Grout - cleaning advice

[Maela]

I'm whining and asking for opinions.  

 

We just moved into a new (and bigger) house.  I love it, but there's 550 more square feet of floors to clean.  More than half of it is tile.  At first I thought the grout was brown, but when I scrubbed the floors today I realized it's supposed to be beige.  So I took a brush to some of the grout, and now I'm wishing I hadn't.  Because now you can really tell that the grout is just very dirty, not brown.

 

I don't want to clean all the grout in the house!  It takes a tough brush and lots of arm muscle power.  (she said in a whiny voice)

 

For those of you with lots of tile and light-colored grout do you a.) spend a lot of time scrubbing like crazy to keep it light, or b.) clean the floors, but don't scrub the grout pretending that it's actually a darker color? 

[Flowing Brook]

Do you own a steam mop? I have never tried it myself but have talked to people that say that gets the grout really clean.

I probably would clean the grout. However I am a clean freak and would not be able to stand the thought of dirty grout.  Vinegar works well to keep it clean.

[Maela]

Do you own a steam mop? I have never tried it myself but have talked to people that say that gets the grout really clean.

I probably would clean the grout. However I am a clean freak and would not be able to stand the thought of dirty grout.  Vinegar works well to keep it clean.

We've owned two, and both have broken within two years.  Now I just have one of those things with the washable fabric that attaches to it.  The steam mops were so nice because it took less energy (my own anyway) to clean.  At least this way I get exercise!

[kitten18]

A steam mop will not clean dirty grout.

 

I have about 1,000 square feet of tile.  I have tried pretty much everything for grout cleaning.  What I have found that REALLY works is a steam cleaner (one that shoots out high pressure steam, not a steam mop).  I have a Wagner 915, it was about $90 on Amazon.  It shoots the dirt right out of the grout.  I use a grout brush while I am doing it but the steamer does almost all the work, it's much better than just a grout brush and cleaner.

So I try to do a little each week and then go back and put a grout sealer on the areas I've cleaned.  I'm probably cleaning each grout line about once a year.  Other than that, I just do my regular mopping.

[Maela]

A steam mop will not clean dirty grout.

 

I have about 1,000 square feet of tile.  I have tried pretty much everything for grout cleaning.  What I have found that REALLY works is a steam cleaner (one that shoots out high pressure steam, not a steam mop).  I have a Wagner 915, it was about $90 on Amazon.  It shoots the dirt right out of the grout.  I use a grout brush while I am doing it but the steamer does almost all the work, it's much better than just a grout brush and cleaner.

So I try to do a little each week and then go back and put a grout sealer on the areas I've cleaned.  I'm probably cleaning each grout line about once a year.  Other than that, I just do my regular mopping.

ooooh, thank you!!

  

 

what grout sealer do you use?

[fairfarmhand]

you can get a grout stripper that will help lift the dirt from the lines.

 

Then go back and seal them.

 

I think I vaguely remember a grout stain that you could apply so that dirt was not so visible...but I may have dreamed it.

[Wildcat]

.

[Plink]

We have had great success washing our showroom floor with gutter cleaner. Crazy, I know. This is what happens when you ask my husband to do an unfamiliar job, he does it completely wrong, but it works better than the right way.

 

It didn't harm the wood, walls, or carpet nearby either.

 

Other than the gutter cleaner trick, I second the advice to use a high pressure steam cleaner.  

[Maela]

Thank you everyone!

[Truscifi]

We have tile everywhere but the bedrooms.  We had a dark brown grout put down to start with, and I just mop and ignore the grout.  Of course, I know what dirt is there since it is my dirt.  I might not be able to ignore it if it was old dirt from someone else.

 

Hm, that made sense in my head, but now that I reread it, it sounds a bit...quirky. 

[Guest]

A steam mop will not clean dirty grout.

 

I have about 1,000 square feet of tile.  I have tried pretty much everything for grout cleaning.  What I have found that REALLY works is a steam cleaner (one that shoots out high pressure steam, not a steam mop).  I have a Wagner 915, it was about $90 on Amazon.  It shoots the dirt right out of the grout.  I use a grout brush while I am doing it but the steamer does almost all the work, it's much better than just a grout brush and cleaner.

So I try to do a little each week and then go back and put a grout sealer on the areas I've cleaned.  I'm probably cleaning each grout line about once a year.  Other than that, I just do my regular mopping.

Agreeing about the steam mop. Does not clean grout. I just put that steamer on my wishlist. We have about the same amount of tile and we chose a very light, almost white, grout. Oops. It wasn't too bad until we got the dog. Now, with the dog going in and out, the floor is bringing me to tears! (Almost. ;) ) I am definitely going to try out this steamer, though. That sounds great.

[Sara in AZ]

We have light pinkish tile in our kitchen. The grout should be light pinkish, but it's pretty dark brown/black. I hate it, but I just keep mopping over it. I've had it professionally cleaned a couple of times in the 10 years we've lived here. I don't think I'll ever find the time or energy to do it myself.

[kitten18]

Looks like I have something called Surface Guard in a dark green jug from home depot.

