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How To Clean Tile Grout (Floors)

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When my family moved into our house a couple of months ago, I assumed the tile grout was supposed to be a dark, nearly black color. Then I began to notice that in some areas of the house, the tile grout was more of a light gray color. Weird, right? Why would someone use so many different shades of grout in the same house, even in the same room? {Insert a lightbulb going off in my head here} I realized that the dark colored grout was in desperate need of a good cleaning to return it to its original color!

So how does one go about cleaning tile grout? Here is what worked for me.

Things you’ll need:

  • An empty gallon milk jug (or bucket)
  • OxyClean (oxygen bleach)
  • An old toothbrush
  • A dry mop

How To Clean Tile Grout (floors) Directions:

1. Fill the gallon milk jug with warm water and one scoop of OxyClean; shake well to mix.
2. Slowly pour the water/oxy mixture onto the tile floor, making sure the mixture goes into the grout areas.

*Tip: It’s easier to clean small areas of the floor at a time. I do about 10 square feet at a time.

3. Let the water/oxy mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes, then take an old toothbrush and lightly scrub the grout.
4. Allow the water/oxy mixture to sit another 5-10 minutes and then mop floor with a dry mop to soak up the excess water.

Once your floor and tile grout has had the chance to dry, it should look better than it did before you cleaned it, especially if the grout was discolored due to dirt.

Have you ever cleaned your tile floor’s grout before? Feel free to share any tips and ideas with us in the comments below.


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Comments

  1. Gurunath Reddedesani says

    Wonderful idea, you shared where we don’t need to do the hard task of scrubbing. Oxy-clean, Vinegar, baking soda has got great utility in eradicating dark spots from tiles. Will definitely try it.

  2. Sarah White says

    Thanks for this post Nicole! I just tried this and it worked wonders on my tile floors!! Normally, I just get my tile cleaned by a professional tile cleaner and they always do a good job, but I’m going to use your solution in between these cleanings. Can’t wait for more cleaning tips and tricks!!

  3. Barbara says

    I use bleach with borax or Borateen powder to make paste, apply with toothbrush , let set a few minutes. It even removes old black gunk accumulated in crevices anywhere. 19 military moves with hubby so this got my security deposit back every time! House was cleaner than when when we moved in!

  4. Silas Knight says

    Thanks for the tips on cleaning tile and grout. Our whole kitchen and dining room is tile, and I have never known how to best clean it. I will have to try using a toothbrush for the grout this time, and work on smaller areas!

  6. Aaron@ Tile Grout Cleaning says

    Just wanted to say thank you. I tested this in my kitchen on my own tile and grout. It provided amazing results and now I have implemented these techniques in my business.

    • Nicole says

      Thank you, Gloria – your feedback is appreciated and very helpful. I’m so glad it worked for you. Now I need to do this again to my floors. It’s been awhile. 🙂 –Nicole

  8. Kyle Gordon says

    Finally my predicament is answered; I’ve been sitting here for hours in looking up for a solution on how to clean my floor. I’d try this one starting tomorrow, wish me luck.
    Kalia Floors

  9. For more info on San Antonio Texas House Cleaning says

    I had no idea that you could use OxyClean to clean tile grout, but now I’m going to try it!

  11. Grout Daddy says

    Great post! The reason why OxyClean works really well is because it has oxidizing bleach, which is able to remove tough grout stains. Vinegar with baking soda is another great way to clean grout and lighten dark spots. Using an old toothbrush to scrub the grout with is okay, if the area you’re cleaning isn’t that too large. For large spaces, you would need a good grout brush, such as a triangle brush, to make the process faster and easier.

    • Wendy says

      Actually, no need to scrub at all. I just wet my floor with water and a mop, sprinkle oxi clean onto the grout.. I used latex gloves to push it all in the right areas. Just let it sit for an hour, that’s it!
      Mop it up, this is a bit of a process, change your water a few times. Your end result is a completely transformed clean white grout! Trust me, I refuse to scrub, let the oxi do its thing!

      • Nicole says

        Hi Wendy! I have got to give this method a try. My floor grout needs to be cleaned really good, it’s on my list to Spring Clean this year. Thanks so much for sharing your idea, I love OxiClean and have never tried using it this way. No scrubbing sounds really good to me! –Nicole

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