Bathroom Tile question

[splash5]

We have a white tile countertop in the bathroom. It has the grout in between tiles and some of it has gotten very dark. I've tried everything to clean it and have had no luck. Would it just be better to put fresh grout on over the top or does anyone have a suggestion?

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

I have seen neighbors that used a tool to remove about half of the existing grout and then applied new grout. It was tedious, but it was inexpensive and looked good as new! Sorry........I have not found any chemical cleaner that truly whitens the stained grout.

 

[puffkin]

I have used those tide bleach pens before on the grout in my bathroom, but it is a very thin line and small area. Don't know if that would work for your countertop or not.

 

[Molliday]

Google Listerine and grout. It's supposed to whiten the grout, but I'm not sure which Listerine it is.

 

[chris31997]

I would regrout and make sure you seal it with a good sealer or you will be doing it again soon.

 

[BSil]

Try a streamer? They work well on grout. Maybe you could rent one for short money.

I bought a tool called The Multimaster. It has an attachment for removing grout, and a number of other things. Probably one of the best tools I own, but it is kind of pricey. That will get the grout out, and allow you to regrout it.

 

[mrsboz]

I asked a similar question about grout and it is murder to clean. I sealed mine and it still got dirty. I tried every concoction known to man and then a friend told me about ammonia. I mixed it with water and I ony cleaned a small patch and it actually worked. I have to look it up and make sure that it won't be harmful to the grout before I continue. So, if you want to try it please check and make sure that it is safe first for your grout. I can't believe it actually worked because I tried every and all suggestion and special cleaners and nothing worked until I spot tried the ammonia and water. Good luck it is a big job and not fun!

 

[vangelder03]

grout needs to be steam cleaned to really come clean

 

[cheerforchelsea]

Half peroxide and half water in a spray bottle....spray on and let it sit, then mop as usual. Worked great and was super easy.

 

[muffyn]

try mr clean magic eraser

i use this on my white floor tile grout

amazing

 

[cbg1027]

Soft Scrub with Bleach - squeeze on and let it sit for a good while. Then use a Sonic Scrubber or an Electric toothbrush.

I've had good results with that method on light colored grout. It wasn't returned to it original color, but it did make a huge difference.

 

[Swimalie]

We grouted our kitchen floor and then decided we didn't like the color. So we went to Lowes and bought some acid based cleaner that took the sealant off. Then we re-grouted and it turned out great. We used a toothbrush that was cut to the size of the grout lines to put the acid solution down. It took a weekend to do the whole kitchen floor.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

My sister bought some special paint that paints grout. She mixed 2 different colors to get one that matched her tile and it looks great

 

[moepanz]

try mr clean magic eraser

i use this on my white floor tile grout

amazing

This!

 

[quentina]

ZEP tile cleaner, sold at Home Depot. Buy the one that is not a floor mopping type, the one in the 1 liter looking type bottle that you squirt directly onto the grout. I am not kidding, this stuff is amazing!

 

[vegasnative]

If the grout isn't broken, I wouldn't remove it. We own a carpet cleaning company, and we can re color grout. It's really pretty cool. I would check with your area carpet cleaners, maybe look for someone that is IICRC certified. Ask them, there is sure to be someone near you that does the grout re-coloring. It's fantastic!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

My house was built in 1986 (It is v. v. Cosby Show era) and the grout is original. It also hasn't been subject to anything to try and remove the grotty color in that time either.

So the grout looks black. Mainly.

I sat down with a magic eraser. It works really well, but requires a lot of elbow grease. I have a big country kitchen, a breakfast nook and an entry way to do.

I tried a bleach pen. This worked just as well and required no elbow grease.

Hmm, the cost of enough bleach pens to do this amount of floors. . .

SO I got out the hydrogen peroxide and poured it straight on. A bit better, but not as good as the bleach pen.

I put on my thinking cap and got out the clorox bottle. Poured some bleach directly on it.

It worked beautifully. Stinks like a demon, but it WORKS.

Tomorrow I am going to try Oxi-Clean and see what that does. I'll report my findings if anyone is interested.

I think, based on my experience with the fumes, that I will mentally split up my tile floors into about 10 small areas, then one at a time, clean the grout with bleach. Between each cleaning, I can let the fumes air out for a while. After I'm done, I'll steam the floor to get all the bleach up.

 

[xiaoiao]

i use this on my white floor tile grout