So you want to clean your grout.

Do you have ceramic tile? Didn't it look great when it was first installed? I work for a home builder and my new homeowners ask me all the time if they should seal the grout or not. (If you seal the grout, make sure you keep and eye on it. It will eventually wear off and then you have to reapply sealant, after you clean the grout). Then, gradually, the grout lines started to change. Life happens. People don't take their shoes off. People don't put socks on. Little girls spill things. Little boys test their plumbing. The years pass by, and then you notice:

My grout looks absolutely filthy!

If you have read my previous posts, you will know that I am a "diy-er". (If I can come up with the energy). I have tried every single thing I can think of or have heard of. I bought a steam powered cleaner. You have seen the informecials, they clean everything. One of the things it is supposed to clean is tile grout. I eagerly opened the package and filled it with distilled water (as the manufacture directs). I marked a spot and let it clean the grout out. When the grout had dried up, it was still as dirty as it was before.

I then saw a commerical for Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. They say the magic eraser will clean grout. It actually does, but it takes a lot of scrubbing and the eraser disentergrates as you clean the grout. It is a lot of work.

Then, one day my lovely wife googled "clean grout" and after filtering through the various gadgets and gizmos, she found something.

This is actually the secret ingredient of the Magic Eraser. It is safe for colored grout. I didn't find it in the grocery store, but found it at the local janitorial supply store for $1.50. You can also purchase it through online stores, but you have to pay shipping & handling.

Here is how it works-

Sprinkle it out on the tile like this.

If you look behind the sprinkled cleanser, you will see the grout I just cleaned.

The next stepis to work it up into a lather and let it sit for 30 minutes. This is where the oxygen bleach cleans the grout.

After 30 minutes wipe up the remaining cleanser. Do not use good towels or your wife may get upset.

Finally, use a mop to finish cleaning the residue. Here is a product I recommend:

This works very well.

Here is the final result (now, I ended up taking a picture from a different angle, so it does not look like the same tile, but it is).

It is a lot easier than scrubbing for hours, sealing the grout every three months or freaking out on the kids.