With a DIY grout cleaner, you can make grimy grout lines look brand new without spending a small fortune on cleaning supplies. Scrubbing between your tiles may not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but the cleaning tips in this post will help make the process as easy, affordable, and painless as possible.
Below, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to clean grout all over your home, whether in your bathroom or on your stone tile floors. With the help of some my favorite cleaning ingredients and a bit of elbow grease, you’ll have those grout lines looking like new in no time!
Be sure to check out the video at the bottom of this post!
Preparing To Clean Tile Grout
There are many types of grout that serve a variety of purposes, so there’s not a “one size fits all” method for cleaning it. From my experience with cleaning my grout, the best way to clean grout is to use a combination of approaches, so I’ll be highlighting two homemade cleaners for you here.
Keep in mind that we’re focusing on how to clean grout here, rather than the tile itself. If you’re looking for a cleaner for a tile shower enclosure, the best homemade shower cleaner (a mixture of dish soap and vinegar) is also an excellent tile cleaner!
Tools & Supplies
To clean your grout properly, you’re going to need a good, stiff scrub brush — ideally, a brush designed for cleaning grout. (I’m normally all for using an old toothbrush for cleaning, but toothbrush bristles aren’t stiff enough for this particular task.) You’ll also need:
- Spray bottle
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Grout sealer (optional)
The 2 Best DIY Grout Cleaners
1. Hot Water (With Or Without Vinegar)
Decades of cleaning experience have taught me to never underestimate the cleaning power of hot water! If your grout isn’t terribly dirty, this method may be all you need — it’s a great way to remove surface dirt from your grout before turning your attention to stained or dirty grout.
You can use hot water alone in a spray bottle, or combine it with an equal amount of white vinegar. Spray the water or diluted vinegar to your grout, then let it sit for 5-10 minutes. After waiting, scrub the grout with a scrub brush or grout brush, then rinse with clean water.
(Need a bit more cleaning oomph? Here’s an extra cleaning tip: sprinkle baking soda over the grout before scrubbing. You may notice some fizzing due to the baking soda and vinegar reaction, but that’s normal!)
2. Baking Soda And Hydrogen Peroxide
I consider a combination of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to be the best DIY grout cleaner for serious cases, but it can be pretty messy to work with. That’s why I recommend using it as a spot cleaner for the worst stains and grimiest areas — that will make it easier to clean up afterward, and the results will be well worth it!
Make the cleaning solution by combining one part baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide in a small dish, then spread the paste onto tile grout and let it sit for about an hour. After waiting, scrub the grout to remove the dirt or grime, then wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Protect Your Clean Grout With Grout Sealer
Once your grout is sparkling clean, consider protecting it by applying a water-resistant grout sealer. Sealed grout will stay clean a lot longer, and it will resist mold and mildew growth too.
After cleaning your grout, allow it to air dry at least overnight, or up to 24 hours. (It needs to be bone-dry before you can seal it, so give it as much time as it needs!) When you’re sure it’s dry, seal the grout with a water-resistant grout sealer according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
More Tips For Grout And Tile
- If you have tile floors, my grease-cutting floor cleaner recipe will give you sparkling clean tile to match your clean grout. You may also want to have a professional deep clean your tile floors once a year or so to help keep your tile and grout clean over time.
- Cleaning white grout around white ceramic tiles? Try a homemade bleach gel pen for quick touch-ups. For colored grout and tiles, my DIY “Soft Scrub” style cleanser is a great option — it features tea tree oil that can help fight mold and mildew.
- Looking for a store-bought grout cleaner? Zep is a great commercial grout cleaner, as you’ll see in my review!
- Finally, I recommend avoiding chlorine bleach for cleaning grout. Chlorine bleach can permanently discolor grout, and even the surrounding tiles too! The options I’ve highlighted throughout this post are much less risky!
So there you have it! I hope these tips and methods prove as useful to you as they have been to me, and pat yourself on the back for all your hard work too! :-)
More Ideas You'll Love
How do you keep your grout clean?
Cleaning Grout With DIY Grout Cleaners (Step by Step)
Equipment
- Scrub Brush
- spray bottle
Ingredients
- 1 cup Hot water
- 1 cup White vinegar
- 1/4 cup Baking soda
- 1/4 cup Hydrogen peroxide
- Grout sealer (optional)
Instructions
Hot Water & Vinegar Method
- Start by spraying hot water (or equal parts hot water and white vinegar) onto dirty grout, then give it a good scrub with your scrub brush. If your grout isn’t terribly dirty, this method may be all you need to clean it!
Baking Soda And Hydrogen Peroxide Method
- Mix up a cleaning paste of one part baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide. Spread the paste onto tile grout and let it sit for about an hour.After the wait, use your scrub brush to scour the grout and remove any last traces of grime or discoloration. Use a damp cloth or mop to clean up the paste, rinsing as needed to remove any remaining residue.
