a spray chemical mold cleaner such as RMR-86. Unlike bleach, spray mold killers will destroy mold spores on contact. For more information, see our article on how to remove mold from wood & drywall.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to clean stained grout, you should have no trouble keeping your tiled floors and walls looking like new. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to 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, and don’t forget to leave your comment below and let us know any other tips you learned 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
