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Do you have a love/hate relationship with the tile in your home? Love the way that it looks but irritated with how quickly the grout goes from white to gray? Or maybe you inherited some not-so-clean looking tile in your current home from the previous owners. Regardless of how old or new your flooring is, it doesn’t take long for tile to get grimy, especially in those high traffic areas like the kitchen, mudroom or entryway. There are several different methods and cleaners that can help you clean your tile and grout well. Try one of my suggestions out and see what you think!
Cleaning Grout:
One of my favorite DIY recipes to help brighten grout is a simple combination of cream of tartar and lemon juice. This method takes a little more elbow grease but it works really well to remove some of those surface stains in the grout as well as naturally lighten the grout. This works especially well on colored grout. Here is what you need:
Lemon Grout Cleaner:
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- lemon juice
Combine the cream of tartar with the lemon juice to make a thing paste the consistency of runny toothpaste. Apply to the grout and use a small stiff bristled cleaning brush to scrub the grout. Rinse and wipe dry. If you don’t have lemon juice, try a little water to make a paste.
Hydrogen Peroxide:
- put a sprayer on top of a hydrogen peroxide bottle and spray white grout to rid it of mold and mildew. Reapply if necessary, scrub and rinse.
If your grout is past the point of cleaning and has stains that you cannot remove no matter what, then a commercial product may be right for you. Home Depot carries a fantastic product called Grout Renew by PolyBlend. It comes in a variety of colors to match any grout color and works as a stain and sealer on grout lines. While it can be time consuming to apply, it is ideal for when no scrubbing or cleaning works to remove stains or brighten your grout. It also works well if you’re looking to update the look of your grout.
Cleaning Tile:
My favorite way to clean our tile floors on a weekly basis is by using a steam cleaner. Steam cleaning is about as simple as it gets and uses just water to clean. My favorite steam cleaner is the Bissell Powerfresh Steam Mop. All it requires is a quick initial vacuum or sweep to remove dirt and crumbs and a couple minutes to heat the water.
If you prefer using an actual solvent based cleaner, I have several DIY recipes that are perfectly suited for tiled floors. Both contain readily available household ingredients and are safe to use on any sealed tile floor. The Lemon and Peppermint Tile Cleaner is mixed and sprayed while the Citrus Tile Floor Cleaner is intended to be used for mopping. If you prefer not to use essential oil or don’t have any on hand, you can certainly eliminate them as they are mostly intended to just add scent.
Lemon and Peppermint Tile Cleaner:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup warm water
- 5 drops lemon essential oil
- 3 drops peppermint essential oil
Add the ingredients to a spray bottle and shake to combine. Spray thoroughly on tiles and allow to sit for 5-15 minutes. You can scrub if necessary, rinse and allow to air dry or dry using a clean cloth.
Citrus Tile Floor Cleaner:
- 1/4 cup Borax
- 1 gallon hot water
- 5 drops lemon essential oil
- 5 drops orange essential oil
Mix the Borax, water and essential oils in a mop bucket, stirring to dissolve. Mop as you normally do. Rinsing is usually not required. If your floors are extra dirty, you can add a drop or two of castile or dish soap to help cut the dirt. You may want to have a bucket of clean water on the side to rinse instead of using the cleaning bucket water. This will help eliminate streaking.
If you are looking for a new method or a more natural approach to cleaning your tile and grout, try one one these recipes or products out. Let me know what you think!
Please note:Â If you have marble, granite, or travertine tile you should not use vinegar, lemon, or anything acidic to clean them because the acid will etch the stone. Steam cleaners work well as does this recipe.
Stacey Says...
I love to use essential oils but I also use a steam cleaner, I know the oils will damage the cleaner if I put them in the cleaner, how can I incorporate them into my steam cleaning?
Becky Says...
Post authorYou could put a drop or two of your favorite essential oil on the pad 🙂
Carolyn Says...
I have a Shark steam mop and that is what I do!
Colleen Patterson Says...
Mix the cleaner ina spray bottle and spitz a little on the floor the. Steam mop it. Maybe not every pass as it might make it tacky. The steam should spread it a large area.
Jennifer Wilson Says...
I live my steam cleaner but it makes my tile floor tacky. Any tips on how to prevent that? Thanks!
Jennifer Wilson Says...
*love. ????
Becky Says...
Post authorRinse your pad during use – it shouldn’t leave any residue at all. I might also be picking up old/residual cleaners?
Laura Says...
I love using hydrogen peroxide to clean my grout esp. in the bathroom around the toilet area-cheap and easy.
Debbi Says...
The bathroom floor is marble.fussy, fussy marble. Are any of these ideas safe for marble. I use dilute ammonia and water but the grout crud just laughs at me!
Becky Says...
Post authorAt the bottom of the post I have a link for marble 🙂
Tile and Grout Cleaning Lehigh Valley Says...
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
Joelle Smith Says...
So how exactly do you combine the baking soda and vinegar in a spray bottle without it exploding?
Becky Says...
Post authorI haven’t had any issues with that but you can always mix in a bucket or leave out the baking soda 🙂
Elisha Hanley Says...
Dilute the vinegar in the water before you combine with baking soda. We use baking soda and vinegar bombs to clear out drains. Perhaps combine them all in a bucketbeach time you clean the floors instead of using a spray bottle.
Karen Carlson Says...
How about cleaning the backsplash behind the stove? I have spots on tile that is supposedly “anti-bacterial” and sealed but I can’t get the spots off and have been afraid to use anything stronger than castile soap.
Ideas please?
Thanks
Becky Says...
Post authorTry my granite cleaner:
http://www.cleanmama.net/2016/04/diy-cleaners-marble-granite-cleaning-spray.html
Sarah Vogt Says...
I have trouble with mold in my tile shower grout, I have used bleach, mold, mildew products and hydrogen peroxide . Any tips on how to deal with it? I love your site by the way 🙂
Becky Says...
Post authorHave you considered re-grouting? Sometimes if nothing else works it’s best to remove the old grout and re-grout – unfortunately!
Heather Says...
How do you rinse your tile floor after you have cleaned them? Do you just go back over with a clean mop and just water?
Becky Says...
Post authorI don’t rinse it 🙂 but you can!
Karen Says...
Hi Becky, I need your help. My brand new cast iron (350 pounds) tub has brown stains in the inside slip resistance grooves from the tile installer. We think it’s the grout and it won’t come clean. I’ve only tried a dawn and vinegar mixture. What should I use before I go crazy on this installer and allow him to try harsh chemicals?
MaryJo Says...
I love my Bissell Powerfresh Steam Mop too.
Ali Says...
I tried the lemon peppermint tile cleaner minus the essential oils so just the water baking Soda more Water and vinegar. Why does the recipe call for two different amounts of water? I always thought baking soda and vinegar was a no no except for drains? Hoping this was right! The floors do like great though!!! Thanks for all the great tips!!!
Megan N. Says...
Any risk of discoloring dark colored grout with this recipe?
Clean Mama Says...
Post authorSpot test it first!