Did you know that toothpaste makes an effective tile grout cleaner? To remove dirt and grime from tile grout: Dab some white, non-gel toothpaste onto the grout. Scrub with a toothbrush.
Saturate the grout with lemon juice, a mild disinfectant that gets rid of grout stains naturally. You can also use white vinegar for chemical-free grout cleaning. Simply pour vinegar from the bottle into the cap and pour it over the dirty grout lines. Allow the lemon juice or vinegar to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
White toothpaste works best for household cleaning, so save the stripy gel kinds for your teeth. Run an old toothbrush under some warm water and squeeze a small amount of toothpaste onto the bristles. Gently buff the white grout borders of your kitchen or bathroom with the paste.
What do professionals use to clean grout? Whether you believe it or not, most professionals use a solution of white vinegar and water with a 1:1 ratio. This solution is often more effective than dedicated Ph-neutral grout cleaners.
To remove everyday dirt and debris, mix two parts baking soda with one part water. For stained or discolored grout, mix two parts baking soda with one part vinegar. And if you have coarse or fragile tiles, mix two parts baking soda with one part hydrogen peroxide.
Water containing iron can deposit minerals on the grout that can oxidize and cause a yellow discoloration. If the water used to mix the grout during installation contained iron, this can also cause discoloration.
I want to actually clean my grout. Magic erasers get the job done, and they do it quickly and relatively painlessly. Technique-wise, I usually cut my standard size magic eraser in half, wet it to slightly more than damp, and scrub the grout line as I squeeze gently.
One way to clean grout without scrubbing is by mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide and mix into a paste. Follow with a teaspoon of dish soap. Apply the mixture to your floor grout and let it sit for 5–10 minutes.
First, wash your tiles and grout with sugar soap using a toothbrush and scrubbing brush. We used Selley's Sugar Soap concentrate for this, mixed with warm water in a bucket – it works a treat. Use your toothbrush, scrubbing brush and some elbow grease to scrub the grout and give it a good going-over.
One mum demonstrated her method in a TikTok video, which shows her covering grubby grout in $6 Gumption before using an electric toothbrush to buff away dirt instead of scrubbing the lines by hand. She then used a pressure sprayer to blast away grime.
The secret of the blue dawn solution is the effect of cutting grease and grime. Blue Dawn dish soap is the best multi-purpose grout cleaner you can effectively use in your home.
Cleaning Grout with Baking Soda
Baking soda is a safe deodorizer, whitener, and household cleaner—and it's an effective natural grout cleaner. Because baking soda is also a mild abrasive, using it for cleaning grout lines gives you extra firepower without the risk of scratching your tile.
For light discolouration, dip a toothbrush into a solution of one-part water to one-part bleach and use it to scrub along the grout. Leave for a few minutes and then rinse with water. For heavier staining, make a stiff paste of bicarbonate of soda and distilled white vinegar.
Make a thick paste with bicarbonate of soda and a few drops of vinegar. Rub the paste into your grouting, and leave it for 15 minutes before giving it a good scrub with a brush or toothbrush. After a hard scrubbing, just rinse away any remaining bits of paste and your grout should look sparkling clean.
Use Sealant to Prevent Grout Discoloration
If your grout has so far maintained its pearly whiteness and you want to keep it that way, then you should consider applying a sealant. Sealants will help prevent your grout from deteriorating and will also protect against water damage.
Baking Soda, Dawn and Peroxide for a Deeper Clean
While baking soda and peroxide work excellently together to whiten and clean grout, adding a little Dawn dish soap makes the combo even better. For this homemade grout cleaner recipe, you're actually going to mix them together first.
Grout that hasn't been sealed, needs to be resealed, or is in poor shape should not be cleaned with vinegar. The vinegar penetrates into the pores of the grout, further weakening the material. Over time, vinegar will deteriorate the condition of the grout by etching or wearing it away.
Myth: Bleach is great for deep cleaning tile and grout.
But frequent use of bleach can eventually weaken the grout's structure, causing it to become brittle and deteriorate.
Do not use vinegar or baking soda to clean tile grout. Alkaline cleaners are a better choice than vinegar or baking soda because grout contains cementitious mortar that can be dissolved by acidic cleaners, including vinegar. Vinegar and other acids are also a bad idea for stone tile because the acid can etch the stone.
TL;DR: Combine baking soda & white vinegar to create the perfect cleaning solution for tile grout. Scrub with a toothbrush and voila! For floor tiles, combine baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, apply paste, let sit, then scrub away and rinse off with warm water. Grout gets dirty and unsightly – quick!