DIY Grout Cleaner – How To Clean Tiles With Natural Ingredients

Sick of watching your tile and grout grow dingier before your very eyes? It’s time to make your own DIY grout cleaner out of natural ingredients that are safe and highly effective in improving the look and cleanliness of your grout or tile. Here are three methods to cleaning those light, medium, and heavy tile or grout problem areas – and each uses all-natural materials that you probably already have on-hand.

Materials you’ll need for the best grout cleaning process:

• Baking soda
• Distilled white vinegar
• Super washing soda
• Borax
• Liquid dish detergent (or castille soap)
• Sponge, rag, cleaning brush
• Rubber gloves
• Mixing bowl

*Specific materials vary, depending upon which of the three grout cleaners you’re after; this photo shows materials needed for all three.

How to clean the grout tiles:

Light Tile and Grout Cleaning with tap water

If you have water spots or some light soils in your grout, you should be able to get them out with a light scrubbing of some baking soda.

Get a hot, damp sponge.

Dip your damp sponge in baking soda.

Scrub your lightly soiled tile and grout with the damp baking soda sponge. Once coated, rinse the sponge thoroughly and wipe off excess baking soda with warm to hot water.

This is a great, quick way to freshen up your grout and tile in the simplest way possible.

Medium Tile or Grout Cleaning with Vinegar

For tougher stains on your tile or grout, or where dirt or grime has started to set in, you can amp up your cleaning with the power-packed vinegar-baking soda 1-2 punch.

Soak your sponge with undiluted distilled white vinegar.

Wipe down the tile and grout surfaces that need more serious cleaning with the vinegar.

Sprinkle baking soda on the vinegar and immediately scrub the baking soda with a sponge or a brush (such as a cleaning toothbrush) to really get into the grout.

This is particularly effective around a toilet.

Thoroughly rinse your sponge or use a clean rag moistened with hot water to wipe up excess baking soda. Looks so much better.

Heavy Tile or Grout Cleaning with baking soda

If you find a tough stain, like this one I spotted in the grout, it’s time to amp up the cleaning regimen one more notch with some borax and super washing soda.

Into 1/4 cup baking soda, mix 1 tbsp of super washing soda.

Add to that 1 tbsp of boax. Briefly stir.

Pour in 1-1/2 tbsp of liquid dishwashing soap (or, if you have it, liquid castille soap).

Stir it all together to make a paste.

Soak a sponge in undiluted distilled white vinegar. Wring out only enough so it’s not dripping profusely.

Use the vinegar sponge to wipe down the area with the tough stain (this can be one spot or an entire area that’s been hard-hit with yuckies).

Apply a bit of the baking soda paste to the grout.

Follow the grout line with the paste and a sponge or cleaning brush, scrubbing it well into the grout.

Rinse sponge thoroughly with hot water (or grab a clean rag and wet with hot water) and wipe away excess paste. This will take several rounds to get the paste wiped up off the grout, but the reward is a much clean(er) grout area. This paste method also works well on a tub or shower surface.

We hope you enjoy using these natural products in your home to make your tile and grout sparkle and shine!