With its porous nature and generally light colouring, grout is especially prone to harbouring dirt and discolouration, which can really impact the overall appearance and cleanliness of your bathroom.
The warm and humid environment in your bathroom can provide ideal conditions for mould to thrive. Picture: Getty
While it’s essential to thoroughly clean bathroom tile grout to prevent the build up of dirt and grime, it’s equally important to maintain the lifespan of your tile grout by minimising use of harsh chemicals.
Harsh chemicals aren’t always the first step to keeping a clean bathroom, sometimes these products may, in fact, damage your grout – and the fumes aren’t too pleasant for the family and pets either.
So, start off simple and work your way up with these five easy and practical tips for cleaning mould from your bathroom tiles and grout.
1. Cleaning bathroom tile grout with water
Looking for the best way to clean tile grout? Why not start with the classic combination of warm water, a stiff bristled brush and a little bit of elbow grease. While this won’t prevent mildew from reforming, scrubbing the grout in circular motions will loosen the build-up in your tile grout and ease the rest of the cleaning process.
If you have a steam cleaner at hand, try steaming the grout with a pointed nozzle to further help to loosen up grime before the next few steps.
2. Cleaning bathroom tile grout with baking soda
Before heading straight to the heavy duty products when cleaning your tile grout, try a natural solution to avoid filling your home with the strong fumes of chemicals.
Mix two tablespoons of baking soda with water to form a thick paste, and scrub into the grout with a bristled brush. Once all grout has been covered with the paste, spritz with a half-half mixture of white vinegar and water, and allow the combo to bubble away for the next half an hour. Repeat the process a second time over if necessary.
Or, upgrade your scrub mix with hydrogen peroxide in place of water if this process proves ineffective at cleaning tile grout.
Read here for 10 tips to green clean your bathroom.
A white tile grout won’t look that way for long unless it’s properly maintained. Picture: Getty
3. Cleaning bathroom tile grout with lemon
For the next step up in cleaning power, mix together ¼ cup of borax, ½ teaspoon lemon oil and enough liquid soap to form a bathroom tile and grout cleaner paste. Using an old toothbrush, scrub this paste into the grout with circular motions before rinsing with warm water.
4. Cleaning bathroom tile grout with bleach
For deep-rooted discolouration and grime, bleach might be the only answer. First ensure your bathroom is well ventilated and the bleach will only be used on white grouting. Then, dilute bleach with water and spray across the grout. Using an old toothbrush, scrub the tile grout and rinse when finished.
One of the best ways to clean grout in the shower, particularly if you have white tiles and the mould is deep-rooted, is by using bleach. Where possible though, try to consider less harsh chemicals for cleaning. Picture: Kate Hunter
5. Leave it to the professionals
If your bathroom is not well ventilated, or if you are concerned about surrounding yourself with lots of chemical products, consider leaving it to the professional tile cleaning experts.
Cleaning professionals are experienced and have all the right products for your space, saving you the deep clean hassle. Then it’s up to you to maintain that level of cleanliness.
Maintaining clean bathroom tile grout
After all the tough scrubbing work, follow these three steps to keep your grout fresh for longer – and those deep cleans further apart.
1. Keep the bathroom dry
Ensure exhaust fans are in use or leave windows open where possible while showering. Always use bath mats and freshen up when necessary.
2. Treat small stains as they appear
White toothpaste can be a handy spot solution. Rub into the stained grout and let it sit for a few minutes, before scrubbing away with an old toothbrush.
3. Pencil eraser
As odd as it may sound, a pencil eraser can erase more than just pencil lead! Rub at stubborn spots with a white eraser for a quick touch up.
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