by Carmel Brulez

Created on: October 22, 2009   Last Updated: October 24, 2009

Your floor or wall tiles have to be grouted in and the grouting eventually becomes dirty or discoloured. This can look awful, especially when you have white tiles. You need to clean the grouting to get it looking acceptable again. Kitchen tiles may be greasy, especially if they are near a hob unit (the spot behind the hob unit is the worst) or cooking area, and tiles in the bathroom can become mouldy, especially if they are near a shower or bath where a lot of water is used.

Here is a good way to clean your tiles. It is cheap, easy, quick and suitable for any type of tile, whether wall or floor. You need some regular toothpaste which you must mix into a paste with some bicarbonate of soda, a touch of water and some thick bleach. Make sure the bleach is as thick as possible. The last thing you want, especially if you are putting the solution onto wall tiles, is for it to slip down away from the grouting.

Mix the solution thoroughly so that it becomes a thick paste. Now with a toothbrush or a similar small hard brush push the mixture onto the grouting that needs cleaning. Leave the mixture on the grouting for half an hour and then wash off.

If the grouting is still discoloured or dirty put a second coating of this mix and leave that for half an hour. When you remove the mixture the grouting should be as good as new. When you are dealing with greasy grouting it is best to try to scrub this off with a toothbrush or dislodge and remove with a tiny sharp knife.

It is not recommended that you bleach grouting like this regularly and often as bleach can damage the grouting itself. If you have asthma or an allergy problem it would be a good idea to wear a mask and make sure your face does not get too close to the bleach, also make sure the windows and door are open.

In order to prevent grouting from becoming dirty or discoloured you can use a special grouting solution which you buy from hardware stores, this is painted on with a thin brush and prevents the grouting from becoming dirty in the first place.

Whenever you are re-tiling a room, especially in areas of heavy soiling or grease, it is a very good idea to paint this onto the grouting straight away, to prevent the need to treat the grouting later. It will prevent a lot of work and maybe even expense later.

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