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.
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.
Cleaning Grout with Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is a safe, natural cleaner and disinfectant you can use all around the house. Pour or spray undiluted vinegar onto your grout and let it sit for 10 minutes before using a toothbrush, scrubbing in a circular motion. Next, rinse away the dirt and mildew.
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.
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.
Mix hydrogen peroxide and baking soda in a bowl to form a thick paste. Spread the paste onto your grout using an old toothbrush to completely coat the area to be cleaned. Let it soak in for about 5 to 10 minutes. Like the previous method, use a brush with firm bristles to scrub the grout.
Time. Make a baking soda paste with water and spread over tile and grout. Leave on overnight and spray with vinegar in the morning. Follow with your regular morning shower and rinse off any baking soda/vinegar residue.
Make a paste from two parts bicarbonate of soda to one part water, then rub onto dirty grout using an old toothbrush. An electric toothbrush with an old head will also work wonders and save your elbows!
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.
One way to clean grout without scrubbing is by mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide and mix into a paste. Follow with a teaspoon of dish soap. Apply the mixture to your floor grout and let it sit for 5–10 minutes.
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.
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.
Mix 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1 tsp dish soap into a paste that you can apply to grout and surrounding tile. The dish soap is especially great at cutting through grease that might make its way onto your kitchen grout.
Myth: Bleach is great for deep cleaning tile and grout.
But frequent use of bleach can eventually weaken the grout's structure, causing it to become brittle and deteriorate.
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.
Use a soft small brush, sponge, or a gentle toothbrush to get into the crevices of the grout. Don't use any hard brushes or anything with harsh metals as this can destroy the grout and loosen your tiles. If you're dealing with stubborn stains after trying soap and water washes, try a pH balanced cleaner.