Miracle Grout Cleaner

Here's a tip I found on Pinterest that actually did work. (See also, Pinterest Failures)  The tile floor in our new house is really dirty.  I didn't even realize how dirty until I got down on the floor to scrub the grout.  I used this grout cleaner recipe I found via Pinterest and it actually worked! My grout did not get quite as clean as hers, but it looks WAY better.  Probably I am lazy and didn't scrub hard enough.  I also tried doing the entire process twice, but I didn't notice a difference the second time.

Anyway, this is my actual floor where I just cleaned one tile.  This is after the whole area was mopped and dried - that dirty grout is not wet.

I discovered that the scrub brush I was using cleaned the tile itself really well, even with just water. You can see a difference on the tiles an inch or so around the grout. The tile I cleaned practically glows. So now I have to scrub all the tiles, too   I've done about 1/3 of the area that needs to be cleaned. It's definitely a lengthy process, but the difference is amazing.

Here's the grout cleaner recipe I used:

1 3/4 c. warm water

2 T. baking soda

1 T. and 1 t. ammonia

1 T. vinegar

I got a small Scotch-Brite scrub brush at Target for $2.50 - it was called "hand and nail" brush.  I bought a larger one for scrubbing the actual tile.  I sprayed the grout cleaner on, and let it soak in for 30 minutes or so. It's definitely easier to clean the longer you let it soak.  Then, I scrubbed the grout one line at a time.  I wiped the dirty water off with a rag, and rinsed my brush in a bowl of water in between scrubbing each line.  

I cleaned each area after scrubbing, so that any dirty water wouldn't soak back in.  That's it! Maybe in a week or so I will actually get it all done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by debellafunk 

I would suggest after it is all said and done and you have cleaned it all and it has dried out sealing it. Sealing it is so easy you can get it at homedeo in a bottle with a little brush attached right to the bottle and brush it right on and let dry.

I thought about that, but we don't own the house so I don't think it's worth the money.

Ok, it took me a couple weeks, but I finally finished cleaning the whole floor! Here are some before and after pictures. I don't know if you can tell the difference in the pictures, but it looks SO much better in real life.  The tile isn't so grayish and the grout is more tan than yucky dark brown.

I also got a scrubbing mop that seems to do a pretty good job getting the gunk out of the texture of the tile with just regular mopping, so I won't have to scrub the floor with a brush every time.  Hopefully the tile will stay pretty clean; we don't wear shoes in the house like the previous tenants.