What do you think of this homemade tile/grout cleaner?

[Jenn]

I'm going through some papers and came across a recipe for Ceramic Tile & Grout Cleaner that I printed off the web many moons ago. I'm wondering what you gurus think of it.

1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Ammonia (sudsing or nonsudsing)
1/2 cup Vinegar (it doesn't specify what type)
14 cups warm water

To use: spray solution directly onto tile and wipe with a damp sponge or the kind of scrubbing pad made for Teflon pans.


Personally, it sounds easier to use a pH balanced soap, spray it on the grout, brush with a toothrbrush, wipe off, then rinse with clean water.

I know, I know..... I could buy the good stuff you sell but meanwhile I'm wondering what you think of the above recipe. :)

Thanks!
Jenn
PS -- so far our tile on the 35-year-old slab has survived one minor earthquake! :yipee:

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[muskymike]

Hi Jen, I will move your thread over to the cleaning, restoration forum. doitright, Steve Hauser or Davestone will catch it better over there.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Howdy, Jenn! :wave:
I think it will clean the sealer from the grout and force you to re-seal it. Doesn't sound like this is a cleaner to use very often. :think: Hmmm, others will chime in soon enough. Hang tight.

[Jenn]

Hi Kurt! Thanks for your reply. I'm guessing that the vinegar and ammonia would be the culprits eating up the sealer, right?

While I'm here...... I read a while back that to really clean grout on the floor, you need to let the water sit and allow the dirt to float to the top, then vacuum with a shop vac to suck up the water. Is there another way? We have a shop vac but I'm just wondering if that's the only way. The white(!!!) grout on our bathroom floor has gotten a little grungy after 9 years.

Oh and Mike, thank you for moving this to where it fits best. I shoulda known better. :)

Jenn

[Davestone]

I've seen toilets blown up with a concoction very similar to that..but it was contained in a closed bottle....but be careful.Basically you've got an acidic in a cleaner, which breaks down minerals, and actually strips a very thin top layer off the grout to reveal cleaner grout beneath...then you've got the sudsing action which lifts the dirt up out of the crevaces...and agitation, which is important to work the dirt off the surface,then the vacuum of course lifts it out so it doesn't streak, and just get stuck back o the surface.Baking soda, and ammonia, do their part with ph adjusting and removal of minerals.....Why not try our tile and grout cleaner from the TYW store above.If it doesn't clean it up...John Koessler will personally come to your house and do it himself!....Just kiddin...he'll send me. :sick:

[Rd Tile]

Steam.:)

[doitright]

Hi Jenn :)

Yeah, Dave said it. He should be by around 9 am (while you're at church). By the time you get back from brunch, he should be gone. :yeah:

Give it a day to thoroughly dry out, and seal the grout with some Stone Tech Heavy Duty Stone Sealer.

A note to other readers of this post. The vinegar in this concoction is also damaging to calcerous based stones such as marble and limestone.

[claycarson]

Aren't ammonia and baking soda alkaline? I dunno, never took chemistry in school.

If you mix alkaline with an acid, you neutralize both of them.

Either an alkaline cleaning solution can clean organics well (grease, oil) or an acidic cleaner like vinegar can clean inorganics well (like grout), but mixed together they become useless.

[Jenn]

Thanks everyone!! :laugh2:

<Running the recipe through the shredder.......>

[Steven Hauser]

Hi all,

Doitright asked me to look in.

Let's remember something, it is easy to make mistakes when mixing things at home. I don't mean to imply that this concoction is dangerous, but some are.


You don't need ammonia. I guess it sounds like a good cleaning agent. :)

That said, do you remember high school chemistry? There were similar experiments for students to do. It shows how the carbon dioxide bubbles created lift the matter up (spaghetti noodles). :nod: The formula as J\Doitright points out should not be used on carboniferous stones.

What happens is the the the baking soda and vinegar acts as a leavening or rising agent. It produces CO2.

For white grout I would suggest using some hydrogen peroxide.

The constant use of this can and will etch grout over time.

Best regards

[Jenn]

Thank you Steven for your additional comment. I've decided to toss the recipe and use something made for safely cleaning grout.

I have a question about your last comment -- "For white grout I would suggest using some hydrogen peroxide." Do you mean the recipe I posted, or the hydrogen peroxide?

Thanks,
Jen

[Mike2]

Hi Jen.

How's the floor? Piano get moved OK?

:)

[Steven Hauser]

Jenn,

I'm having a boy moment. I don't understand the question. Couldja ask it again.

:dunce:

[doitright]

Hi Jenn :)

I think Steven means instead you can use hydrogen peroxide to whiten the grout. I know it works for hair! :D