dirty grout (countertops, fireplace, color, ceramic)

[kcm]

Originally Posted by Turtle

My husband and I just cleaned the grout in our whole house!! Good times He went to Home Depot and got some great cleaner. I don't know the name of it, but it came in a yellow bottle with black writing. You spray it on and it fizzes, go over it a couple of times with a scrub brush, and wipe it off with a cloth. Then when we were all done, I scrubbed the floor and then we re-sealed everything.

When you had it cleaned before, did they seal it?

Sealing it is the secret... I had my tile put in my house about 3 years ago. I sealed it right away and it is just as white as the day they put it in. Sealing it is important.

[kickinbackfl]

This may sound funny, but I have used shoe polish, the kind with the sponge top on it for canvas sneakers and such. I would dab it on an then wipe it off with a old sock! Not wiping so much of the grout, just the tile, it last of sometime. Even thru just regular damp mopping!! Hey, ya never know, I tried it in a area no one would see and wella I did the whole floor!!!

[tcs1366]

even though we sealed all of our grout, the floors do get dirty.
I tried a few products, but have found the Magic Eraser works great, as someone already mentioned.

but -- I've very interested in this "grout stain", i will certainly have to look into that.
when we chose the color of our grout, we obviously did not choose a dark enough color. Heck -- maybe i'll choose black. thanks for the tip on the stain.

[nicolepsy]

i am in a rental with disgusting looking grout. it is supposed to be white or off white but it's very yellow and gross looking. i have tried comet and toothbrush and even let bleach sit for long periods of time with no luck. i think the grout is porous and has absorbed things that cant be removed EVER!

[tcs1366]

i feel your pain.

aside from the magic eraser, i've also used "greased lightening"
you can find it just about anywhere... i think i got mine at Walmart.
It works great on white gymshoes too.

[kdzgon]

I agree - sealing is a huge help. In the meanwhile, I have had good success with a paste made from oxiclean & water.

If you are willing to spend $400- $500 on a cleaning machine, spend ~$300 instead and get a good quality vapor steam cleaner. Cleans the grout in a short time, and is great for many other cleaning chores as well. I purchased a Vapor Clean machine and have never regretted it.

[tcs1366]

I know I used to have that Oxy powder... i've switched to the liquid for the laundry, so i haven't gotten that powder in a long time.

What is a Vapor Cleaner? and does it do everything, from carpets to curtains?

[kdzgon]

Originally Posted by tcs1366

I know I used to have that Oxy powder... i've switched to the liquid for the laundry, so i haven't gotten that powder in a long time.

What is a Vapor Cleaner? and does it do everything, from carpets to curtains?

It is a machine that builds high pressure steam, so high it is essentially a vapor when it comes out. I think their site is vaporcleanproducts.com. It works great for getting stains off/out of more than just grout and ceramic tile, as long as the fabric or whatever can withstand the high heat. I use it to clean my shower doors, deck furniture, grill, appliances, kids' toys, etc degrease my stove, cabinets, etc and use it to sanitize things (cribs, beds, toilets, etc especially after someone has been sick in the house. It does it all with something like 10% of the amt of water cleaning usually takes.

[tamcim72]

I rented a machine from a carpet cleaning store once, it was great. It was like a steam pressure washer to clean grout. I wish I could find one to rent around here (JAX) but it would be worth the investment to buy as i am obsessed w/ my grout.

beside the vaporclean does anyone have one they've used for floor grout?

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by maggiekate

no, however, i was told even with having it sealed, it still get dirty. also the price to do
this seemed high. i might check out this h.d. stuff. the kitchen is the room which gets bad.
i would really like to know how the oreck works, but reviews are not alot on it.

I'm worried about this, too. Specifically asked my builder if they're gonna seal the tile and the answer was 'no, it's not needed'... Could it be that grout is of better quality now?! Recently somebody was saying here she greatly regrets not having it sealed. Maybe I should have it done by somebody else before moving in because the color of the tile is very light and if the grout gets nasty... it'll be an ugly picture.