i need some advice on how to clean my floor tile grout and keep it somewhat clean with five children?
I am assuming it is white? Give it a good cleaning with diluted bleach and then apply a sealer (will need to be re-applied about every year). For everyday cleaning, try a mixture of diluted vinegar or for stubborn stains, whitening toothpaste.
Get a grout brush- at the grocery store it's not more than about $3.50- very stiff brissles and kind of a tapered edge. Buy some of the gel bleach that is used to clean toilet bowls- gel/like. Draw the cleaner in all gourt lines and scrub your little heart out. Get a bucket of clean water to rinse and then to soak up the watery bleach. Make sure and buy a spray sealer. That makes all the difference in making sure it doesn't get dirty again. Honestly a little elbow grease and it will look as good as brand new!
Make a thick paste of baking soda and let it sit for 15 minutes - scrub lightly with brush - depending on how stained your grout is, it should come out pretty white. And non-toxic.
vinegar works best. It only smells for a little bit, but I have used it to get animal pee out of the grout and it works beautifully. Cheap, too.
Mr Clean Magic Eraser! It works wonders on everything!
I swear by the Magic Eraser!
Ortensia,
I have found that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders for grout (and everything else). That is the only thing (besided pure bleach) that will get rid of the gunk in my bathroom and tub. I'm sure this will work for your tile grout.
Good luck,
Mercedes
Hi Ortensia,
I don't know how this will work on a daily basis but I just cleaned all of my grout with a Sonic Scrubber (you may have seen the infomercial) It is amazing. I had neglected my grout for the 8 years I've lived in my house and had convinced myself that the grout was black. I used the sonic scrubber and my grout is beautiful. it was a big project but I did every tile surface as well and my floor is beautiful. I sweep everyday and if I see any obvious spots I just wipe them off. I've managed to keep it clean and beautiful for about a month now. You can get the sonic scrubber at Bed Bad and Beyone for $14.99 and use a 20% off coupon.
Good Luck,
I just started cleaning mine with baking soda and a tooth brush. From what I have read, it is one of the best ways to clean it with out damaging it. But as soon as I am done cleaning, I will be sealing it so that the dirt will not accumulate and should just mop up with regular mopping.
Sorry if I repeat as I haven't had time to read the other posts...go to your local tile store or home improvement store to buy some grout cleaner and sealer. After you clean the grout, let it dry and then seal it. Depending upon the sealer you buy, you'll need to reseal it every 1 to 2 years. In between, just clean with a damp mop. You don't put the sealer on the tile unless it's natural stone. I have porcelain tile in my kitchen and just use a small paintbrush to put the sealer on the grout lines.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner! Sounds weird and crazy, but...buy some of that clorox or whatever you prefer. Squeeze it on the grout let set for about 5-10 mins depending on how bad it is then wipe clean. If it's really bad you may have to scrub it a bit. And of course the cleaner with bleach added is always better.
Hi Ortensia ...
Sounds like you've got quite a daunting project on your hands!
Very recently I found a product called "Awesome" at the 99cent store. It really holds up to its name. It's multi-purpose, environmentally safe, and it works GREAT on any type of stubborn stains.
Give it a try ... the price is right!
~Melanie Kissell
http://melaniekissell.blogspot.com
we use a shark steam cleaner. It works well it was 30 bucks. and it is REALLY time consuming. So-it just depends on how much grout you need to clean.
You're the mom, the queen of the house! made rules that there aren't to much stronger for then, but be sure that they respet the rules and they don't broke it.
If some of your children play socker, or basketball, don't let then come in with the shoes vary dirty, clean it.
And find a product very nice for your floor, and not expensive, you could ask for help of some brothers or sisters of yours, or of your hundsband
I echo the baking soda idea, with 5 kids, no chemical natural cleaners often work the best.
Then SEAL IT!!
If you seal it well there should be no more grout problems. At Home Depot you can get it in a spray can and just run along the lines or you can get a big bottle and paint it on.
You may need to arrange some time to get this done without the kids running around to seal in some dirt along with it.
Good Luck
oh, try the Mr. Clean magic eraser. It works wonders!
Ortensia,
the only thing that cleans mine really really really good is the magic eraser. you can find it at target under their travel size stuff and it is only $1. it cleans anything and it looks just like a weird little sponge. my mother-in-law swore by it so i tried it and it works great.
good luck.
clorox bleach pens!! i use them for the grout on my tile counters and floors, they work wonders as long as your grout is a light color. i'm not sure what they would do if you have a darker color.....if you do, ask at a place like home depot or osh, they would have reliable info. good luck.
I bought a Oreck floor cleaner (it's a little expensive, but worth it). It keeps my floor and tile really clean. It has a hard scrubber and I use clorox clean-up with bleach and spray a section at a time and scrub away and I don't even need to get on the ground! It has a mop to clean the floor every day. Its so easy! I love it. I was so tired of dirty grout and I always hated cleaning floors. I also have a swivel sweeper to pick up crumbs everyday. Its better than a dust pan and cheaper than the Oreck. My mom and husband bought it for me for my birthday last year (the Oreck). It was the best gift and makes my life so much easier. Hope this helps!