Grout is one of the downsides of having beautiful tiles in your bathroom. Although it holds the tiles together, it is porous and light in color, making it prone to stains and water damage. If your grout is heavily soiled, you can buy a grout cleaning machine specifically made for this purpose.
When the grout is not properly cleaned and maintained, it can become stained, mildewed, and even cracked. Moreover, when grout cracks and falls, water can seep behind the wall and cause significant damage.
Cleaning grout is not an easy task, and we don’t have time to clean our kitchens and bathrooms every day. So, it’s important to take the necessary steps to keep grout lines clean before it’s going to dirt again.
Let’s learn how to maintain grout, from daily cleaning to grout replacement. Keeping your grout clean will prolong its life and save you time and money on premature grout replacement.
10 Best Grout Maintenance Tips
- Follow Daily Cleaning Routine
- Weekly Deep Cleaning
- Use Bleach For Stained Grout
- Use Door Mats or Rugs
- Use Rugs or Mats in the Kitchen and Dining Area
- Remove Shoes before walking into the tiled area
- Wipe Your Pet Paw
- Keep Shower Window Open
- Use proper mopping techniques
- Grout Renewal for Permanent Stains
1. Follow Daily Cleaning Routine
You should wipe and spray your tiles daily after bathing or showering to prevent premature staining and damage. Although it might seem annoying at first, you’ll end up saving yourself a lot of time.
First, get a good squeegee. Remove excess water from tile, glass walls, and doors after showering or bath with the squeegee.
After that, lightly spray a mild, daily shower cleaner on your tile and glass. Get a green cleaner or mix a 4:1 solution of water and vinegar. Check out the daily shower cleaners from many cleaning brands.
You’ll spend less time scrubbing if you follow this daily routine. However, you should not ignore weekly maintenance.
2. Weekly Deep Cleaning
The daily routine will keep your walls and glass clean, but you’ll still need to give your shower or bath a deep clean at least once a week. It is still possible to leave soap scum and body oils on surfaces despite daily efforts.
Use baking soda and water to clean your grout on a weekly or biweekly basis. Use a grout brush or used toothbrush to rub it into the grout and rinse with clear water. You can use hydrogen peroxide instead of water if your grout is a little more stained.
If you used vinegar to clean the shower every day, be sure to rinse it thoroughly before using hydrogen peroxide. Spray hydrogen peroxide on the grout every 3 showers, or so, to prevent mold growth.
3. Use Bleach For Stained Grout
Sometimes grout becomes stained and grimy to the point where your daily shower cleaner or baking soda paste won’t cut it. Bleach can help you to get rid of this situation.
Use a bleach pen to concentrate bleach where you need it. Bleach pens work well on smaller surfaces and small areas of grout, and minimize contact with your tiles.
However, don’t use them on large areas of grout. If your weekly or biweekly cleaning isn’t quite strong enough, this is a great solution.
You can, however, start by using an oxygen-type powdered bleach to disinfect and stain-treat your grout. Generally, this type of bleach works better for removing stubborn stains than liquid, chlorine-type stuff. Apply with a brush, leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, and rinse with clean water.
When all else fails, use chlorine bleach spray. However, chlorine bleach spray is harsher and harder to control. To ensure that it won’t damage your tile, test it on a small, inconspicuous area.
WARNING: Ensure that bleach is kept separate from other cleaning supplies. It is always advisable to wear gloves when handling bleach, as skin contact can be harmful. Bleach can damage surfaces and remove color, so test it in a small, discreet area before using it.
4. Use Door Mats or Rugs
Floor maintenance and flooring are expensive. Debris and dirt can lead to stains, scratches, and other problems. Most of the time we and pets carry dirt from outside to the inside of the home with our feet.
It is a good idea to place walk-off rugs and mats both inside and outside your home’s entrance. A good entrance mat system scrapes dirt and debris off shoes, absorbs moisture, and dries their bottoms.
5. Use Rugs or Mats in the Kitchen and Dining Area
You should place machine washable rugs or mats in the kitchen and dining areas since a lot of food and water spills here. Make sure to check areas where food and water collect, such as your sink, stove, and under your pet’s bowls.
6. Remove Shoes before walking into the tiled area
Did you know that shoe bottoms are dirtier than toilet seats? According to a Rockport Shoe Company study, 90% of the bacteria on people’s shoes transfer to their tile floors, and there are 9 different species of bacteria on shoe soles.
The bacteria can cause infections in the stomach, eyes, and lungs, including E. coli, meningitis, and diarrheal disease.
It is important to remove your shoes before entering your home so you can keep your home clean and healthy by keeping toxins, bacteria, dirt, and other harmful substances out of it.
7. Wipe Your Pet Paw
Your pet paw can easily collect bacteria and germs when out home. Be sure to wipe pet paws with a towel before entering the house.
Bonus: If you don’t have enough time to clean pet hair from the floor, then an automatic robot vacuum cleaner will help you.
8. Keep Shower Window Open
Shower stalls and windows should be opened to ensure that the bathroom is completely dry. The window should be kept open after a shower to prevent growing mold, mildew, and bacteria.
9. Use proper mopping techniques
It is always a good idea to follow the best mopping practices. When mopping, you should keep two things in mind.
- You should not overwet your floors. Mopping your floors should not force water into grout lines. When using a mop and dunking into the water, it gets dirtier each time. This can build up more dirt in tile grout.
- Secondly, mop small areas at a time until they are clean. The Microfiber Flat Mop System is the ideal choice in this situation.
Use Magic Erasers to remove surface dirt before it builds up. You should pay special attention to areas that are constantly wet, such as sinks and showers.
10. Grout Renewal for Permanent Stains
There is one more thing you can do if the above does not remove the stains: grout renewal. Several retail products can extend the life of your grout by adding color and protecting against future stains.
When do I need to Change My Grout?
Grout that is flaking, breaking, or coming off the tiles is a sign that it needs to be replaced. The sooner you fix a broken grout line, the less chance you have of further damage.
You can change grout yourself if you have some DIY skills. It’s best to hire a professional if you can’t be bothered to re-do your grout.
Additionally, if you have the budget, why not update your tile as well? There are tile styles and colors for every budget and decor idea today, so you might be inspired by a new look or a colorful mosaic.
