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Sunday, February 8, 2009

Grout Cleaning Methods

By Rick Amorey

Many of us would have to contend with the necessity to clean his or her grout. You are probably like me; reasonably irritated by the mere prospect of kneeling down and scrubbing in between your bathroom tiles. Not liking it doesn't mean it cannot be ignored, unfortunately. If unhindered, your grout may become a breeding ground for dangerous organisms, most notably the infamous black mold.

So we've established the necessity of cleaning your home's grout, and thus move on to discuss some of the popular cleaning methods. I should of course mention the most obvious solution; manually scrubbing the grout with detergent and an old toothbrush. If you choose to go this route, then I will applaud your futile tenacity. It just isn't worth it, as even with a lot of elbow grease, you will only manage to clean the grout slightly. It will never be clean enough for you.

The next option that would come to mind once you realize that the aforementioned method won't work is finding a better substitute for the detergent. If this is the case, then you will note that there are many homemade solutions available online. Of these, many (such as vinegar) won't work. So how do you know which one will? In my personal experience, chlorine bleach is able to clear out grout dirt well, but it will also discolor your grout and tiles. You may need to find an alternative if your grout is dyed.

Now another thing that you may notice while out there shopping for the right solution is the prevalence of machines designed for the job. Most popular among these is the electric scrubber. This is perfect for reducing your sweat work, but still ineffective if you do not have the right cleansing solution. And don't even think about going for the bigger machines; they are difficult to wield and easy to misuse. If that happens, it could lead to accidentally damaging the tiles themselves.

Which brings me to a sudden flash of insight; why don't you consider hiring grout cleaning professionals? They are adept at handling these big machines, and I'm certain that they will do the job better than you, even on your best day. Just remember to start maintaining the grout after they clean it up, so that you don't have to call them as often. A simple way to perform this upkeep is to spray some alcohol onto the4 grout every night. This'll prevent any bad buildup. - 16477

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