Comet, a stiff-bristled brush, and elbow grease.

Kim & Aggie are your gurus!

101 Household tips!


How to clean grout.

Basically start off with an old toothbrush - vinegar & bicarb of soda and as Miko said some elbow grease.

You aren't likely to get it sparkly right off - you might need to add it to your weekly list and work away at it over time depending on the grot level.

Sugar soap - is another possible option.

Yeah, baking soda is pretty amazing.

Thanks, guys!

I've tried baking soda and vinegar before, but yeah, I think it's going to take a few sessions before I can say the grout "sparkles".

I'll try a couple things and see which requires a palatable amount of elbow grease.

I've been doing this little by little in the shower this week. I've got an old toothbrush and a big ole bottle of clorox. I dip the toothbrush in the bleach and then scrub scrub scrub. Rinse the toothbrush, rinse my hands, and get on with the shower. Makes me feel a little less guilty for dallying under the water.

And this is why I want a magic wand.

Too many pots to wash? *swish* Done!
Grout all cruddy? *swish* Sparkly!
Beer gone too warm? *swish* Cooled!

I wonder why grout can't be coated with something much less porous (and easier to clean), like a clear or white two-part epoxy resin? Epoxy isn't very expensive, it would go a long way on thin lines of grout, and the project would save massive time over the long run. I'm not talking about JB Weld glue here, I'm talking about a resin specifically made as a super-hard coating.

Yeah, there's a thing for exactly what you're describing, called grout sealer. Generally speaking it's only used in commercial application. I don't know why...

Buy one of those Colgate Sonic toothbrushes in Superdrug, and they'll take away the need for elbow grease.

every bathroom I've worked on in several home remodels, we've sealed the grout with a clear sealant expressly for this purpose. Mind, if you don't squeegee sealed grout surfaces and/or gently clean them on a regular basis, they'll still get grotty, but it doesn't stain and comes off with way, way less effort.

I think this is a somewhat recent general practise in homebuilding / remodelling tho. So depending on the oldness and/or crappiness of your bathroom and/or general laziness of the DIY homeowners / landlords who installed them, ymmv.

Well, I'm cleaning it only because we're selling the flat soon and I want it to be sparkly for viewing, so in all honesty I prolly won't mess with the sealer.

Might try one of those sonic toothbrushes, though...