by Catherine Lear

Created on: August 02, 2009   Last Updated: August 04, 2009

Tile grout can get very dirty indeed. Over a period of time tiles in the kitchen, bathroom, and floor tiles get dirty. Cleaning the tiles is not problem to anyone just a quick wipe with a cloth with a cleaning solution and the tiles are as good as new.

The grout is another matter. When you tile a room or a floor, you have to leave a small space between a tile and the next one, when you have finished tiling you then mix a mixture of what is know as grout. Grout is the mixture that supports the tiles and some make them watertight. Over a period of time, no mater how often you clean your tiles the grout will become discoloured and dirty looking. Some will even begin to show signs of mould especially in bathrooms.

I find the best way to clean tile grout is to find or buy a cheap toothbrush and dip it in a weak solution of water and bleach. Now start at the top and work your way across and down all of the grout gently brushes the toothbrush along the grout and you will find that the grout will come clean just like it was when it was first grouted.

It find that this is the best method that there is, I have tried other cleaning solutions, but bleach I find is the one solution that always comes up trumps.

Sometimes though on old tiling grout no amount of cleaning will work, if this is the case with your tiles then you will find that you will have to re-grout your tiles. To do this is quite easy but time consuming. You can buy a tool from your DIY store that takes the old grout out, or you can just use a sharp knife - something like a Stanley knife. All you do is carefully scrape your tool along the grout; you will find that the grout comes away quite easy.

Make sure that you do not nick the tiles or you will have to take the tile that you have nicked out and replace it. Once you have taken the old grout out, re-grout the tiles.

In the case of mould, use a good mixture of mould remover. This will clean and make sure that the mould does not come back. I find that mould is more apparent in the grout of bathroom tiles over where you shower.

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