How To Clean Grout

Dirty grout can look quite disgusting. On the other hand, clean grout can really brighten up the way your floor or backsplash looks.

The key to keeping your grout clean is to clean regularly. This means mopping your floor or wiping it down once a week at least. In addition, you should clean your grout frequently so that it doesn't get too dirty.

In order to clean drought, you can use commercial grout-cleaners, or oxy-bleach. You can also use a mixture of baking soda and water. Oxygen bleach is non-toxic, does not release fumes, and is safe to use with colors and fabrics, so you don't need to worry about it affecting your shower curtains or colored backsplash. Many people swear by bleach for cleaning especially dirty grout - and oxygen bleach is a newer but equally effective option that you can use.

Whichever cleaning mixture you choose to use, apply it to your grout and let it sit for a few minutes.

Once the few minutes are over you can wipe the mixture away. In most cases, the grout will be so dirty that just wiping it away won't do the trick, you will need to scrub the mixture away. In order to do this you can use a toothbrush or a special grout-cleaning brush.

However, a better solution is to use an electric toothbrush or an automatic revolving brush. This will eliminate the need for much effort on your part. Since discovering automatic rotating brushes, my life has gotten a lot easier when it comes to cleaning dirty surfaces! There's no more getting down on my hands and knees and scrubbing away for dear life - most of these are extendable so you can simply use a wiping motion to clean the grout. This is a wonderful option for those with bad backs and knees.

As a final step, you can seal the grout with a commercial grout sealer, to keep the grout clean in the future.

Other Grout Cleaning Options

I've heard of people using fresh lemon juice to clean grout, although I prefer to stick to the other cleaning mixtures I've mentioned. Here are some other ways I've heard about for cleaning grout:

• Rub out the dirtiness using a regular eraser! This one sounds like far too much effort for me...
• Use shaving cream to clean the grout. Cover it for a few minutes and then wipe it off!
• Use toothpaste to clean grout. Whitening toothpaste can add an extra sparkle :)