Apply A Grout Sealer
- When your clean grout is bone dry, apply a water-resistant grout sealer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Sealing it will help keep your grout clean longer, and it can help repel mold and mildew too!
Video
Adding base to acid (baking soda and vinegar) gives that satisfying fizz due to the heat reaction – and that heat and bubble reaction can be useful in some situations – but know that after the reaction all you’re cleaning with is plain water (with a few salts left over from the reaction). Use baking soda and vinegar separately for better results from each. (Source: Chemistry)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Does anyone have a secret method for removing a hard water stain right at the drain of an old bathtub that has been glazed once in it’s 72 year life span. It’s been created from a slow drip from time to time and nothing I’ve tried seems to work. Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Beverly, you may want to try one of the solutions in this post. Just click on the link below.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can’t use vinegar on slate floors, what do you suggest?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best way to clean slate floors is with a small amount of dish soap and water.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use Simply Green in a application bottle that has a pointy tip along with a nail brush. I only have to brush back and forth 2 or 3 times and it is clean. No waiting. I then wipe it up and go to the next area. It takes about 1/2 hr to do a 20 x 10 ft kitchen.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do you have any hints how to clean ceramic floors ?? NOt the grout the tile itself
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There is a much easier way to clean grout. Lysol blue toilet bowel cleaner. Put in on the grout wait 20-30 minutes, wipe off with wet cloth. You will be amazed how great it works.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I disliked how my grout looked less than clean and was thinking of drilling a hole in the scrubbing brush and attaching a broom stale, to clean it. I was telling my daughter and hey presto the next day her boyfriend walked in with a ready made one ,for me,bought from Aldi !! I had never seen one before – I have just had a double hip replacement and ankle reconstruction and cannot get up and down easily at 75 so this is great works wonderfully grout looks great. The bristles are actually wire and come together in a point which you use to scrub the grout . WELL DONE ALDi
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m definitely not your Susie Homemaker type and there is no way in the world that I’m getting down on my hands and knees to scrub grout. If mopping isn’t good enough for people who come to visit me, then THEY don’t have to. Plain and simple.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cleaning grout is also one of my least favorite things to do since I really dislike getting down and scrubbing but Method 3 looks like it really got the work done so I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. Thank you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.OK I’m going to blow your mind with this grout cleaning way that involves NO SCRUBBING. Use Clorox Get toilet bowl cleaner. Must be gel and must be clorox. I did try others and they just didn’t have as good of a result. You just use the bottle tip to draw the gel on the grout lines. leave for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on the amount of traffic you have in that area) – and rinse/wipe off with several hot water rags. I just kept a few rotating as I went through my house, kept rinsing them out and of course it cleans your whole floor while you’re doing it. It’s so easy now I’ll actually keep up on that chore! Our youngest son (16) was doing the kitchen floor and he said ‘Mom this is so fun!’ LOL it’s just that easy and comes out super and then the whole room smells great too. test a small patch of course first. I will say one of my rooms the grout did not have epoxy in it – so that cleaning job was bringing up some of the grout. I ended up doing smaller areas at a time and not leaving it on as long – came out great!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Two of my bathrooms have marble tile. Any recommendations for cleaning grout around marble?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wet a toothbrush, and dip it in baking soda – then use that to scrub the grout! You can add a drop of two of dish soap if you need some extra cleaning power. Rinse with warm water and cloth immediately. Just try to avoid scrubbing the marble as much as you can :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I read online that a paste made with denture cleaning tablets and hot water is the best for cleaning grout with your wire brush. I haven’t tried it yet but hear it’s the best.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Dissolve 2 tablets in warm water in the spray bottle. Spray on then leave for around 10 mins and wipe away! Some are giving a light scrub with a grout brush then wiping away.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We took the easy way out with our tile floor and used grout that was the same color as the dirt outside!
