Kitchen grout cleaning issues

[kara236]

Greetings!

I have come to own kitchen grout that I have tried to clean with no avail. The prior owner told me that the grout was never sealed and that she would regularly use Clorox Clean-Up to clean the grout lines. I have had some success with Bar Keepers Friend, a (consumer-grade) steamer and a lot of scrubbing. However, there are still areas where things have been spilled I'm sure - especially near the natural place for a trash can: that is, there are still areas not fully clean.

I wouldn't mind using a product like Tile Guard's Grout Cover, but the grout is a dove gray, not white.

In various, inconspicuous places over several weeks I have tried Tile Guard's Extra Strength Tile & Grout Cleaner, vinegar, baking soda + vinegar, oxygen bleach, oven cleaner, and Kaboom - anything I could find suggested online.

It seems, though, I have finally found my way to the right place! Suggestions?


(My original purpose in cleaning the grout was to clean and seal it - heh.)


Thank you very much!

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[Davestone]

Kara i think you've reached a point where you should consider grout colorant.http://www.aqua-mix.com/Aqua-Mix-Grout-Colorant?leadsource=PS104&s_kwcid=TC|6221|grout%20colorant||S|b|2569381759&gclid=CPy9oI-Mj5wCFRM_xwodNkxUYg

[kara236]

Thank you! :yipee:

[ccarlisle]

Well good luck with that...we've always suggested a good cleaning using our hot water+pressure method first before sealing as in our experience the dirt that is still there (dissolved in all the cleaners and down deep in the grout) interferes with the coloursealing, leaving less than satisfactory results - with now the added problem of how to get the coloursealer off.

It's somewhat like painting a dirty wall with fingerprints and crayon marks on it...whenever that happens we're due for recall.

Have you looked up "Grout Cleaning" in the Yellow Pages? I know we offer a grout cleaning service that is unattainable without "professional" equipment - same as carpet cleaning: a "Rug Doctor" doesn't match a "professional" cleaning.

[SABoyt]

The prior owner told me that the grout was never sealed and that she would regularly use Clorox Clean-Up to clean the grout lines.

This is a bad sign. The use of clorox on a regular basis to clean grout will bleach the color right out of the grout. It does it inconsistently across the floor so you don't get a bright new color, you get major splotches. Light and dark areas that look like stains. Vinegar will also cause this. The problem is worse with darker color grouts but also exists in light colors. We have seen many floors that we identify the problem before the owner admits it.

You may have reached a point that color sealing the grout is the best solution. While we do our best on this board to help homeowners and DIYers solve their own problems, you sometimes reach a point where the best advice is to seek professional help. I know i could use some professional help! :nya:

It might be possible to clean the grout, but you should be prepared for the bad news that it is discolored due to the previous cleaning regime. Testing by a proffessional may be the only way to get this answer. If you do decide to color the grout, again consider using a pro. We teach all day classes on colorsealing grout. It is not something that can be properly learned from a label. BUT, if you decide to undertake this task, please come back to the board for advice and tips before starting the process. After you have gotten sealer on the tile and can't get it off, is a little too late to ask the questions. If you want to see the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about colorsealing, go to my website here http://www.hssflorida.com/Grout_staining.html and read FAQs.

The brand you choose will determine how hard of a process it is. The Aquamix brand mentioned earlier is an epoxy based sealer that can be disastrous to remove from the tile if not done properly. (experience speaking here). Whatever you choose, let us know how we can help. Good luck

[SABoyt]

So as to help you in the future should you have this problem again, there are some cleaning basics that will save you some time.

Dirt, grease and fatty acids respond to alkaline cleaners (like ammonia) and mineral deposits respond to acid cleaners. Using acids, like vinegar, on dirt and grease just makes your arm sore from scrubbing - no good cleaning effect. Baking soda might get you some results because of its abrasiveness, but probably not alone and mixing it with vinegar just kills the acid nature of the vinegar so you might as well be using water. An acid can be useful after the dirt is removed so you can get to the stains. Acid will etch (not clean) the grout so that microscopic parts of it are removed, and if the stain resides within the area that is etched away, so goes the stain.

Quite often people see tile installers use acid to clean up the grout haze and think that is a good cleaner. It cleans the grout haze because grout is cementatious and therefore a mineral. Acids clean minerals not dirt. I'm done.:yipee:

[kara236]

Thank you, Steve - I went ahead and ordered some Aqua Mix color samples today to find a good match to the tiles (dove gray grout with beige tiles? :suspect:). I figured the grout was damaged from the bleach - how could it not be? - but I didn't think about it perhaps causing blotches.

I'm a very methodical and patient worker and don't like to jump into things without studying and learning about them first. I appreciate the link - the third picture down on the left hand side is what my floor looked like before any of my cleaning - ugh! Let's see if I can make the other picture happen :) (Actually, the last two pictures on the left may be of my floor tiles. With dove gray?)

[kara236]

In the future, my grout will be sealed and cleaned with a task-specific cleaner on an as-needed basis :D I've found water and steam to be wonderful for most cleaning needs.

I can't imagine taking Clorox to a floor!

Thanks :)