Cleaning Dirty Grout in Tile Floors
By Kathryn Weber
Tile floors are wonderful. They’re easy to
keep clean, they’re durable and tough, and they look good for a long, long time.
There is only one drawback: grout. In short, grout is tile’s Achilles heel. When
tile floors don’t look good it’s usually because the grout has become stained.
So, can you revive your grout once it’s gone bad? Sure, you can.
Most of the time grout becomes stained because it was either not properly sealed
with a grout sealant when the tile was put down or because the sealant has worn
off with time. Often tile is set and no seal is ever applied. Many homeowners
are also unaware that grout needs to be sealed. Fortunately, there are some new
grouts with sealant already in the mix, eliminating the need for the very
tedious job of sealing the grout once the tile is set.
Oxygenate grout
If your floors look dirty because the tile grout is stained, you have some
cleaning options. The first option is to clean the tile yourself by damp mopping
with a bleach alternative, such as Oxiclean. Make a solution of two gallons of
hot water with one cup of oxygen powder. Make sure the powder dissolves
completely and then mop as usual. I like this option because oxygen bleaches
don’t have fumes like chlorine bleach does and they aren’t as risky with
carpeting, fabrics, or pets. If that doesn’t work, apply the mix with a
long-handled plastic bristle deck brush. The extra brushing action will often do
the job without making you get on your hands and knees to scrub.
Bleach with caution
If the grout still looks dirty, try wet mopping with chlorine bleach. Make a
solution of two gallons of hot water and one tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Add
one cup of liquid bleach and mix. Mop the floors with the bleach solution being
very careful not to get any of the solution on carpeting or fabrics.
Go pro
If your grout still looks bad, this brings us to the second option: professional
cleaning. Because many people have built houses in the past ten years and are
using more tile, and because more and more tile goes unsealed, the need for
grout cleaning has become clear. Luckily some carpet cleaning services, such as
Stanley Steemer, now offer tile grout cleaning in addition to regular carpet
cleaning services. They can also add a sealant during the cleaning process that
will help keep your grout clean for a longer time.
Once you’ve gotten the grout looking good again, it’s worth it to take steps to
keep the grout from getting dirty again. This would include sealing the grout
with a sealer (available at your home center and tile stores) and placing area
rugs at areas such as entryways, hallways, sinks, stoves, bathrooms and anywhere
there’s a lot of traffic and opportunity for dirt.
Tile floors are wonderfully convenient and easy to maintain. A quick sweep and
they’re clean. But, when the grout gets dirty, tile floors get ugly. Try the
cleaning steps above and see if you don’t notice a difference in the way your
grout looks. And, if not, there’s always the option of hiring a service to clean
it for you – and sealing it, too. Either way, though, do take the time and seal
your tile after cleaning. Check with your local tile company or home center for
sealants or for help with sealing. Sealing it is the only way you can ensure the
grout in your tile floors looks good for a long, long time.
© 2007 Kathryn Weber, all rights reserved
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Cleaning Calender, that
calender that puts you in control of your home by ending the power struggle. For
more information log on to
http://tinyurl.com/d9rh5.
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