No matter how often you clean your floors, if you have nasty-looking grout, then your floors will always look like they have not been cleaning. And this can get quite frustrating, especially if you have just finished steam cleaning and scrubbing them.
Did you know that you do not have to scrub the life out of your grout to clean them? While the elbow grease is bound to help make the grout look slightly cleaner, wouldn’t you rather clean floor grout without scrubbing?
What will make grout white again?
Here are some easy ways to clean your grout without using elbow grease and still make them sparkle.
Items needed
- Stiff-bristled brush
- Vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Baking soda
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Sodium hydroxide
- Oxygen bleach
- Grout cleaner
- Dish soap (optional)
- Steam mop
Cleaning Grout with Baking Soda
Baking soda is a crucial ingredient for all great homemade tile grout cleaners. Aside from being a mild abrasive that can be used for scrubbing, it also breaks down dirt and grease molecules, making them dissolve in water. Baking soda also deodorizes by alkalizing acidic odors as well as other odor molecules.
Cleaning Grout with Hydrogen Peroxide and baking soda
Mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda into a paste and spread it on the grout for some stain neutralizing action. Let it sit for a few minutes, then use the stiff-bristled brush to scrub gently, and the stain should lift from the grout without requiring any major scrubbing. Then clean the floor as usual.
You can also make a liquid solution containing warm water, baking soda, and hydrogen solution and spray it onto the grout. The effervescent solution will fizz and cause the grout’s stain molecules to break down for easier cleaning.
Sodium peroxide and baking soda
Also known as caustic soda, sodium hydroxide is very effective when it comes to tougher stain removal. Add sodium hydroxide to warm water and pour or spray the mixture onto the grout. This eco-friendly grout cleaning solution will whiten the grout without posing a threat to you or the environment.
It is non-toxic to humans while being tough on stains and dirt. It is also fast-acting, making the cleaning process much faster. Leave it on the floor for ten minutes and proceed to clean your floor as usual.
Cleaning Grout with Vinegar and baking soda
This is the easiest cleaning solution you can ever make for general house cleaning. It will also deodorize your floors while cleaning them. Mix baking soda with vinegar, warm water, and dish soap and spray the solution onto the grout.
Let it sit for at least one hour. The grime and dirt will lift with ease afterward. Then proceed to wipe off the solution and clean your floors as usual. The solution should not be used on natural stone tiles such as marble, onyx, limestone, and travertine.
Cleaning Grout with Oxygen Bleach
This bleach is non-toxic and will not affect your health or any of your other house residents. It is very effective in stain removal. It works by loosening and breaking down stain molecules using oxygen ions which you can then easily wipe off after.
Mix the oxygen bleach with hot or warm water and pour or spray the solution onto the grout. Let it sit for at least thirty minutes before you start cleaning the grout. Wipe off the bleach and grime solution and then clean the floor as usual.
For best results, ensure the floor is dry to avoid dilution of the bleach solution. Be generous with the solution for faster stain removal. Any left-over oxygen bleach solution absorbed by the porous grout will keep working on the stains for roughly six more hours.
Cleaning Grout with Grout Cleaner
Commercial-made grout cleaners are specially formulated to be able to remove grout stains with ease. They also eliminate mold and mildew at the same time. Additionally, the commercial grout cleaner will leave your grout whiter than it was initially.
Spray the grout cleaner and let it sit for a few minutes to let it seep into the grout and lift the stains. Then proceed to wipe off the solution before cleaning your floors as usual. The grout cleaner can be used regularly to reduce grout staining in the future and preserve the grout’s brightness.
The amount of time recommended varies depending on the product. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as some grout cleaners may not be suitable for some flooring material types.
Final cleaning
To ensure all stains are removed, you can use a steam mop to clean the floors and remove any remaining grime or dirt from the floors. Do not use the steam mop floors not suited for steam cleaning.
Lastly, select the grout cleaning method based on the type of floor and the level of staining. The vinegar method is best used for light stains. While sodium hydroxide, oxygen bleach, and commercial grout cleaner are best used for severely stained grout.