Grout Cleaner? (floors, ceramic, bathrooms, cleaning)

[denverian]

Anyone have any suggestions on a grout cleaner? The grout in one of my bathrooms is white and not that old (4 years) and I've tried bleaching it, but that only gets it about half clean. The tile is a light, stone-looking ceramic. If I could get it back to pure white, I'd seal it well to try and prevent the discoloration in the future. It just really irks me that it's dirty in areas. And I'm a clean freak, so it's not for a lack of cleaning.

[sean98125]

You could dig it out and regrout. It takes a little time but it isn't hard.

[BigDGeek]

Kaboom, a scrub brush, an open window, and kneepads. That is how I keep my 52 year-old bathroom grout sparkling white.

[bjornb17]

Use oxygen bleach, i tried it on my 1-year old white kitchen tile grout which starting getting darker and now its good as new again

[M3 Mitch]

Can I be so bold as to suggest one of the grout cleaners sold for that purpose at hardware and home stores?

Frequently the people who formulate purpose-specific cleaners do a good job. You know, car wash for the car, dish soap for washing dishes, face soap for your mug...usually the stuff marketed for the purpose is hard to beat.

That said, if you want to scrub it with Bon Ami or whatever, at worst it won't get it completely clean.

Once you scrub it good, it needs to dry out and stay dry for something like 24 hours before sealing, and until it's sealed it's not really waterproof.

[denverian]

Thanks for the replies! These are helpful.

[Joseph Marnix]

Is the grout pure white to being with, or tinted to match close to the tiles?

Bleach is about the best stuff to whiten things and kill molds that make it dark.

Depends on the type of grout also. If it's sandy, then there will be pored for the discoloration to happen. That's why it needs to be sealed.

The acrylic grout is solid plastic when it hardens, but does degrade over time, and messy to apply.

[jerryjacson]

Originally Posted by bjornb17

Use oxygen bleach, i tried it on my 1-year old white kitchen tile grout which starting getting darker and now its good as new again

ye o2 bleach is better option.i also used in my house.

[TFW46]

Thanks for the info on oxygen bleach. I'd never heard of it. All my floors are tile and I was prepared to pay a professional grout-cleaning firm to clean the grout. I just ordered some oxygen bleach and am anxious to see how well it works.

[MyrtleSue]

Try using a Magic Eraser. I discovered it by accident. They have a mop out now with a Magic Eraser head, but I haven't used it yet.