Katy Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 We moved into a new house about 3 months ago and I've been ignoring the deplorable state of the grout in the kitchen and just mopping occasionally. I can't ignore it any more. It's black in the middle of the room and white off on the edges. The best grout cleanser I've ever used was boiling water and oxy clean, but it's a pain in the rear not only due to dangerous hot water, but also because you have to basically leave it on overnight to get perfect results (people in this family staying out of the kitchen for 8 hours? hah!). Please share your best grout cleansing tips. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I hesitate to mention this b/c I first learned of this on Pinterest, but apparently Woolite carpet cleaner (I think that's what it is) can clean grout. Here's a blog post about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Grout is evil! I had good luck mixing white vinegar and baking soda and scrubbing with that, but it is labor intensive. It doesn't take a ton of elbow grease, but the going over every bit of grout is tedious and hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 When I first read the title, I thought it said "help me with my nasty kitchen goat". I wondered what a kitchen goat was and if it was different from one you keep outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I go straight to Tilex. Spray it in, let it sit awhile, scrub it off. It's a higher concentration of bleach that laundry bleach. It has always done a good job for me. It stinks, but it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoHomeschooler Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Grout Renew. Home Depot carries it. You can paint it on your old grout, and it looks brand new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Thanks everyone. After looking at some blogs, I think I'll start with the Woolite Carpet Cleaner. It looks like the fastest and least smelly way to white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 We're ripping ours up in the next year in favor of... anything else. It's terrible. Unless I want to spend two hours hunched over with a steam cleaner or a toothbrush, it only gets WORSE when I mop (because the mop water runs into the grout). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndTheBoys Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 My neighbor posted this on her blog: http://prairiegirltosouthernbelle.blogspot.com/2013/02/clean-it-diy-grout-cleaner.html Another neighbor swore by a product called "Zazzle" but I can't find that anywhere--on the web or in a store. Betsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Grout renew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 If I would hurry up and clean my grout (after Katy tells me what works), then I could seal it and it would stay cleaner. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 Well the woolite carpet cleaner definitely does not work in two minutes. I'll leave it on for 15 and try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I use those Clorox pens for stain removal on clothes. I leave it on the grout about 30 minutes. I then take a toothbrush and give it a scrub. Then I leave it on again for another 30 minutes. The next day I seal it with a regular grout sealer. It usually lasts about 3 or 4 years doing it that way. The trick is using only soap and water to clean the floors. Those other shiny products leave an ever so slight sticky residue which adheres to the grout which then retains dust. Hope that works for you as well as it does me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Well the woolite carpet cleaner definitely does not work in two minutes. I'll leave it on for 15 and try again. Ugh. I'm so sorry. For you and for me, b/c I wanted to use it! Waiting to hear how it worked after 15 minutes. Sorry, Katy! :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 So, get it white . . . whenever Katy tells us what works . . . then seal it? I have white bathroom tile/grout that I need to deal with. I'm not sure it was properly sealed when they installed it two years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I had tried many different products but Finazzle was the only cleaner that worked on our bathroom grout. Worked great but it's very important to follow the directions. IIRC, it's a type of acid so you'd have to wear gloves, work in a ventilated area and keep people and animals out of there until you clean it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 Well at 15 minutes it wasn't any whiter, but DH wanted to watch The Finder on Netflix instead of listen to me gripe about it, so when he asked me to just leave it for one episode I did, and then got tired and went to bed. When I got up this morning it had significantly lightened. It's not white, but it's lighter everywhere and there are splotches of pure white, ironically in the places I didn't try and scrub it at all. And this is in the blackest area of the floor (between the sink, cook top, fridge, and silverware drawer). So I'm thinking tonight before I go to bed I'll block off an area, spray it heavily, and leave it alone overnight. If a few coats with no scrubbing takes care of it, I'll count the woolite carpet spray as a victory. It definitely smells much better than bleach, and is easier than oxyclean and scrubbing, so I'll take it. The carpet spray does instruct to spray carpet thoroughly, leave it at least overnight until it's completely dry, and then vacuum it up, and supposively the stains will come up with the dust. BTW, I found the woolite at Dollar General Store for $3.25 a can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I was going to suggest a Shark Steamer with Oxyclean. That worked wonders for me in our last house, but it was hard work (think 3 hours of hot, sweaty steam). I vowed never to have white grout again, and I don't have any in our current house. But, now that I see how well the Woolite carpet cleaner is working for you, I'm gonna get some -- not for my tile, but for my carpeted stairs. If it works that well for grout, maybe it will work for my grungy stair carpet. :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in