One of the household cleaning chores that that most people dread the most is cleaning the grout in their kitchens and bathrooms. The best course of action is to hire a professional cleaning service to clean the grout on a regular schedule to prevent mold along with wear and tear, but we can offer a few simple tips to have things looking good in between professional cleanings.
1) Every day wipe and spray down your shower or bath with a squeegee. This step helps to clean the grout and prevent damage and staining. Also, using a daily shower cleaner is good for the glass, tile, and grout.
2) Whether it is your professional cleaning service or yourself, a deep clean is needed every week to get rid of the soap scum, and leftover shampoos, soap, and body wash from the surfaces in your bathroom.
3) Always use bathroom fan or dehumidifier. Both of these tools will help control dampness to prevent mold and mildew. These areas will stay wet for hours after a shower if you do not turn on the fan or dehumidifier.
4) Dry your tile floors with a towel. Make sure your floors are dry. This will prevent mold and mildew in the floor grout.
5) Clean up spills right away. Your kitchen floor grout can fall victim to ketchup, cranberry juice, etc. If it stays on too long it will stain the tile and surrounding areas. As soon as something spills on the tile, make sure to clean it up immediately with a wet rag and remove the stain completely. Surprisingly, dry spills can also stain grout. Make sure to sweep up all dirt and other spill such as coffee grounds, cocoa powder, etc. from the floor quickly. Do not let them sit.
6) Take care of the small stains that happen regularly. It is always best to consult with a professional cleaning service for these stains, but you may also try a few of these solutions. Mix a little baking soda and water together and rub onto stain on the grout line with a toothbrush. Sometimes even using a pencil eraser can help remove a small stain. Make sure to use an eraser that is white unless the grout is a different color. This really only works best with white grout. And when trying either of these tips make sure to test a small area first.
While you can spend your whole weekend cleaning the lines in your kitchens and bathrooms, there are many better ways to spend a beautiful spring day. If the idea of cleaning your grout is overwhelming or something you just keep putting off hire a professional cleaning service and get the job done right
