Cleaning Grout – 5 Eco Friendly Methods
Cleaning grout is one of those household tasks that it is hard to get excited about. Yet every now and again it can be hugely satisfying to transform that grimy discolored grid into clean white lines again. If you’re envisioning donning rubber gloves, protective masks and clothing to tackle the task with full strength chemicals, think again.
There are several totally natural ingredients that you can use on your tile grout with no harmful fumes or chemicals. These are mild enough that you can get your kids involved helping, or delegate the whole job to older kids!
Save your old toothbrushes for this job, firm ones are best. You can even use an old electric toothbrush to save on muscle power! Choose one of the options below to start cleaning your tile grout naturally.
1. Baking soda
Combining baking soda with water to make a paste is a terrific way to create a natural grout cleaner. Apply the paste over the tile grout with a toothbrush. Once you’ve covered the whole area, leave it for a little while if the grout is very dirty. Wipe down afterwards with a damp cloth.
You can make this job even easier on tiled floors; just wipe the floor with a damp cloth then sprinkle the baking soda along the grout lines. Leave it for a few minutes, then scrub and wipe clean. Really stubborn dirt can be loosened by wiping with vinegar first and then sprinkling on the baking soda.
2. Vinegar
Scrub the grout with full strength vinegar and then rinse. Vinegar is good to remove mildew and mold from the surface of grout as well as cutting through soap build-up. But be careful when cleaning tile grout with this method. Over use of vinegar can break down tile grout if it is in bad condition. Don’t use this method if your grout is crumbling or cracked.
3. Lemon juice and salt
Lemon juice is great for shifting stubborn stains while cleaning grout. Dip half a lemon in salt and scrub at the stain, then wipe with a damp cloth. Repeat if necessary.
4. Tea tree oil
Keep a spray bottle of water mixed with a teaspoon of tea tree oil in the shower. Shake it up and then spray it on the tiles after each use. This will deter mold and mildew from growing on your tile grout. You can also wash down the shower with a mixture of hot soapy water and tea tree oil for general cleaning.
5. Alcohol
If mildew and mold are your main adversary when cleaning grout, alcohol kills both. Keep a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol on a high shelf in the shower and spray the tiles after each shower use. But open a window to air the room so you don’t breathe in alcohol fumes. Doing this after each shower will result in a reduced need to clean the tile grout.
Caution! If you have young kids a pure alcohol spray isn’t the best thing to have lying around. You might prefer to use the tea-tree oil spray instead to avoid potential disasters.
Thanks for reading.
Happy cleaning.