Natural Tile Grout Cleaning

Tile grout cleaning. It’s a horrible job but someone’s got to do it.

Tile grout in the bathroom and kitchen just seems to collect all the grime, grease and scum. Cleaning tile grout is usually at the bottom of our list, just because it is so fiddly. Plus we often think that we need industrial strength chemicals and protective clothing to shift it. Not so!

It’s true that some commercial tile grout cleaning products can be toxic, giving off fumes that can cause all sorts of problems from asthma to cancer. And the effects can linger for days in the air and on the surface afterwards.

Thankfully there are some very effective natural alternatives that work just as well.

When you are all set to tackle the grime in the grout, look no further than your pantry for the ingredients and try cleaning tile grout the green way.

Baking soda

Number one on the list of natural ingredients for tile grout cleaning is baking soda. It has a gentle non-abrasive scouring action and can dissolve scum fast. Simply make a paste with a few tablespoons of baking soda and a little water and brush it on to the tile grout. A few scrubs and you can wipe it off with a damp cloth, your grout transformed back to whiteness. For stubborn stains leave the paste on the grout for longer so it has time to shift the dirt.

Lemons

For extra zing try using a little lemon juice on the grout before adding the baking soda. Lemon juice is a great natural bleach and shifts stains easily. Just cut a lemon in corner and scrub directly onto the grout. Dip the lemon quarter in salt to make it into an effective scrub and you won’t even need to go over it again with baking soda. Rinse or wipe with a damp cloth to remove the loosened dirt.

Vinegar

White vinegar is the all-purpose green household cleaner. It works very well to clean the grime from tile grout but should be rinsed off quickly as its acidity can eat into the grout and cause it to crumble if left on too long. This is however a great way of getting rid of mold and mildew if you need to tackle some tough spots.

Rubbing alcohol

While this isn’t necessary the best thing to use around small kids, rubbing alcohol is very effective in keeping mildew and mold in check. Spray it in your shower regularly to prevent the growth of mildew, but make sure the window is open so you aren’t breathing in the fumes yourself!

All the methods mentioned above, except the alcohol option, are safe to use around kids, so even when you have a clingy toddler you can safely scrub at the tile grout in the shower. You could even safely give your child an old toothbrush and make a game of tile grout cleaning, getting them to help you with one of the dullest cleaning tasks on your list and making it fun!

Not something you’d ever think of doing with your average chemical household cleaning product!

Thanks for reading our article about tile grout cleaning.

Happy cleaning.