Our bathroom, however, has tiled walls with (once) white grout. Any ideas how to adapt these methods to clean vertical grout?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste will stick if you get the right consistency!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for method 3, espectacular el resultado!!!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Muchas gracias
Susana
from Barcelona, Spain
would love to hear feed-back on my solution for cleaning grout……a couple of TBLSP. of Cr. of Tartar in water using a toothbrush……it is really MAGIC!!!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We’ll have to try this! Thanks Mary!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I got great results with a foaming grout cleaner called “Goo Gone”. Made by The Homax Group, Inc. (USA) Spray on, let it sits for 2 minutes & wipe & rinse. Took a while, but my kitchen grout is pretty gray again!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’d like to know if any of these methods would work on kitchen counter tile grout. Back in the day my mother would arm me with a toothbrush and comet cleanser. I hated it as it was boring and tedious, but it worked.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Any of the methods will work for kitchen counter tile grout :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What if you have marble floors with white grout?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.They should all work, even ammonia is safe on marble! I would test out an inconspicuous spot first, just in case :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Tried almost everything. Toilet bowl cleaner works best. I used Clorox cleaner
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I tried the top 3 recommended methods of cleaning grout but wasn’t too happy with any of the results. I tried this method of my own and got really good results. I had some AJAX with Bleach so I put some in a small glass bowl. I added a little vinegar to moisten it to a paste (make sure its not too dry). Put the paste on the grout and leave it on for 1 hour. Then take a stiff toothbrush and scrub firmly. Take a damp rag and wipe away residue. Really worked! Wish there was a spray-on cleaner that didn’t need scrubbing but haven’t found one yet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the idea Roberta :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Roberta what is wrong with you? Never mix vinegar and bleach.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I put ceramic tile in my kitchen. I forget the name of the product, but you mix it in with the grout to repel dirt. I don’t trust advertisements, so after the floor was laid, I laid my belly on one of those 4 wheel “things” car mechanics use. Then I scooted along and painted the grout lines with silicon. After 8 years, the grout looks brand new. The tile is 18×18 and grout lines are 3/8 inch.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When I first bought my house I thought it had dark brown/black grout until I moved some things and discovered it was actually light tan. I have tried several methods for cleaning grout, scrubbing, bleaching, soaking, etc. The best method I have found is using oxygen powder. Make a thin paste with the oxygen powder and water. Spread it on the grout and let sit at least 30 minutes. The get a denture brush (in the toothpaste aisle) or good grout brush and scrub. It takes minimal scrubbing, then rinse with plain water. The only problem is this is messy and the floors are slick when wet. I had to mop at least 3 times with plain water to get all the residue off. Next time I am going to try my floor scrubber from hoover to see if it makes it better. My grout looks brand new!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I bet this works great Jule! Thanks for the method :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You probably won’t like my method, but my grout was very, very dirty like yours. I used Clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach and went over the lines left it for a few hours and then came back and wiped it up with paper towels. Looked like a new floor!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m going to try this one next! Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have black grout on. My kitchen counters . How do I clean them and not leave a white film on top of grout???
Thanks. :-)))
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The hydrogen peroxide and baking soda won’t leave a film, you just have to be sure to get it all off :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t remember where I found this idea but I have used toilet bowl cleaner on grout. I have tried both the clear and the blue. Just squeeze it right out of the bottle in a line onto the grout. Let sit for about 5 minutes. I do a section at a time. Then I take a grout brush to it and then wipe it off with paper towels and throw them away. Don’t want that yucky stuff in my cleaning cloths. Rinse with water and dry. Every time the floors have looked brand new. Be sure to wear gloves. And even the blue has not turned the grout blue. I did a test spot in a hidden area first. It is a little messy but works great and goes pretty fast.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wow this is very useful! Thank you for posting!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best way to clean grout according to my daughter is what else…… but the magic erasers ….she swears by them…all her grout and tile are white…she says it takes some time and quite a few erasers but it is well worth it!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the idea Sharon!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Since life is so short & I turn 60 (accounting error!!) on Thursday, I call Zerorez!! They steam clean my grout back to new in no time, professionally & I don’t get sorer knees & back than I already have!!The cost is well worth it. I trust Zerorez. They clean the church & temple carpets. P.S. I will NEVER put tile in my house EVER again!! I can’t find anything I like about it!! But I hate the grout cleaning, seasonings getting caught in the grout, cracked tiles, slippery when wet, & it KILLS my back standing on it!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.As another almost 60 year old, I like the way you think. That’s the same method I’m going to use on the grout in my bathrooms and laundry room. I will be saving these other ideas for when I only have a small area to clean.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use Cream of Tartar & water to clean grout…..it is wonderfully easy. Make a slurry (thin liquid ) with 2 or 3 TBSP of Cr. of Tartar and water…..with toothbrush , use on grout lines. Leave a few minutes…..rinse…..voila!!!! Hope this helps all you gals . It is so easy….not labour intensive……Good luck!
Interesting, thanks for the idea Mary!
Sometimes paying for a professional is totally worth it! Happy birthday Debra!! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am going to try the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide method, but I’m going to mix my paste in a condiments squeeze bottle, for less mess. Then you just squeeze it out directly onto the grout!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Excellent suggestion!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Grateful for this post, Kaitlyn! Please can you tell me what strength/percentage of hydrogen peroxide to use? There’s 3%, 6%, etc. Not so easy to find hydrogen peroxide in the UK, household ammonia even less so. Thanks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I live in the UK and I get my peroxide from Boots. It’s the 6% strength. It’s make is Care+ made by Thornton and Ross. Hope this helps.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The hydrogen peroxide I get from the store is only 3%, but 6% will work too!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do you any suggestions, I’m having a party . I’m need any ideas for as basketball theme. It’s a graduation party too. Thank You
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’d be sure to check out Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=basketball%20party
https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=graduation%20party
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