Baking soda is a safe deodorizer, whitener, and household cleaner—and it's an effective natural grout cleaner. Because baking soda is also a mild abrasive, using it for cleaning grout lines gives you extra firepower without the risk of scratching your tile.
TL;DR: Combine baking soda & white vinegar to create the perfect cleaning solution for tile grout. Scrub with a toothbrush and voila! For floor tiles, combine baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, apply paste, let sit, then scrub away and rinse off with warm water. Grout gets dirty and unsightly – quick!
You can also use a mixture of baking soda and ammonia solutions which can be very useful in removing grime, dirt, and difficult-to-remove dirt. The use of such a mixture is also safe for the tiles.
Baking soda, which is a bit abrasive in nature, can effectively loosen up the dirt particles without causing any damage to the tile surface or the indoor air quality.
Baking soda is mildly abrasive so it helps to remove the dirt that is stuck in the porous grout surfaces without causing any damage. Hydrogen peroxide is a natural alternative to bleach that brightens and eliminates germs.
To bring tiles up with baking or bicarbonate of soda if that's all you have, make a paste of 2-3 cups baking soda and a little water, or sprinkle directly onto the tiles. Scrub it in using an old toothbrush or a sponge to help remove tough stains.
What do professionals use to clean grout? Whether you believe it or not, most professionals use a solution of white vinegar and water with a 1:1 ratio. This solution is often more effective than dedicated Ph-neutral grout cleaners.
Let the product sit for 30 minutes. Then, go back in and scrub gently with water. (Our Test Kitchen loves the Scrub Mommy scrubber for all kinds of cleanup tasks.) You'll watch the dirt melt right off the tile and grout.
So, how do you clean grout with vinegar and baking soda? Apparently, vinegar is a popular natural household cleaner, but it's too acidic for cleaning grout. In fact, the acetic acid in vinegar can corrode the grout over time, so you might want to avoid using it for cleaning in this case.
If you're looking for ways on how to remove baking soda residue from tile, all that you'll need to do is create a vinegar and water solution, or another baking soda solution with vinegar and water. Removing baking soda residue is essentially the same as removing any other substance from grout.
Baking soda leaves behind a white, dusty residue after it dries. Therefore, you should never use it to clean surfaces with deep grooves or cracks because the residue will get left behind and can build up.
Despite ceramic glass being tough enough to use as a stove top, baking soda will scratch and damage it. Apart from this permanent damage using baking soda on ceramic glass will leave behind a white film on the surface which is quite stubborn and difficult to remove.
Mixing baking soda and vinegar together can result in a volatile combination, particularly for porous stone surfaces. In some cases, this can result in discolouration or stains.
Baking Soda
You can use it to safely clean mold, even though it isn't always as effective as bleach. Method One: Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with one gallon of water, and put the solution in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the affected area, and let it sit for half an hour. Then rinse the surface with warm water.
The most common and effective homemade grout cleaner is a mixture of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap. Cream or tartar and lemon juice is the best all-natural solution for whitening. Avoid using highly-acidic solutions like vinegar because they can corrode grout.
Grout that hasn't been sealed, needs to be resealed, or is in poor shape should not be cleaned with vinegar. The vinegar penetrates into the pores of the grout, further weakening the material. Over time, vinegar will deteriorate the condition of the grout by etching or wearing it away.
Method 2: How to Get Grout White Again with Lemon Juice or White Vinegar. Saturate the grout with lemon juice, a mild disinfectant that gets rid of grout stains naturally. You can also use white vinegar for chemical-free grout cleaning.
Although mixing vinegar and baking soda is not considered dangerous, you should still avoid mixing these in a container. Vinegar is acidic and basic soda is basic, so the by-products are sodium acetate, carbon dioxide, and water that are not toxic.
According to Amanda Morris, associate chair of the chemistry department at Virginia Tech University, baking soda and vinegar basically cancel each other out when they're mixed — unless you use them the right way, in the right time frame.
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, a fine white powder that has many uses. You may wonder about bicarbonate of soda vs. baking soda, but they are simply alternate terms for the same ingredient. If your recipe calls for bicarbonate of soda, it is simply referring to baking soda.
Do not use vinegar or baking soda to clean tile grout. Alkaline cleaners are a better choice than vinegar or baking soda because grout contains cementitious mortar that can be dissolved by acidic cleaners, including vinegar. Vinegar and other acids are also a bad idea for stone tile because the acid can etch the stone.
First, wash your tiles and grout with sugar soap using a toothbrush and scrubbing brush. We used Selley's Sugar Soap concentrate for this, mixed with warm water in a bucket – it works a treat. Use your toothbrush, scrubbing brush and some elbow grease to scrub the grout and give it a good going-over.
Cleaning Grout with Baking Soda
Mix baking soda, a few drops of dish soap, and enough water to make a cleaning paste. Apply the paste liberally, let it sit for 20 minutes, then scrub the grout with a toothbrush and rinse.