how to clean grout

It’s in your kitchen, bathroom, sometimes even your laundry room or back patio. But, while tile is an excellent material for locations that see a lot of water, it can also be a hassle to clean.

That’s right, we’re talking about grout.

Grout is the material in between your tiles that holds them all together. Without proper cleaning and maintenance, your grout begins to fall apart. What does this mean?

Crumbling, deteriorating tiles!

Fortunately, knowing how to clean grout doesn’t have to stump you. Here are 7 simple tips for grout cleaning that will keep your tiles and tiled surfaces looking like new.

1. Use an Oxygenated Cleaner

When asking others how to clean grout, you will often hear of solutions involving bleach. (We even recommend one). However, even diluted, sometimes bleach can be too harsh for certain types of grout.

If you’d rather avoid harsh methods, you can clean your grout with an oxygenated cleaner.

Simply visit your local hardware store and ask for a generic brand of oxygenated cleaner. These work well on grout and for removing stains. They are also much less harsh on your tiles and hands than bleaching.

Another nice aspect of cleaning your grout with oxygenated cleaners is that they usually come with instructions. Just dip a toothbrush or gentle scrub-brush into the cleaner, and you’re ready to work.

2. Try a Gentle Detergent

If your grout is still in good condition and fully intact, you can use a simple dish detergent to scrub it with.

This is one of the more simple yet effective ways to clean grout. Simply mix detergent with water and gently scrub the grout with a scrubber or toothbrush.

Typically, detergent works well for small areas of grout. Make sure to rinse the area you have scrubbed after finishing. Don’t leave the detergent sitting on your grout as moisture can begin to deteriorate the grout.

Be sure to choose a mild detergent.

3. Use Baking Soda and White Vinegar

Isn’t baking soda amazing? It seems to be a great home remedy for an endless array of problems. Well, cleaning your grout is no different.

If you have spaghetti sauce stains, or other pesky stains you really want out of your grout, a combination of white vinegar and baking soda is the solution.

It’s also a much safer and less harsh means of cleaning grout than using chemical cleaners.

The magic combination includes:

  • 7 cups of water
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 baking soda
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar

Once you have the ingredients combined, pour some of the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray your grout and let the mixture sit for an hour before scrubbing. If your grout is strong, you can scrub quite hard with this solution to leave your grout and tiles looking bright.

4. Diluted Chlorine Bleach and Water

Here it is, our bleach solution. Bleach is an effective cleaner but should be used with caution. It’s an especially good grout cleaning solution if you have outdoor tiles that need some serious scrubbing.

Chlorine is also a great cleaning option for grout if your outdoor tiles have developed mold or unwanted moss or plant life that needs removal.

Simply combine one part bleach with 4 parts water.

Again, spray the desired area with your bleach solution and allow it to sit for several minutes. Once you have done this, go ahead and begin scrubbing.

Just be sure, if using bleach, apply carefully as some tiles can become discolored with use.

5. Scrubbing with Shaving Cream

Feeling lazy? Scrubbing your grout with shaving cream is a great method if you’re already in the shower, shaving your legs, and feel like sprucing things up.

Not to mention, it’s a super cheap way to clean your grout.

Just squirt your shaving cream along the grout in between your shower or bath tiles. Let it sit while you shower. Then, whn you’re ready to get out, rinse the shaving cream off with some warm water. Voila!

Easy, inexpensive, and surprisingly effective.

6. Try Baking Soda and Peroxide

Again with the baking soda. (It’s just too effective). This solution is very useful if you have stubborn stains on your grout. It also works well with light-colored tiles that tend to show every speck of dirt and grime.

Simply combine a small amount of peroxide and baking soda until you have formed a paste. Once the bubbling of the peroxide stops, smooth the paste onto the grout and tile where you wish to clean.

Let the paste sit on the grout and tile for several minutes, (at least 10).

Using a gentle scrubber or a toothbrush, scrub the paste into the grout until you begin to see the stains disappear. When you’re satisfied with the cleaning effect, rinse with warm water.

7. Regrouting

When all of your previous home-remedies for cleaning your grout fail, it may be time to re-grout. This means removing the old grout and laying down new.

To remove the old grout, you will need a rotary tool. There is an option that allows you to remove the existing grout.

Once you have done this, make sure you let everything dry off before installing new grout. Moisture will be your enemy as it can lead to grout problems and things like mold or mildew.

Once the tiles and spaces are completely dry, you can begin the process of regrouting.

After you have regrouted all the necessary places, allow the grout to dry. Be sure to apply a high-quality sealer to the finished grout. This will protect your new grout from future stains and water damage.

How to Clean Grout: Time for Professional Help?

Knowing how to clean grout is a great tool for preserving the life of your home’s tile. If you’ve tried all of these grout-cleaning solutions at home and nothing seems to be working, it may be time to call in the professionals.

Regrouting your tiles can be a pain in the neck, so before you take that on, check with an expert.

Contact us today and find out if your grout it worth saving. Our team can assist you with cleaning even the toughest stains so you can avoid the headache of having to replace your grout. Happy cleaning!