A quick search online overwhelmed me with suggestions to clean it...I found solutions ranging from Magic Eraser to oxygen bleach, baking soda & vinegar to whitening toothpaste.
You guys are the smartest resource I have, so I figured I'd ask you before I do anything...
Do you have a tried and true solution for cleaning grout?
Update: Per some of the suggestions from commenters, I tried Barkeeper's Friend with great success! Read about it here.
33 comments:
i would suggest giving it a good cleaning- just with bleach or something harsh like that. chances are if it was ever sealed the sealant may be gone, so i would think you would be able to regrout over it (which would give it a nice fresh clean look) and then seal it. i have not done this before, but i have had friends do it.
I use CLR to clean my grout. I spray it on a 12x12" spot, let it sit a bit, then agitate it with a bristle brush, then wipe it up. It workes really well.
I have no words of advice but I can't wait to hear the answers.
Sincerely,
answer mooch
I've never tried it but I've heard of grout paint. Here's an example: http://www.groutrevive.com/grout-paint/
Essentially, it puts a layer of white on top of the old grout.
My Mom always does baking soda and vinegar for everything I feel like, but I don't know if it works on grout as I haven't tried it yet. Let us know what you end up doing and how it works. I do love the Magic Eraser for wiping down the bath tub and tile. I feel like this is a wallpaper removal type of situation - you try a few things until you figure out what works for you. Have a good weekend Carrie!
I have no idea since I have the same issue in my apartment and I would love to know the answer- I cant wait to hear what people say.
In other news you are so lucky the tile is in good shape- ours is cracked and broken and it drives me NUTS every time I look at it (which is every day mind you haha)
Can't wait to hear the great ideas as I have a similar problem in my bathroom....
The grubby grout in my apartment's bathroom drove me nuts for the two+ years we have lived here and I thought I tried every product to no avail...however, I recently tried Barkeeper's Friend on the grout and it really cleaned it up!
http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-Friend%C2%AE-Cleanser-Polish/dp/B000V72992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327673693&sr=8-1
Here's the key to it working: build a thick paste, leave on the grout for several minutes, scrub, leave again, and rinse. There is some elbow grease required but the difference is pretty substantial.
Hope that helps! (Sorry for the long-winded explanation!)
In my last house I brightened the grout with a thick baking soda paste (w/water) - let it sit on areas of the tile for a while, then go after it with a toothbrush. Definitely reseal when you get it clean - so you don't have to scrub it again anytime soon!
PS I love that floor in your bathroom!!! So much character!
I tried ZEP, diluted bleach, then straight bleach and NOTHING worked. I would give the peroxide and baking soda thing a try. I'm unfortunately regrouting :) Good luck!
Those floors are great. I used a bleach pen, Kaboom and a scrub brush and magic eraser. It was a ton of elbow grease but it worked well. My sister just used ZEP grout cleaner in her rental and loved it. It made a big difference on hers.
No tip from me, but I am loving the suggestions!
Like you I am hoping someone out there has a REAL solution to this problem. I tried vinegar and baking soda and bleach (not all together). I've been reading a lot lately about hydrogen peroxide getting out stains in white clothing even old stains so why not grout? I have purchased those grout pens too but have not used them and I wold like to apply them on clean grout not dirty or the paint won't stick anyway. I'll be checking back hoping some one has that miracle cleaning agent that will work first time, every time! Thanks for posting this.
I'm sorry, I've got nothing on this one. This sounds strange, but have you looked at pinterest? I always see the craziest remedies there. I hope you find something that works because I'm bookmarking this page for the future:)
I'm here for the answers. I have used the bleach pens and get dizzy from the fumes. I think I may buy one of those steamers that you see on tv.
I'm no cleaning expert but have a similar tile in my attic bath - love it!
Kelly
Sadly, I'm not the smartest resource you have cause I got nothin'. But, I did want to make a comment. I love that tile and had the same floor in my apartment when I lived in Boston. I don't see that floor much on the West coast. Good luck on your mission to make it purty.
Sadly, I'm not the smartest resource you have cause I got nothin'. But, I did want to make a comment. I love that tile and had the same floor in my apartment when I lived in Boston. I don't see that floor much on the West coast. Good luck on your mission to make it purty.
I'm another answer mooch! I need to find a solution to brighten the only tub we didn't replace when we bought the house. Let us know what you find! :)
No I do not have clean grout in my bathroom.It was cleaned by my hubby BUT it turned black again. I just saw on a blog the other day...
go figure...someone used a clorox toilet cleaner product. It had bleach and a tip that you would use under the toilet rim??? It worked well in the grout lines according to her..sorry don't remember what blog. But I'm going to try it. You have to let it sit and scrub but it is gel so it doesn't splash/stain like .
Oh yeah I forgot to mention...reseal, It gets dirty again real quick!
We used a steam mop and that got off most of the dirt initially. Then attacked it with a cleanser and elbow grease.
Guess what...I just used a medium gray grout with our recent tile projects...so I don't worry about the grout being super white. I also like Barkeepers Friend.
I have used R-Teez Tile and Grout Cleaner which I bought at the tile store. It works like the eraser. You rub it in the grout lines and vacuum up the dust from it. I did a post on it last year. http://calypsointhecountry.blogspot.com/search/label/Grout It might be hard to use it on the tile you have in the picture though. I think long straight grout lines would work best. Hope that helps!
-Shelley
Steam clean the grout. There are professional companies that do this, but you can use a steam cleaner to easily do it. You don't need chemicals.
My mom uses Simple Green only slightly diluted and one of those bleach pens.
I'm seconding Bar Keeper's Friend.
I am working towards making my household a chemical-free environment and I have stocked up on vinegar for years..just this past weekend I have used 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/2 cup vinegar (this time apple cider!) for cleaning drains (the effervescence permeates) and it worked. It should work for grout and is inexpensive.
Wow, loving these suggestions. Have you tried Tilex? I found it cleans tiles but does a nice job on stained grout too. So I like it, aside from the fumes ;-(
1912bungalow.com has a post about this
I have the same problem in my kitchen. Vinegar, baking soda and an old tooth brush works really well.
It is nice to read about the facelift of a 150 years old house. interesting.
slate tile flooring
Post a Comment