The word grout sounds just sounds gritty and gross. But, grout is a mixture of water, sand, and cement that holds your bathroom tile in place, and it plays an important role in your home. It can also be hard to clean.
Because of its porous surface, mold and dirt easily attach to grout turning the channels between your tile green, blue, or black. And grimy grout can take the sparkle out of your bathroom. Despite how clean your bathroom might be. While tackling dirty grout is no one’s idea of a good time, a powerful cleaner cuts the work in half and leaves those cracks between your tile as shiny as the rest of your bathroom. Try Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Bath and Kitchen Cleanser. It’s not messy like powdered cleanser, and it doesn’t have a strong smell like some bleach cleaners.
Before you start on the grout, give the bathroom a general cleaning to eliminate soap scum and other dirt. Be sure to scrub the tile floor and wipe down the tile around the bathtub, sink, and shower with a damp cloth and a little cream cleanser. Now, it’s time to tackle the grout!
I have found many uses for my old electric toothbrushes and one of them is cleaning grout. With the toothbrush fully charged, I spread a light bead of Soft Scrub along the grout in an area about two feet square. Then I use the old toothbrush to buff back and forth. The bristles dislodge the gunk and leave the grout shiny. While I’m at it I also tackle the caulk around the edges of the tub, sink, and toilet bowl. When I finish, I rinse the area with fresh warm water and dry the grout with a clean towel.
If you’re not interested in cleaning your grout with a tooth brush, you can purchase a grout brush for under $10. This hard–bristled brush is around 8 inches wide and it attaches to any standard mop or broom handle. A grout brush make cleaning cracks in tile floors a breeze and keeps you off your hands and knees.
Grout needs to be cleaned on a regular basis, about once a month. If left untreated, stubborn grout stains become impossible to remove. In that case, you might need to re-grout the tile. But that’s a subject for another day.