How to Get Rid of Grout Stains

Anyone who has moved into a new home has had the experience of watching a clean gleaming tile turn into a nasty looking surface. Now, you wish you could simply move out again and settle in a new dwelling yet again. Guess what? You don’t have to hop from one house to another just to live in a clean residence all the time. There will always be some labor to do.  Perhaps the easiest way to get rid of grout stains is to prevent them from setting in. This article highlights some brilliant tips to help you manage those disgusting and frustrating grout stains effectively.

Understanding Grout and Grout Stains

Grout, a flexible form of mortar, is made from water, cement and sand. Once dried, it forms an elastic, porous substance which can easily collect dirt. Simply put, grout is a breeding ground for bacteria and mildew. If you want your grout to stay clean, you should have to seal it. Grout sealant fills the holes and polishes the surface to keep bacteria from breeding onto it. You can either hire a professional installer seal it for you or deal with it in a DIY weekend project. Nonetheless, sealing your ground doesn’t mean that you don’t have to maintain cleanliness at all.

Grout Stain Removal

Grout stains can develop over time. Here are some tips to help you get rid of those nasty stains off of your tiled surfaces. To start off, you will need the following items:

• 1/3 cup ammonia
• ½ cup baking soda
• 5 cups water
• ¼ cup white vinegar

Instructions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a small bucket and mix well.
2. Apply the mixture onto the grout using a spray bottle.
3. Allow the mixture to set in for 5 minutes.
4. If you must scrub, use a soft bristled toothbrush to avoid scraping the grout off.
5. Wipe the surface or rinse clean.

Reminder: Do not mix bleach and ammonia to avoid producing deadly chlorine gas. If your grout is white, create a mixture containing 1 cup bleach and 5 cups water. If you have tried out the first recipe and it doesn’t operate, wait a couple of days before using the bleach solution for white grout to avoid grout discoloration. Remember that bleach will always do its job no matter where and what kind of surface on which it’s applied.

Grout Dye

To hide the dirt and mildew, you can use grout dyes to recolor your grout.  However, you should be careful in applying a dye onto your grout to avoid spreading it onto the entire tile. Also, you may have to clean and seal the edges of each and every tile first before applying the dye. Make sure that the area is washed, cleansed and rinsed thoroughly to prevent any undesirable chemical reaction to will inflict further damage onto your grout.

Cleaning a grout is a constant household chore. It means that you should pay attention to it to avoid a more daunting grout stain removal operation in the future. Mop your tiled flooring regularly and brush off any stain on your tile immediately to prevent it from hardening.