FL Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Hey Folks, Everyone should go back and reread post #9! :party: Earlier today I clicked on the link to a blog graciously linked by MeAndTheBoys and the "recipe" worked like magic! This miracle cleaner is composed of nothing but heated vinegar and cream of tartar. I am utterly dumbfounded by how well it worked. Essentially all I did was scrub it on with a toothbrush and then watched the grime (serious grout grime) evaporate before my eyes. Let the grout completely dry and you will be amazed. Go try it and post your results. :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndTheBoys Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I'm glad that worked for you! I haven't even tried it; she's just a sweet, clever friend and neighbor and i remembered reading it on her blog. I will have to try it too!!! (and I"m going to tell her I posted it and ya'll tried it out!) Read her blog while you're at it--she's a sweet lady. http://prairiegirltosouthernbelle.blogspot.com/2013/02/clean-it-diy-grout-cleaner.html Betsy Hey Folks, Everyone should go back and reread post #9! :party: Earlier today I clicked on the link to a blog graciously linked by MeAndTheBoys and the "recipe" worked like magic! This miracle cleaner is composed of nothing but heated vinegar and cream of tartar. I am utterly dumbfounded by how well it worked. Essentially all I did was scrub it on with a toothbrush and then watched the grime (serious grout grime) evaporate before my eyes. Let the grout completely dry and you will be amazed. Go try it and post your results. :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 That's awesome. I'll try that next. Just need to buy some cream of tartar first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 Okay, verdict on the cream of tartar - I don't know if my grout is just too far gone, but it doesn't work for me. In places where the paste was thick it sort of dries as a film on top of the black grout, but as soon I wipe the film off it's not any cleaner. I refuse to scrub with oxyclean and boiling water or soak with bleach for hours while it's too hot to open the windows, so I'm going to hand scrub the film off and try painting the grout. I don't want to drive two hours to the city to the closest place where Grout Renew is in stock, so I'm going to experiment with homemade chalk paint first. I figure if it flakes off the worst thing that happens is I scrub it off and coat it with grout renew after I go into the city next week. Going to use a recipe of one part baking soda to three parts cheap acrylic craft paint and see how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 We moved into a 1988-built house a few years ago and the grout was beyond repair (it was practically black). We had Stanley Steamer over trying to steam clean it and nothing helped. We ended up having them paint the grout. It wasn't cheap but it was certainly cheaper than re-tiling close to 3000 SF... Two years later and the grout still looks great. Unfortunately. I was hoping to get all new tile :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibliophile Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Bar Keepers Friend (the powder) works wonders. It's labor intensive but I get great results. You just mix the powder with a little hot water and use a stiff grout brush. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Grout brushes are great. I've been working on our downstairs hallway this past week, and this brush has made scrubbing much easier. http://www.oxo.com/p-336-grout-brush.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 5, 2014 Author Share Posted August 5, 2014 I've tried grout brushes, it's just too stained. The homemade chalk paint is amazing. It took a little experimenting to figure out it was best to wait until it was dry to wipe it off the tiles (I'd read that might be difficult, but apparently not for glossy sealed tiles). After it's dry it sticks to the grout and wipes off the tiles easily. I've read a few people had good luck with just cheap acrylic craft paint, but chalk paint needs less prep. I did about 20 tiles today as a test. Now that I know I like it I'm going to spend some time tomorrow doing the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 If that doesn't work, amazon can be your friend: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_kk_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Agrout+renew&keywords=grout+renew&ie=UTF8&qid=1407248699 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 My niece swears by Zep grout cleaner, which she gets on Amazon. I tried the vinegar and cream of tartar about a year ago . It didn't work for me. Plus I have so much tile in my house (all with grout that needs cleaning) that keeping the vinegar warm is a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I would not use the grout renew. It doesn't work well and it's highly toxic. I would hire a floor cleaner who specializes in cleaning grout. It's really the only thing that will fix it. Once it's clean, seal it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Earlier this year, we put our house on the market. I knew I needed to do something about our ceramic tile. After 11 years, it looked nasty. I'd spent way too many man hours over the years trying to hand scrub the grout with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, toothbrushes, etc. I found a company on Angie's List who did tile cleaning and color sealing of the grout. Basically, they deep cleaned the ceramic tiles and then put some kind of pre-sealed grout on top of the existing grout. They also did some minor tile and grout repair work. The tile looked literally brand new. After that, I couldn't stain my grout if I tried; everything just wiped up effortlessly. In retrospect, I wish I'd had this done YEARS ago. It would have saved me so much time, energy, and frustration. And although it was somewhat expensive, it was still WAY cheaper than replacing the tile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 OK, it sounds like I need to find a company to do that. I just don't want to have to hand scrub ALL the grout and then seal it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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