After advertising for a lodger and mentioning in my ad that I was a clean person and had a very clean home, I then noticed the only filthy thing around my home was the tile grout. So I researched the many ways that claimed to remove dirty, stained grout from tiles — from using baking soda with water as a paste, to spraying it with vinegar and water. But honestly, I couldn’t be bothered to carefully apply it to all the grout lines, only to then spray it with alcohol and wait.
Some Tools You Will Need
Other suggestions included using a steam cleaner, bleach, nail polish remover, chemical bathroom grout cleaner, and various other concoctions — but I needed to clean the grout now using only what I had at home. And I didn’t have any of the things listed above, except alcohol — and I was not going to waste it on a cleaning idea that might not even work!
What I did have were various kitchen and bathroom cleaning products, which never worked. So, I decided to get creative with what I did have and try out a few ideas that seemed plausible, and put them into action. I tried three methods that completely transformed my dirty, stained grout. It turned out to be a quick, cheap fix that restored my tiles to a beautiful, white, fresh, good-as-new look.
Contents
- 1. Sandpaper:
- 2: Bolt & Screwdriver - Scrape it Clean.
- 3: Remove Old Grout and Reapply Fresh
1: Sandpaper: A Quick Fix
Click thumbnail to view full-size
1. Sandpaper: The easiest method I found was using coarse sandpaper. I just folded the paper in two and rubbed it over the dirty grout lines. It worked perfectly on some of the bathroom tiles, though not so much around the shower area. Some areas needed a bit more force — that’s where I used the bolt to scrape away the tougher stains before sanding down the uneven grout.
In the kitchen, especially around the cooker, the sandpaper wasn’t as effective as the bolt.
Also, be careful when using sandpaper, as you don’t want to scratch the ceramic tiles.
- If that doesn't work, try the following step.
2: Bolt & Screwdriver - Scrape it Clean
Click thumbnail to view full-size
2. Bolt & Screwdriver - Scrape it Clean: The second-easiest method was using a long bolt and a screwdriver. Some areas needed a thinner bolt because of the uneven spacing of the grout lines. Some of the tiles around the bathroom were really stubborn, so I used a screwdriver to literally scrape away the heavily stained grout. (My video below shows how effective the bolt alone was).
Using a screwdriver, and a Phillips screwdriver in some spots — left the fresh white grout a bit uneven, so I used the sandpaper to smooth those areas. Once you’ve scraped away the stained grout, the cleaned grout should be much softer and easier to work with when using the sandpaper.
- If you're not happy with the results, follow the next step.
My Video: Using The Bolt & Sandpaper Method
I made the above video while cleaning the grout in my bathroom, but I later discovered that sandpaper alone was easier to use in some areas when I started cleaning the grout on my kitchen tiles.
3: Removing The Old Grout and Reapply Fresh
Click thumbnail to view full-size
3. Removing the Old Grout and Reapplying Fresh: In the kitchen, the previous homeowners — or the workman they employed to install the tiles — must have used a stronger type of grout, so the sandpaper didn’t work as effectively, especially above the cooker area. So, I simply scraped away the dirty, stained grout with a screwdriver to remove the top layer. I didn’t have to worry about it being uneven, as I was going to apply fresh grout anyway.
I just scraped about 1 to 2 millimetres off the stained grout and reapplied fresh grout, which worked perfectly.
You can also use a screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, Stanley knife, or even a chisel to remove the dirty grout. Use whatever you have. This solution wasn’t the quickest, but it was the most effective.
Be careful around the corners of tiles, because you may chip them like I did.
Summary
Depending on how hard your grout is, I’d recommend starting with the sandpaper, as this was the easiest solution in some areas and left a smooth, clean finish.
If that doesn’t work, use the bolt first to scrape away the stains. If the stains still don’t come off easily, you’ll need to use a screwdriver, then follow up with the sandpaper to smooth out any uneven grout lines.
Adding fresh grout should be the last option if the first two methods aren’t successful. This will leave the grout looking as clean and fresh as the day they were fitted.
Lastly, if you have floor tiles, give the above techniques a try before resorting to wasting money on products that may or may not work and are time-consuming.
Good luck
© 2025 Tony Sky
No comments:
Post a Comment