Well, THAT'S gross! How do you clean your grout?

[NMAmy]

I'm embarassed to admit this but I have ceramic tile in my kitchen/dining room/hall/entryway. I mop once a week but when I moved the hutch the other day, I noticed that the grout was originally light grey. On the rest of the floor, it looks black. Now, I mop the floor once a week and since all of the grout changed over time, I hadn't really noticed how disgusting this is. The mop isn't getting the dirt off the grout.

So, I've been on my hands and knees with a toothbrush, scrubbing it clean, but this is a huge amount of floor space. Any easier ways to clean this icky mess? Now that I've noticed it, I feel obligated to clean it.

 

[Jeafl]

I think a lot of it could just be discoloration, especially if you mop it all the time. We have not had much luck at all getting ours back to the original color. You can cut it out with a grout saw and replace it. It is a huge pain, but it looks good. Also, if you do eventually put new grout in, make sure you use a grout sealer so that it doesn't discolor again.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has any ideas. I did use the Clorox bleach pen on the white grout in our bathroom and that worked fairly well.

 

[grinningghost]

Clorox Bleach Pen - but you have to let it sit for longer than the packaging recommends.

And don't be ashamed, gross grout is quite common.

 

[dejavu]

You are preaching to the choir Sister! I have spent the better part of two Saturdays on my hands & knees with a grout brush and a bottle of "easy off bam" getting my grout clean-what a pain I wonder if I seal it after I clean it will it stay a light beige or eventually go back to dark brown?
I spray a section about 6 square feet directly on the grout let it stand for about 5 min and the dirt comes off really good but I am sure I am doing harm to the grout- Glad to hear I am not alone!

 

[NMAmy]

Thank you both for the quick replies! The toothbrush is working pretty well--in fact, it's working so well that now my floor looks kind of odd--the grout in one part is clean and dirty elsewhere. Guess I'll have to get busy and clean the rest of it now. It IS a good workout. I was just hoping for an easier way.

 

[Mamu]

It needs to be cleaned good with a bleach solution and once a year you need to apply a grout sealer. The sealer hehps to stop water from entering the grout, and discoloring it.

 

[Jennifer S]

I just saw an ad on TV for Stanley carpet cleaner will do your grout for $99. They come in and use a huge buffing machine. I think it may be worth it if you could find a company to come in and do it then all you have to do is maintain.

 

[Tazicket]

I have tile and grout in the kitchen, too. Have you tried the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers? They're working wonders on mine!

 

[NMAmy]

dejavu--I know what you mean! I was much happier before I noticed it. You know how a small remodeling job just escalates? We're re-doing our front room into a library--while dh is busy building bookshelves, I moved some of the furniture into the dining room which meant I had to move the hutch which was when I discovered my little problem. It never ends, does it? Does the Easy Off Bam work well?

Thank you, Mamu. I've never had this type of floor before so I'd never heard of the grout sealer. Once I get it all cleaned up, I'll have to get some.

Have any of you used Stanley Steemer to clean your ceramic floors? I've seen ads on tv and it's looking kind of good right now.

 

[jcsbama]

I think to keep it's original color, you have to scrub it every week, not just mop it. Every week from the time I was about 10 until I moved out at 19, my weekly chore was to scrub the bathrooms or no plans for me on the weekends. We had tiled floors and shower walls in both bathrooms. I had to use a scrubbing brush with a bucket of soap(laundry detergent) and clorox. Apparently my mom knew it would work cause it's been 28 years since that house was built and the tile/grout in the bathroom looks brand new.

Throw the toothbrush away and get a bigger brush. Use the kind that's about 6" long, the front has a triangular end and the back is straight across and there's a handle on top. Hopefully, I described right. Anyway, you scrub more surface at a time and because the bristels are bigger, you can put more pressure on the scrubbing.

If the grout is real bad, you probably won't get back to it's original color with one scrubbing. I moved into an apartment once where the tile was light green, but the grout was almost black. It was disgusting. But, over about a month's time and spending about an hour scrubbing each week, I had the grout looking great!

 

[dejavu]

Does the Easy Off Bam work well?

Have any of you used Stanley Steemer to clean your ceramic floors? I've seen ads on tv and it's looking kind of good right now.

Yes the easy off bam works great. I have seen the Stanley Steemer ad too and wondered??

As far as someone else said scrub your grout everyweek My kitchen is 20 x20 and then I have a 25 ft hall, entrance way and 4 bathrooms. Oh and did I mention I work full time?? Who has the time to get on your knees and scrub700 square feet of grout each and every week?

 

[FayeW]

I use a grout cleaner called ZEP. It was recommended on this board and it it terrific! I got it at Home Depot. You just squirt in onto the grout, let it sit a few minutes, and then scrub it with an old toothbrush.

 

[NMAmy]

Yes the easy off bam works great. I have seen the Stanley Steemer ad too and wondered??

As far as someone else said scrub your grout everyweek My kitchen is 20 x20 and then I have a 25 ft hall, entrance way and 4 bathrooms. Oh and did I mention I work full time?? Who has the time to get on your knees and scrub700 square feet of grout each and every week?

I kind of felt the same way. While I appreciate the advice, it's just TOO much--we're not talking one or two bathrooms, it's a huge portion of the first floor of my house. I have a hard enough time getting my chores done on the weekend.

Oh, and I didn't pick this flooring--it was here when we moved in. I actually really liked it until I discovereed this little flaw.

 

[NMAmy]

I use a grout cleaner called ZEP. It was recommended on this board and it it terrific! I got it at Home Depot. You just squirt in onto the grout, let it sit a few minutes, and then scrub it with an old toothbrush.

Thanks, Faye! I'll have to check it out. Although I don't know if I can wait until I can get to Home Depot now that I know it's there.

 

[arminnie]

As far as someone else said scrub your grout everyweek My kitchen is 20 x20 and then I have a 25 ft hall, entrance way and 4 bathrooms. Oh and did I mention I work full time?? Who has the time to get on your knees and scrub700 square feet of grout each and every week?

I've got that much too. I did the scrub it with ZAP when I moved in 5 years ago and sealed it but it is dark again.

In my 40 year old bathrooms I got something called grout re-colorant at Lowe's. I had to really scrub (those teeny-tiny tiles) and then apply it. It took forever but that is holding up best. It recolors and seals it. Mine is white white now.