by Tim Harry

Created on: January 26, 2010

Tiles can now be found throughout the home, with wall tiles popular in the bathroom and kitchen, and floor tiles in virtually any room. Most tiles used though are of a type that requires grout to be used in between the tiles to join and make the surface watertight. The grout though can quickly get dirty and will often absorb liquids that come into contact with, leaving the grout with ugly staining. Dirty grout can easily detract from what otherwise might be a beautifully clean tiled surface, and whilst tiles are relatively easy to clean, grout can often prove more troublesome.

There are many grout and tile cleaners now available to buy in supermarkets, and most will do a good job on lightly soiled grout. There are though many grout cleaning methods that make use of ingredients and tools normally found around the home.

Tile grout can sometimes be cleaned simply by running a damp cloth along it; this though means that the dirt has not been absorbed into the grout. This is the ideal method for cleaning grout as part of a normal clean, but often if left to its own devices, the dirt and grime will be absorbed, making a quick wipe over insufficient.

One of most used home based cleaning products for tile grout makes use of toothpaste, baking soda, water and some bleach or peroxide. A paste needs to be made of all the ingredients, and then applied to the tile grout with the use of a toothbrush. The toothpaste adds an abrasive element to the paste, whilst the cleaning elements come from the bleach and baking soda. A certain amount of pressure needs to be applied when using the toothbrush and it is not a quick fix. Once the tile grout has been covered in the grout though, you can put your feet up for a few minutes to let the paste do its work. After thirty minutes have elapsed the paste can be washed off with water, and in most cases the tile grout will look like new.

Bleach and even vinegar will clean grout, although it is not a good idea to use either in a neat form. The nature of both products does mean that they will corrode grout, and so should only ever be used infrequently.

Sometimes it is just impossible to get the tile grout looking as clean as it should, no matter how many different products or methods are tried. It is normally best therefore to just start again and remove the existing grout. There are specialised tools that will do this job, but careful use of a sharp knife will normally do the job just as well. If removing grout though care needs to be taken,

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