Right before I got sick, I spent several weeks on my hands and knees with a steel brush (made for outdoor grills) scrubbing the grout and tile on my kitchen floor. It was hard, tedious and just NOT FUN but the only way I could come up with to get my floors really clean. See, my tile also has little divots in it that add to the "character" of the floor... which serve mostly to collect dirt and hardens when wet. So, although I can "shine" the top of my floor, unless I am on hands and knees with a steel brush (which breaks off and gets into my hands), I am failing at getting my floors really clean.
Then there's the grout that is stained all different stages of "yuck"! It is just driving me CRAZY!!!
Yes, part of the obsessiveness in my behavior is hormonal... Nesting, I believe they call it. But even before I was pregnant, the impossibility of cleaning the tile/grout without spending a weekend doing it was something I spent way too much time thinking about. Much less, all the time it took to do it.
Then I saw this infomercial. http://www.thane.com/products/housewares/h2omop/h2omop.php
That's right... SUCKER written all over my forehead! I spent my $$$ and even paid extra for faster shipping. How I wish I had saved the box! I would pay to send it back and not even ask for a refund just so I didn't have to be reminded of how they pulled me in! I'm so dang mad about that thing!
Made my grout issue even worse!
This afternoon, I tried this stuff I had under my kitchen sink called Zap. You mix it 20 parts water to 1 part Zap, spray it on, let it sit for 2 minutes, then mop up. I walked away to get my mop water ready and when I returned, my lungs began burning and I began coughing. Turns out, it's only muradic and sulfuric acid!!! No wonder they call it Zap! Probably not the best thing for an expectant mom... or the kids. I stopped after that first section, however, it did seem to brighten the grout a little. Hmmmm...
So now I'm reaching out to you. I know SOMEONE out there has tile/grout issues like me and surely there is SOMEONE out there who has figured out a better way to clean it. (Like this blog reaches the masses... heehee). Please share so this Floor Frenzied Mom can spend her days thinking about better things than HOW TO CLEAN TILE GROUT!!!
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10 comments:
I know the answer .... I know the answer... I can get grout to look like it was installed yesterday!
have you tried scrubbing with a magic eraser? that's what i use and it works great on my floors.
Ummmmmmmmm.........tbsharp didn't leave the answer above!!
Sorry, I don't know. My tile and grout are dark so, nothing shows, just looks natural to be 'muddy' looking. If I come across something, will let you know! I bet no one notices like you do!
Tracy.... we are all waiting......
Erin, tried the magic erasers... they work but fall apart too quickly. It would cost a fortune to clean all the tile and grout in my house!
Becky, thanks for keeping your ears open for me.
Still looking.................
I was going to suggest the magic eraser. I have tried IT ALL! My tile is terrible, so I have given up. {white tile, white grout- what were they thinking!?} Now I am praying for new floors. Seriously though, the magic eraser is the only thing that I have seen work. Ok, Tracy- what is it!?!?!
Did think of this, try
www.doityourself.com, I have looked things up there before. Search tile/grout cleaning and see what you find??
I almost bought the Shark steamer which looks similar to what you bought but our laminate isn't sealed so don't think it would work.
https://sharksteammop.com/contents/index.aspx
Anyone have tips for cleaning wood laminate besides?? What's your trick, Tracy??
I think what Tracy is getting at is just install new tile and grout. That way it will look new, just like you installed it yesterday!
Ya'll have WAY too much time on your hands. Here is the answer...you sweep and mop and forget about it.
CeCe
Okay okay... Here is the way the PROFESSIONAL get your grout clean.
HOME DEPOT carries this product NOT Lowes
You can find it in the tile section.
Stuff called PHOSPHORIC ACID (you can find it in most of your sodas!!)
Usually in white bleach looking jug with pink labeling..
It will make your grout sparkley!!! Call me if you need additional CUSTOM instructions or want me to come over and demo-
You will need gloves, a couple tooth brushes and a good scrub thing.. like the green ones.
This is what the PROFESSIONALS use. My dad's best friend is in the carpet flooring business and he is the one that gave me the info... so "I know a guy.."
The gloves are for your protection. The acid tends to be hard on your hands & nails.... "Jewels not tools" or some rubbish like that.
The toothbrush is for the "tough" spots
the good scrubby thing is just what I use to wipe over the tile to get the creavises better. I use the cheap green thin ones cuz then I can just throw them away!!!!!!!!
The first use is FULL consentration. No dilution. Use a spay bottle on STREAM and hose down the grout. IT will bubble. Walk away for 5-7 minutes... Come back. Do a light scrub over the tile with the green thing. I go over the grout line with a toothbrush just to make sure I get all the chunky's then scrub a little harder on the icky areas.
water water water. You want to get all the "PA" off cuz it leaves a white residue. If you have white tile, that my not be a problem but for those of us with Brown tile and grout it tends to be an issue.
A day or two later you may want to reseal your grout, cuz if you don't it is going to get dirty again just as fast.
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