 

I pour a little into a plastic cup (applesauce cup) and brush it on with a tiny, 1/4 inch paint brush from the craft department.

[kewb]

We redid our bathroom a couple of years ago and I just tell myself that I chose grey grout not white grout for the floor.  I did not realize how much dirt the dog brought with him.  One of these days I will be motivated to pick up grout sealer and steam shoot out the dirt.

[Moxie]

I made a mix of Oxyclean and water and dripped that onto the grout. I would pick a small section each day. Let it sit for a few minutes, then just lightly brush with a toothbrush; the dirt comes right up. After it was dry, I applied grout sealer and that made mopping easier.

 

It took time but I didn't mind because it was hugely satisfying. We had white tile with sand colored grout--years of life had turned it dark brown. You could really tell when it was clean.

[Maela]

Okay.  Starting to feel better!  I think I'll go the clean it, but slowly, route and apply grout sealer after each section is cleaned.  Then when it gets dirty again, I might just pretend it's brown grout since it will be our dirt (Truscifi it made sense to me!).

[Occasionally]

Throwing in there that I discovered how well a magic eraser works on my grout. Who knew?

[Maela]

Throwing in there that I discovered how well a magic eraser works on my grout. Who knew?

I'll have to try this!

[kroe1]

I have 4000 sq. ft. of tile. Grout is my nemesis.

 

I use the Clorox pens. This holds inside the grout well because it is thicker and does not soak into the porous grout. I also use a toothbrush and give it a scrub. I do a small section every week. By the end of the year, the entire house is done.

 

I never seal the grout as I find it turns dark and dirty faster. I think that has to do with living in Florida. Anything given a squirt of water around here gets grayish black quickly because of mold, including concrete.

 

I was really hoping someone had a miracle cure here. A friend had hers acid washed, and it looked great. I have never done that and know she paid a couple of thousand to do it.

[Clear Creek]

Plain white vinegar and a grout brush. Dirt comes right off and the grout looks like new.

[Maela]

More replies!  Thanks everyone!  This is what's been working for me since I originally posted this question about a year ago.  

 

1.)  Ignoring it and pretending it's brown grout.  ;-)

 

2.) When it really bothers me (like in kitchen/bathrooms), I put some hydrogen peroxide on it, wait a few minutes and then scrub some baking soda into it with a bristle brush.  wipe it with a wet towel and then a dry one.  Voila!  I can't remember if I got that idea from this thread or elsewhere.  I've done this about four times in the last year.  It's good enough.  :)  

[foxbridgeacademy]

I always used baking soda and a brush once a year followed by vinegar and then a sealer.  The baking soda/vinegar turned brown gout white.

[Maela]

I always used baking soda and a brush once a year followed by vinegar and then a sealer.  The baking soda/vinegar turned brown gout white.

Thanks.  I think I'll try this too to see if it works better.

[umsami]

I would probably pay to have it professionally cleaned.  For that much tile, it would be worth it to me.

 

Then work on trying to keep it clean.

[gaillardia]

My dh bought Rock Doctor Tile & Grout Cleaner at lowe's. It was the safest to use. He cleaned it over the weekend, now the kitchen looks bigger. It really didn't seem to take as long as using the vinegar and baking soda. Our grout is sand color, but even when washing the floor, the grout was ....let's just say filthy.

When we used vinegar and baking soda it took quite a while, a lot of scrubbing with a wire bristle brush.

 

You will be very happy with your grout the right color.

 

:hurray: :lol:

[Pod's mum]

I recently regrouted a shower floor for someone who always uses vinegar to clean the shower. There was no grout left, just  tiles.

I'd not heard of vinegar completely eating the grout away, but it was gone.

 

ETA: Just googled it, lots of references to the acid in vinegar eating away the grout and caulk.

[Clear Creek]

I think using vinegar once every five years (what I did) will do much less harm than using it daily, or even weekly, to clean a shower.

[Miss Mousie]

My dh bought Rock Doctor Tile & Grout Cleaner at lowe's. It was the safest to use. He cleaned it over the weekend, now the kitchen looks bigger. It really didn't seem to take as long as using the vinegar and baking soda. Our grout is sand color, but even when washing the floor, the grout was ....let's just say filthy.

When we used vinegar and baking soda it took quite a while, a lot of scrubbing with a wire bristle brush.

 

You will be very happy with your grout the right color.

 

:hurray: :lol:

 

Is the Rock Doctor easy to use?  As in spray on/wipe off? 

 

I'm just not good at scrubbing, particularly with areas over my head...  so it never gets done. 

[gaillardia]

He still used the wire brush; after letting the solution sit on the grout for 3-5 minutes, began scrubbing. Then he wiped it away with a damp rag. It wasn't as hard to scrub, wasn't as time consuming, didn't have a bad smell. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, he is unavailable for questions until the weekend. My kitchen isn't very big and the clean grout really does make it look better and bigger, pulled together.

 

 

Floor tile grout usually isn't over your head, so I think you'll do okay.

 

:lol: