Janitorial services usually include tile grout cleaning among the services they offer, along with carpet cleaning, rug cleaning, upholstery care, spot removal of stains including pet stains, and water damage restoration. In case you don’t have janitorial services, though, here are some tips on tile grout cleaning. They are mostly based on the experiences of other households.
A biologist realized that much of their tile grout problems were from mildew. They checked several commercial products intended to prevent mildew in the shower area and found that all of them had alcohol as the primary ingredient. The biologist realized that alcohol does, indeed, kill mildew. Instead of spending on the expensive commercial products, they began to wipe down their shower areas with a sponge after each use, followed by a spritzing of rubbing alcohol. They also left the bathroom windows open after each shower to assist drying. This solved their mildew problem. Tile grout cleaning was a breeze since then.
Another household uses baking soda for tile grout cleaning in the kitchen. They keep it in an old spice shaker and sprinkle it on the grout, leaving it to set for a few minutes. They then use an old toothbrush to scrub the grout before rinsing it off.
Vinegar is the non-toxic choice of still another household that boasts of having a tile setter in the family. Like baking soda, it is simply left on for a while then scrubbed and rinsed off.
Also commonly available in homes, or at least from the corner drugstore, is hydrogen peroxide. The tile grouts need to be cleaned of superficial dirt first. The usual detergent or cleansers can be used for this step. The remaining stains should then be soaked in hydrogen peroxide for about ten minutes. After that, you simply wipe it off. The hydrogen peroxide also acts as a disinfectant.
Hydrogen peroxide can be combined with baking soda for more persistent stains. The paste should be rubbed into the grout and left to stand for a few minutes before scrubbing.
A third non-toxic choice would be oxygen bleach. It comes in powder form which is dissolved in water and applied to the grout. It should be left to soak for 30 minutes to an hour. The solution is often absorbed into the grout so be ready to reapply frequently so that there is always a layer of the solution on top of the grout within the soaking period. Afterwards, scrub and rinse the grout with water then dry it.
Ordinary household bleach may also be used. This is combined with equal parts of water and sprayed on bathroom grouts in the evening. The windows should be left open to let out the fumes, though. Using an exhaust fan to assist ventilation would be best. This technique should also be resorted to only if the bathroom is not used for the rest of the night until morning. Make sure to rinse out the bleach before anyone uses the bathroom.
Some people even use toilet bowl cleaners on tile grouts. They apply it, allow it to set and scrub it before rinsing. Make sure to check the product for toxicity, though. Many toilet bowl cleaners are too strong or may be dangerous to use on other surfaces.
Sometimes, only the professionals can do a really good cleaning job, though. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend hiring a reputable janitorial service so that you can benefit from not only their tile grout cleaning but also carpet cleaning, rug cleaning, upholstery care, spot removal of stains including pet stains, and water damage restoration.