Mynyel Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 (edited) Anyone have this experience? We rent. The man who owns this place is the most awesome landlord a person could ever have. His handyman? Don't get me started. The man (handyman that is) put in off white tile with a light beige grout when we have red clay dirt outside. The dumbest thing he could have done. Our floor *always* looks dirty, icky, nasty even if I freshly mop. (We won't talk about the color of the berber carpet he chose with to go with the wood in the house :ack2: we won't talk about it's condition either) Oh and I have to mop at least three times to get most of the dirt gone. I never completely get it all. Anyone who lives in the country with red clay dirt can probably empathize with me. So any suggestions? I have tried bleach, vinegar, oxyclean, greased lightning and plain ole soap. Nothing has ever gotten it out. I am on the verge of finding grout paint and painting it a nice bu dark color. Shoot, anyone ever done that? Painted the gout? Edited June 10, 2010 by Mynyel What else? Spelling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 How about not wearing shoes inside? If you have pets that are in/out wipe their feet and minimize the times in/out. I know that dust will still settle but at least it won't be as hard to get up. Instead of sweeping, maybe a good hard floor vac would do you some good? Rugs at the doors will help to contain a lot of the dirt, do you have those in place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 I have thought of the shoe thing but... 1) We have no where to put shoes outside the door and would have to bring them in when it rains. 2) We don't wear shoes outside. We go barefoot 90% of the time. It isn't loose dirt either. I have a vacuum I use on the floor but the problem is the dirt gets trapped in the grout and when we do things in the kitchen it gets wet and well....it is down hill from there. Tried rugs....doesn't help. Hmmmm maybe if I took a picture of my yard so you know what I am up against you'd see :) It is hard to explain I have tried and tried to figure out what to do. It got bad before I figured out I really had a problem, if that makes sense. We hadn't ever lived in dirt like this with tile like this so it was a case of ignorance. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Too bad he didn't use grout sealant. Dh insists on it even when we have dark colored grout. Sorry, no help here. But I feel for you about that red clay dirt. Got the carpet stains to show for it! Oh, and the clothing stains, too. Dd loves dirt. Cinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrystal Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Pretty much it is a lost cause at this point. Your landlord should have sealed the grout before, but now the red clay has stained the grout. You could try a professional, they might be able to help get the stains out. But if the grout is not sealed, the grout will restain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 (edited) Can the grout be stained dark and then resealed? I do understand red clay, I have lived in it before. We just were diligent about shoes and vacuuming before mopping and it wasn't a problem. If you like to go barefoot....I don't think there is anything you can do. ETA: How do you keep the other floors clean if you have red clay on your bare feet all day? Just curious. Edited June 10, 2010 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I live in red clay land of Alabama. I tried grout cleaners and everything before buying this product. It works great and haven't had anymore problems with grout. I still have to hand brush wash my tile a couple times a year because my grout in deep and holds dirt the mop can't get but the the grout is still white:D http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ5yctl/R-100133209/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 works great available in several colors It colors and seals all in one. Solved my clay red grout problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.