Ultimate Guide: How To Clean Grout – 5 Easiest Methods

by John Griffith
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Tiles are amazing. They are beautiful, come in a ton of colors and designs, they are durable and generally easy to clean. But grout? Now that’s a whole different story. Grout is a type of dense fluid that is used to fill the gaps or as reinforcement in between the tiles. However, it’s typically light colored and has a porous composition which means it’s very prone to staining. Yikes! Your once beautiful white grout is now brown and looks dirty ruining the beautiful aesthetic of your tiles. The good news is you can clean grout. You can restore it to its original light beauty with the use of a few common household products and some elbow grease. Hurray! So, let’s see how to clean grout easily with a few easy methods.

Grout is a type of dense fluid that is used to fill the gaps or as reinforcement in between the tiles

pink gloves and brush cleaning grout

How To Clean Grout

Grimy grout may not seem like a big deal, but it impacts the look of the whole room, and it gives off a constant dirty feeling. Grout requires regular maintenance, but the more often you do it the easier the cleaning process is. Often just wiping down your tiled surfaces is not enough to get rid of dirty grout. But it’s also not a super hard process. We recommend you start by using the gentlest cleaning method on the list (which is the first) and work your way up as it depends on how tough the grout is stained. It’s also recommended to always do a patch test somewhere under an appliance or like behind the toilet to see if a cleaner is suitable and won’t do any damage.

Grout is typically light colored and has a porous composition 

how to clean grout man cleaning grout

#Warm Water

The gentlest (but still effective) of methods when it comes to cleaning dirty grout. Get yourself a medium-bristle nylon brush and avoid hard steel ones. Then just spray some warm water onto the grout lines and then scrub in a circular motion. After that just let it dry. Remember that porous cement grout does absorb water, which can lead to mildew, so be sparing.

The gentlest of methods when it comes to cleaning dirty grout

spray bottle with green gloves

#White Vinegar

White vinegar is a cleaning powerhouse. If you know that your grout has been sealed, then you can go ahead and try this method. Get a spray bottle and fill it with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and warm water. Spray the mixture onto the dirty grout and let it sit like that for around five minutes. The with a stiff brush start scrubbing the surface in a circular motion. This should lift the grime. Keep in mind that this method is not suitable if your grout has not been sealed.

White vinegar is a cleaning powerhouse

heinz white vinegar on table

#Vinegar, Baking Soda and Lemon Juice

Bringing in the big guns. Vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice are all respectable cleaners on their own, but together they are unstoppable. Vinegar has great acidic (but gentle) properties to cut through grime, baking soda adds scrubbing power, and lemon juice has mild bleaching properties which is great for dirty, darkened grout. Combine half a lemon, with a tablespoon of vinegar, and some baking soda. Then dip your grout brush in the mixture and scrub. Wipe away any excess liquid and you are done. Use this on sealed grout.

Vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice are all respectable cleaners on their own

how to clean grout bowl of whole and cut lemons

#Hydrogen Peroxide

If your grout has moderate stains, then you might want to use some hydrogen peroxide. This little product has amazing antifungal and antibacterial properties without it being a harsh acid. It is great for sterilizing cuts and for cleaning grout. You can make a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to clean the grout. This mixture is usually safe for both unsealed and sealed grout.

If your grout has moderate stains, then you might want to use some hydrogen peroxide

hydrogen peroxide and baking soda

#Commercial Grout Cleaner

There are plenty of commercial grout cleaners on the market you can try. They can make quick work of removing mildew and mold and bringing back the brightness of the grout. These products usually work in two ways, spraying and wiping, or, scouring with a brush. It depends on what you prefer and how much time you have for cleaning.

There are plenty of commercial grout cleaners on the market you can try

person cleaning grout with brush

This was how to clean grout easily with some of our favorite methods. We hope you found this article useful. Now you know how to tackle dirty grout and can enjoy the new sparkling clean grout that has appeared back in its whole glory.

This was how to clean grout easily with our favorite methods

cleaning grout with brush

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John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.