How To Clean Stained Grout. What professionals say

So, you’ve noticed your tiles are full of grime despite cleaning the floor regularly. However, you don’t know how to clean and remove the dirt from the grout. If that sounds like you, don’t worry – you’ve come to the right place.

You can use a magic eraser, homemade cleaner, or commercial grout and tile cleaner to clean stained grout. You can also use toilet bowl cleaner, oxygen bleach, and steam cleaning. In severe cases, you can also seek professional help.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to remove the unpleasant dirt on the grout that makes your tiles look awful. In this article, we will explore some of the ways to clean stained grout. 

1. Magic Eraser

If you already have a Magic Eraser in your home, you’re in luck – you can use this cleaning solution to regularly clean dirt from your grout, including on heavier and longstanding stains. 

All you need to do is wet your Magic Eraser, squeeze it several times, and scrub it to your tile grout. Your Magic Eraser can be reused by rinsing it with water.

Here’s a YouTube video demonstrating how tile grouts can be cleaned using a Magic Eraser:

Since Magic Eraser does not contain bleach, you can also use it to remove dirt from colored grout. However, it is not a good idea to use it to clean grout on high gloss tiles since it is highly abrasive.

2. Commercial Grout and Tile Cleaner

Another way to clean your stained grout is to use a commercial grout and tile cleaner. Here is what you need to do:

1. Wear gloves and safety goggles, and ensure proper ventilation in the area before using the cleaner since it contains chemical fumes.
2. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions in applying the cleaner to the stained grout.

3. Homemade Cleaner

Using homemade ingredients to clean your stained grout is the safest way to ensure the color of your grout will not fade.

Here’s how to create and use homemade cleaner. Everything you need should be easily available in your kitchen or in your existing cleaning supplies:

• Step 1: Soak the grout on the floor with vinegar.
• Step 2: Mix baking soda with water and add a bit of dish detergent.
• Step 3: Pour the baking soda and water mixture on top of the grout soaked with vinegar.
• Step 4: Scrub the grout with a stiff brush.
• Step 5: Wipe the floor with a sponge.
• Step 6: Allow the floor to dry.
• Step 7: If the grout still shows heavy stains, you can use a grout removal knife to remove the surface of the grout lightly.
• Step 8: Once the floor is dry, apply a sealer to the grout to prevent dirt from accumulating.

To learn more about cleaning grout using ingredients that are available in your home, check this YouTube video:

4. Toilet Bowl Cleaner

You can use a toilet bowl cleaner by squeezing it directly on your stained grout, as they have strong ingredients that can remove tough stains. 

However, you should never use toilet bowl cleaner on colored grout. The cleaner can fade the color of the grout.

Ensure that you wear gloves before using the toilet bowl cleaner as it contains harmful chemicals that might injure you. Let the cleaner stay in the grout for up to 10 minutes, and then wipe the cleaner from your tile grout. As you wipe the floor, the grime from the grout should lift away as well.

Here’s a YouTube video demonstrating how to use a toilet bowl cleaner to clean grout:

5. Oxygen Bleach

Commonly used in laundry, oxygen bleach is a chlorine-free bleach solution that is less harmful and more environmentally friendly than regular bleach. Oxygen bleach is instead made of sodium carbonate (soda ash) and hydrogen peroxide, and is also known as sodium percarbonate.

Here are the steps you need to take to clean your stained tile grout with an oxygen bleach:

• Step 1. Make the mixture: Mix oxygen bleach and warm water thoroughly in a small container
• Step 2. Pour in spray bottle: Pour the mixture into a clean spray bottle.
• Step 3. Spray the mixture: Spray the mixture on the grout lines.
• Step 4. Let it sit: Let the mixture sit on the grout for up to 20 minutes.
• Step 5. Scrub the grout: Scrub the grout lines with a soft-bristled brush in small, circular motions. You can spray some more to fasten the cleaning process.
• Step 6. Wipe the grout lines: Wipe the mixture with a damp rag or sponge.
• Step 7. Wipe with clean water: Once you’re done applying oxygen bleach throughout the floor, wipe the floor with clean water to remove the remaining bleach residue.
• Step 8. Let it dry: You can use a clean towel to dry the floor or let it air dry.

6. Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning is one of the effective ways to clean tiles and remove stubborn dirt. It heats water to more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius) to scrub away the dirt from the grout.

This method does not damage properly sealed grout. However, if your grout hasn’t been sealed properly, some of it may chip off, and you may need to reseal the grout after you’re done cleaning.

Here is how you can clean your stained grout through steam cleaning:

• Step 1. Clean the are: Clean the area where you will steam clean. Excess dirt can clog your steam cleaner.
• Step 2. Warm up the steam cleaner: Warm up your steam cleaner by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Step 3. Scrub the grout: Scrub the grout lines back and forth using the recommended spray rate of your steam cleaner.
• Step 4. Repeat: Repeat step 3 until the whole area has been steam cleaned.
• Step 5. Clean the tiles: Do a final cleaning of the tiles that were steam cleaned.
• Step 6. Seal the grout: Seal your grout. This will prevent dirt from building up.

7. Seek Professional Help

If all the suggested ways to clean your stained grout fail or if you do not have the time to clean your stained grout, seek the help of a professional cleaner to remove the dirt. They have the tools needed to clean your grout properly and the experience to ensure that your grout will not be damaged in the process. 

Conclusion

Cleaning your stained grout is a relatively simple process, and there are several cleaning agents available for you to use. However, you should be careful when you choose a cleaning agent, especially if you need to clean colored grout – some agents can adversely affect the color of your grout.

In case the dirt on your stained grout does not go away or if its color fades, seek the help of a professional cleaner who can help you.