DIY solutions for cleaning floor grout
There are lots of additional options for cleaning your floor grout and restoring it to its natural color. Depending what you’ve got in your cabinets (or fruit bowl), choose which method is most convenient for you. They’re all proven to be very effective, and might even freshen up the room’s odor—or neutralize it completely.
Vinegar
Vinegar is one of our favorite miracle agents.
- Fill a spray bottle with equal parts distilled white vinegar and warm water. Give it a good shake, and then spray it directly onto the grout.
- Let the vinegar solution sit for 5–10 minutes.
- Once it’s absorbed, give your grout a gentle scrub with your brush or toothbrush.
- Use a damp cloth to wipe all the moisture or residue up.
Lemon juice
Not only a good source of vitamin C, this citrus fruit’s acidic qualities make it excellent for cleaning—plus, it smells fantastic.
- Saturate your floor grout with lemon juice, which will eliminate grout stains naturally. You can either apply it with a spray bottle, dip a rag in the lemon juice and wipe onto the grout, or simply cut a lemon in half and rub the flesh side directly onto the grout lines.
- Let the lemon juice sit for 5–10 minutes.
- Once it’s absorbed, give your grout a gentle scrub with your brush or toothbrush.
- Use a damp cloth to wipe all the moisture or residue up.
Toothpaste
Remember that analogy we made earlier about flossing? What we really meant is use toothpaste. Especially toothpaste with a whitening agent in it (hint: it’s usually baking soda or peroxide, or both!). And your floors will smell minty fresh. Note: make sure the toothpaste is white to begin with—or you may end up staining your grout blue.
- Apply toothpaste to grout lines with an old toothbrush.
- Let the toothpaste for 5–10 minutes.
- Use a damp cloth to wipe the toothpaste off.
- Scrub grout gently with clean, warm water to remove all remaining residue.
Maintaining your tiles and grout
- We know it’s asking a lot, but everyday floor cleaning goes a long way. Even if it’s just a dry mop followed with a quick rinse with a Swiffer WetJet, your floors will live longer, happy lives. No mop bucket required! And you can just throw away the mop pads when you’re done.
- Especially if you’ve got pets and children, who tend to wreak havoc on floors (spills, dander, dirt, urine, etc.), you should hit tile floors and grout lines with a once-over routinely to keep them in good shape.
- Weekly deep cleanings keep grout looking fresh and help prevent mildew growth or bacteria buildup.
- Know when it’s time to change or update the grout, and call a professional. If your grout appears to be permanently stained, badly cracked or crumbly, it might be time for an upgrade.
