We have a tiled floor in our great room that is light beige. This house was a repo so we do not know what kind of tile it is. The grout is very dirty and I wondered if there is a grout cleaner that works well that anybody has used. I saw some recipes online for home made cleaner but it said not to use it on travertine or marble. I know we don't have marble but am not sure if we have travertine. If you know of a good sealer I would appreciate that info as well.
My mind is a garden. My thoughts are the seeds. My harvest will be either flower or weeds. --Mel Weldon
Thanks M-ma..........I have a steam cleaner but of course it is not here but in Iowa. I am going to try a method I saw on the net using hydrogen peroxide and soda and see how that does.
My mind is a garden. My thoughts are the seeds. My harvest will be either flower or weeds. --Mel Weldon
Some newer grouts do not require a sealer to be reapplied, as it is in the grout itself. If after you clean the grout and allow it to dry, drip some water on it in areas. If those areas do not bead up, like they do on the tile, but absorb into the grout (especially changing the color to a darker shade when wet) then a sealer must be applied.
The sealer keeps any soil or spilled items on the surface instead of absorbing into the grout and staining it. Any tile shop will sell a good sealer. I apply two coats over all grout with a sponge brush, and as the directions on the bottle suggest for drying/curing times.
How often this needs to be redone, depends on the strength of the cleaners used on your floors. The water drip test will help here too.
Originally posted by Hammerhugger: Beau's Rose.......do you seal it after you clean it?
No sealer on the grout. We didn't do it when the tile was installed and never got around to it either.
IRL, the grout is supposed to be a light gray color. EEK! But I do love the ease of sweep and mop the tiles floors. No rugs or carpet to deal with on our floors.
I have used the steam mops also with poor results. So use the Scrub-a Dud method with BKF.
Good Luck!
~Like sands through the hourglass ~So are the days of our lives
I wanted to try the barkeepers liquid but could not find it in the local grocery store nor at two different Walmarts. So far the best cleaner I found that is homemade is water, hydrogen peroxide and a bit of dish soap. I used mostly water (about 2/3 of a ketchup squeeze bottle full and the rest was peroxide and soap. Works well since it has the right size spout to spread on the grout. I bought the catsup dispenser at the $ store. What I want to get now is a long brush so I don't have to be bending all the time.
My mind is a garden. My thoughts are the seeds. My harvest will be either flower or weeds. --Mel Weldon
Mr. Clean makes a small brush that gets into the grooves between the tile. I also use a toothbrush when I am working on it, but I'm down on the floor when I clean my tile.
Posts: 2537 | Location: Ohio | Registered: Feb 25, 2006
