Grout can be so frustrating to clean and keep clean. Most issues with grout are due to not keeping up with the cleaning – the dirt builds up quickly and it can be difficult to get it back to clean.

There are multiple ways to clean grout safely and effectively, keep reading to discover the best methods to clean your grout. These methods work better and are much safer than some of the grout cleaning techniques swirling around the internet like using toilet bowl cleaner – yikes!

You can see my methods for cleaning tile flooring here – I like to think that you can get grout clean when you are cleaning the floors, but grout needs a little love sometimes too.

OXYGEN WHITENER

My favorite method for cleaning grout is to use Oxygen Whitener with water to make a paste on tile and grout. I wet the tile, sprinkle with Oxygen Whitener, let it bubble a bit, scrub, and rinse thoroughly. Sometimes I’ll add a squirt of castile soap to the paste to up the cleaning power. Rinse and repeat if necessary. The shower in our bathroom has a creamy light gray tile (not my favorite) and our water leaves a little orange hue within a week after scrubbing – this works really well to combat the orange.

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:

CREAM OF TARTAR + LEMON JUICE 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. This is a great way to combat stubborn stains on white grout.

You can see my all of my cleaning favorites here and in my Amazon shop under ‘cleaning favorites’.