How To Clean Grout

There are a variety of grout cleaning options ranging from commercial to homemade. But if you want to use only natural ingredients, this tutorial will show how to clean grout using baking soda, borax, and diluted white vinegar.

How To Clean Grout

For those unfamiliar, you can make DIY grout cleaner out of natural ingredients, and that’s what we’ll cover here.

We Tried 3 Methods for Cleaning Tile Grout

We’ll show you three remedies. Each solution will help you remove stubborn stains from light, medium, and heavy tile or grout problem areas.


Cleaning Grout With Baking Soda

grout cleaning with baking soda

Materials Needed You’ll Need for Grout Cleaning:

  • Baking soda
  • White vinegar 
  • Small disposable container
  • Cleaning toothbrush
  • Clean rags
  • Rubber gloves (optional)

Here’s how to prepare the baking soda grout paste:

preparing the baking soda for grout cleaning

Begin by adding baking soda to your disposable container. 

Then, pour water into the baking soda until you create a paste-like consistency. A 3:1 baking soda to water ratio works best. Experiment with the ratio but remember, a little water goes a long way.

Use your cleaning toothbrush handle to stir the paste.

When you’ve got a consistency that is moist but not runny, you’re ready to go.

Apply the paste to your grout with the toothbrush bristles.

How to Clean Tile Grout with Baking Soda

Let the paste sit for a minute while you get your vinegar + water solution ready.


Cleaning Grout With Vinegar

grout cleaning with vinegar

When you need to clean dirty grout, a vinegar solution works well. It fizzes up over the baking soda, causing dirt and stains to lift. 

grout cleaning
  1. First, soak your sponge with distilled white vinegar.
  2. Wipe your tile floors and grout surfaces with vinegar.
  3. Rinse out your toothbrush, and use it to scrub the vinegar solution over the top of the baking soda paste you applied. When you see the paste turning dingy, the cleaner is working.
  4. Thoroughly rinse your sponge or use a clean damp rag to wipe away the excess baking soda.

Borax Grout Cleaner

Borax Grout Cleaner

Tougher stains require more elbow grease and products like borax and super-washing soda. Here’s what to do:

  • Mix a 1/4 cup of baking soda with one teaspoon of super washing soda.
  • Next, add one tablespoon of borax and stir.
  • Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap. 
  • Stir the ingredients until a paste forms, and let the mixture sit for several minutes.
Borax Grout Cleaner
  • Soak a sponge in undiluted distilled white vinegar and wring out excess moisture.
  • Wipe the stained area with the sponge.
  • Then, apply the paste to the grout.
  • Follow the grout line with the paste, sponge, and cleaning brush, scrubbing it well into the grout.
  • Rinse with water aftward.
How To Clean Grout

We hope you enjoy using these natural methods to make your tile shine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

Can A Cleaning Bot Remove Grout Stains?

There are a few cleaning robots available today that can vacuum, mop, clean windows, and scrub toilets. Although tests have been conducted with grout cleaning robots, a model has yet to be unveiled to the public. 

What Is The Famous TikTok Clean Grout Solution Video?

In 2021, a video of a cleaning product went viral on TikTok. The product was Zep Grout Cleaner and Brightener. The cleaner retails for $7 and is available online and sold at most hardware stores.

How Much For A Professional Tile Cleaner?

It depends on the job. A bathroom that hasn’t been cleaned in a few years and is covered with grout will cost more to clean. On overage, a cleaning professional will charge you between $300 and $500 per room.

How Long Should Grout Dry Before Cleaning?

After you apply grout to a surface, let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes and wipe away excess grout with a grout sponge soaked in water.

Can I Use A Steam Cleaner To Clean Grout? 

You can use a steamer to clean your bathroom walls. If the grout needs a deep clean, then a steamer would be most effective. When you use a steamer, you can turn a three hour job into a 30 minute job. 

A steamer is effective as it heats water over 200 degrees Fahrenheit and uses nozzles that direct steam onto the stained grout. 

Cleaning grout is one of the cheapest DIY home improvement projects you’ll find. You can use household items like hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, chlorine bleach, and oxygen bleach.

If your bathrooms and shower walls are high-traffic areas, and time is an issue, steam cleaning grout is the fastest option. You can rent steam cleaners at most home centers. The devices come with step-by-step instructions and are easy to use.

However, for low-traffic areas, the only thing you need is grout cleaners. Old electric toothbrushes are also great tools for stubborn grout stains.