best grout cleaning product/technique?

[WatchingThemGrow]

We're house sitting, and I'm pretty sure the grout is supposed to be white, not brown. How can I make it turn white again? This is in the bathroom where the tub and shower surrounds are all white on white.

[MommyAllison]

Pinterest says to use a bleach pen, but I haven't tried it yet.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Hmm....I'll have to see if I can find one. Does comet/bon ami work?

[katydid1971]

Bleach can damage the grout. Try TSP and a stiff brush, wear gloves and use some elbow grease.
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Grout-Brush/dp/B00004OCLR

http://www.amazon.com/Dap-63001-T-S-P-Cleaner/dp/B000KKKM5I/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1340684409&sr=1-3&keywords=Tsp

[Nyfeara]

Our steam mop came with a grout cleaning attachment. It takes a little bit, but it does work. Ours is an Oreck. It came with a slew of attachments for cleaning various things in the house.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Ok, I grabbed the OXO grout brush and some Bar Keeper's Friend at BBB for under $6 altogether. I guess this will be a fun evening.

[crl]

Ok, I grabbed the OXO grout brush and some Bar Keeper's Friend at BBB for under $6 altogether. I guess this will be a fun evening.

Did it work?

Catherine

[WatchingThemGrow]

Nope. What next? It's slightly lighter but not clean and white again.

[lovin2shop]

I've used a rotary brush for cleaning that looks kind of like an electric toothbrush. It is called the sonic clean or something of the sort. Then I used a paste cleaner that is mildly abrasive, and sealed after cleaning (once dry). The paste that I used was by Shaklee, and I had it on hand, but I'm sure there are other cleaning pastes more readily available that would work. My grout cleaned up very nicely. However, it was a very long process, and after about a year, I'm back to the ugly, dirty brown grout. Sigh.

[ShayleighCarsensMom]

A bleach pen turned my grout a light green color. I've always just used a toothbrush and vinegar, but if they are really dirty you may have to use comet with a toothbrush.


Valerie
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[waitingforgrace]

If the grout was never properly sealed in the first place it may be stained and cleaning it won't remove the stains. Our current house is like this. The grout I assume was white when the house was built but it was never sealed. I can clean the grout but that doesn't remove all of the staining.

[NewbieVA]

This is something I need to tackle in my house, but I've been putting off since I moved here 2 yrs ago! I saw on some blog that someone painted their's white again with grout paint. I bought some, but haven't tried it yet. I will (eventually) clean the grout lines and then let dry & try the paint. When (or rather, if) I get around to it, I'll let you all know if it works.

[boltfam]

I got my grout pretty clean by using a paste I made mixed of baking soda, castille soap, and some vinegar. It was just an experiment, so I don't have measurements, but it did work. My grout is darker, though.

[California]

You are house sitting and cleaning their grout for them? Did I read that right? Can you watch my place? :-)

[niccig]

There's lots of advice here.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/getting-tile-grout-clean-120643

When it's clean, seal the grout, but be careful to not get the sealer on the shower doors. It took forever to wear off the glass.

[WatchingThemGrow]

You are house sitting and cleaning their grout for them? Did I read that right? Can you watch my place? :-)
LOL - yeah...DD's choir director asked how we were diong in the hall at church one day, and she offered up her place for almost 2 weeks while she was out of the country (we are between homes) so I thought it would be nice to leave things a little cleaner than I found them. So far I've only wiped out the cool side of the fridge. This seemed like a nice project.

nicci, thanks for the link. I'll go look for some soft scrub too! The guy at Lowes said to stick with Bar Keepers Friend, then bleach and seal it. Maybe I'll just do the scrubbing and let them finish the other part....???