Dirty floor tile grout....

[lil mermaid]

We moved into our house (brand new house) in mid-January. Before we moved in, DH and I had discussed sealing the grout and/or tile in the kitchen. In our old house, the grout got dirty and I was never able to get it completely clean, and I wanted to avoid that with this house. Anyway - before we moved in I was reading the new Homeowner's handbook given to us by our builder. The handbook stated that sealing the grout would void the warranty on it, and generally seemed to discourage it. So I decided not to do it.

Well, here we are a few months later, and the grout on the kitchen floor is really dirty in spots. I mean, I scrub this floor with a scrub brush and everything, and the grout is still dirty. It isn't anything really nasty, no scary stains, just that the grout is darker in some places.

Does anyone know of a product for cleaning floor tile grout that works??? I tried lots of things in our old house but was never able to get it the way that I wanted it. I want to get the grout all cleaned up and then seal it!!

Thanks

 

[mickeyboat]

Not an expert, here, but how about a bleach pen?

We used greyish grout so we wouldn't have to worry about it so much.

Good luck.

Denae

 

[vacanut]

I'd check Home Depot I bet they have a special cleaner and make sure you seal it! Still trying to figure out why it voided the warranty!

 

[BunsenH]

I can't believe that sealing grout would void a warranty. What is the warranty on? the tile? the grout? It makes more sense that NOT sealing on a regular basis would "void the warranty".

It's a dirty, slow job, but I would scrape the grout with an abrasive tool (grout knife?) just enough to expose new grout and then seal. When we installed our kitchen tile floor, we were told to seal the tile and the grout.

Good Luck!

 

[damo]

We have gray grout and it is excellent.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

my crazy mother actually paints it - she doesn't think any of the grout cleaners do their job, she tried the bleach pen, but it fades too quickly, so twice a year she gets her little paint brush and paints the tile, which include 1/2 of the family room, the kitcher, the hallway and the front foyer...its ALOT of work - but it looks incredible!

 

[RitaZ.]

Try spraying the dirty grout with a degreaser, like 409 or any other brand, then pour hydrogen peroxide on it; work the solution into the grout gently with a brush. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to work (15 min. or so), scrub again with the brush and you'll see the grime come out. Mop your floor as usual.

I did this in my kids' bathroom floor, my neighbor's idea, and I couldn't believe how well it worked.

 

[lil mermaid]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I don't know why it would void the warranty on the grout either...and I was so frazzled with our quick relocation from California (our second big relo in two years) that I didn't think to ask about it.

The grout is actually a light grayish color - but it is darker gray in some areas.

I got TWO kinds of grout cleaner from Home Depot to clean our grout in our old house...but neither had very good results!!

Edited to add: This is what it says in my homeowner manual: "Sealing grout is a homeowner's decision. Once sealed, ongoing homeowner maintenance of that seal will be necessary. Please be aware that sealing grout will void the warranty coverage on such grout."

 

[CajunDixie]

Once sealed, ongoing homeowner maintenance of that seal will be necessary.

Our tile guys told us to seal it and to repeat sealing every 2 years. Maybe some people only seal it once and expect it to last forever?

 

[sweet angel]

Try spraying the dirty grout with a degreaser, like 409 or any other brand, then pour hydrogen peroxide on it; work the solution into the grout gently with a brush. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to work (15 min. or so), scrub again with the brush and you'll see the grime come out. Mop your floor as usual.

I did this in my kids' bathroom floor, my neighbor's idea, and I couldn't believe how well it worked.

Do you supposed this would work on bathroom tub walls as well?

 

[legs22]

Finazzle is an excellent grout cleaner. There is one for colored grout and one for white grout. I sprayed it on the grout, let it sit for a few minutes and then scrubbed with a brush.

 

[cinmell]

I've never heard of Finazzle. Can you buy it at Home Depot or Lowes?

 

[lil mermaid]

looks like they sell it at Home Depot.... www.finazzle.com

 

[cinmell]

Thanks!

 

[RitaZ.]

Do you supposed this would work on bathroom tub walls as well?

I have only tried it on the floor, not the walls. I don't think it would remove mildew, but maybe it would work for soap scum. Try a small area and see what happens. I tried bleaching the grout, but it didn't work. I was really amazed at how well the degreaser and peroxide worked to get the grout clean.

 

[sweet angel]

I have only tried it on the floor, not the walls. I don't think it would remove mildew, but maybe it would work for soap scum. Try a small area and see what happens. I tried bleaching the grout, but it didn't work. I was really amazed at how well the degreaser and peroxide worked to get the grout clean.

I don't know if it's mildew. I think it's user error from installing the grout (we did it ourselves less than a year ago). I've used a bleach solution and it did nothing.

 

[alliecats]

Another vote for Finazzle!!! I got it at Lowe's. It is truly a miracle product, I have never seen a product look so low-budget, not have any advertising, and work better than I expected. I actually sent them an email after I used it to thank them. And I recommended it to 3 people, all of whom thanked me later AND recommended it to others.
Seriously, I can't imagine you needing anything else but this. It's easy, too! I squirted it on my bathroom floors and left it for 20 minutes. I came back, and it looked like little dirt skins (gross, sorry, this was when we first moved in so it wasn't even OUR dirt, ugh) were floating on top of the Finazzle. I mopped, and that was it!

 

[legs22]

I've never heard of Finazzle. Can you buy it at Home Depot or Lowes?

I don't think I looked at Home Depot or Lowes. I looked at Wal-Mart and Target....they didn't carry it. I found it at Publix (grocery store).

P.S. Don't use the Finazzle white grout cleaner on colored grout. My sister did this and I thought she had bleached her brown grout because it had this whitish look to it. I used the colored grout Finazzle on my brown grout and it restored it to its original color.

 

[FroggyinArk]

per the warrentty question,, yes any alteration to the job after instalation by homeowner will void the warrenttee. and grout is not really sposed to be sealed anyway, if left unsealed it can expand and contract and will stay put longer, sealed grout will chip out faster.

finazzle does seem to wrk, got mine at lowes.

 

[elismom]

Cindys Mom
What kind of paint does your Mom use?
Thanks