Q: What do professionals use to clean grout? A: 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.
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. Simply pour vinegar from the bottle into the cap and pour it over the dirty grout lines. Allow the lemon juice or vinegar to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Only Professionals Can Remove Deep Down Dirt
Over time, dirt and spills seep into your grout—leaving it discolored. No matter how hard you scrub, this dirt can't be completely removed from porous surfaces by hand. Professionals have techniques and equipment strong enough to lift stains that scrubbing and mopping can't.
Steam cleaning can be done on sealed and unsealed grout; it won't hurt the sealer. But once you've cleaned your grout and restored its original color, the best way to keep it clean is to seal it with a high-quality grout sealer.
Bleaches can include oxygen bleach, chlorine bleach and undiluted hydrogen peroxide. While strong bleaches may seem effective, they can actually weaken and destroy grout more quickly, causing grout to crack or crumble away.
Let the baking soda/hydrogen peroxide cleaner “soak” into the grout for a few extra minutes (15-20 minutes). Giving the cleaner a longer “dwell time” allows it to brighten and whiten the grout.
Vinegar can indeed ruin grout.
Once lodged in these spaces, vinegar will corrode grout with the passage of time. The grout will eventually wear off. So you should take not to apply vinegar for cleaning purposes if you have unsealed grout in the area.
Fill a spray bottle with equal parts distilled white vinegar and warm water. Give it a good shake and then spray the grout. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Once it's absorbed, give your grout a scrub down with your brush.
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.
To remove everyday dirt and debris, mix two parts baking soda with one part water. For stained or discolored grout, mix two parts baking soda with one part vinegar. And if you have coarse or fragile tiles, mix two parts baking soda with one part hydrogen peroxide.
Simply spray warm water on the grout lines and scrub in a circular motion with a small nylon brush, then let dry. Fill a spray bottle with a half-and-half solution of vinegar and warm water. Spray on the grout, let it stand for five minutes, and then scrub with a stiff-bristled brush using a circular motion.
The vinegar combined with the baking soda will create a bubbly reaction, which will get rid of soap scum, limescale and mould. Be sure to work the baking soda into the grout lines, removing all build-up.
Little did you know that cola is great for cleaning tile grout! If you have dirty, dingy grout, pour a bit of cola onto the area, let it sit for a few minutes, and wipe clean. For tough stains, use a cleaning toothbrush to scrub the grout before wiping the area clean. Cola Cola can also be used on carpet stains.
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.
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural cleaning agent with anti-fungal properties. Using this is a much better choice than bleach in that it leaves no firm order afterward. Pour a little bit into a spray bottle and spray it onto the contaminated area. Let it soak in for 10 minutes, then scrub.
To remove the black stains that mold leaves on non-porous surfaces like grout, mix equal parts of bleach and water in a spray bottle and spray it over the stained area, allowing it to sit for several minutes. Return and spray the area again, and use a scrub brush to scrub out any remaining discoloration.
Stir 1/2 cup of borax OR baking soda and several teaspoons of water to make a paste you can spread directly over the mold. Apply the paste to the moldy grout and let it sit for 30 minutes. Using your electric scrubber, start scrubbing away at the moldy grout.
It is important to wait until the grout has set in before wiping the tiles clean, as premature wiping can result in gouges. However, don't wait too long, or the grout will dry onto the tiles, potentially causing irreversible damage.
It's as easy as it sounds: pour boiling water all over the grout and let it sit for a little while to knock out the stains, cleaning it pretty quickly after applying.
How often should you clean grout? Grout cleaning should be done pretty regularly if you want to kick butt and get results. At least once a month, you should try and scrub any stained grout clean. (Even better, try to clean stains on grout as soon as you see them to prevent setting.)