Cleaning the Bathroom Grout

Earlier in the week, I got lost in a Pinterest search and it resulted in a tip on how to clean your tile grout. Not something I was truly looking for, but it caught my attention. The "recipe" had zero chemicals, just common household products we all already own, which is something I'm incorporating into our daily life when possible.

My husband has been commenting that we needed to figure out a way to clean the grout for some time now, and I kept putting it off because I wasn't looking forward to the task. However, when cleaning the bathroom, I noticed how clean all the other aspects of my bathroom looked and the tile just looked dingy. So, I took to the floor and got to scrubbing. And let me forewarn you, this is not for the faint of heart or someone who doesn't have a lot of time on their hands. This task took me roughly four hours!

I found several different cleaning concoctions and decided to use just hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn liquid detergent. I put it all in a spray bottle, but found that the liquid was too thick for the spray nozzle, so I ended up pouring out a small amount and then spreading it out one small section at a time. That's key, folks. Work a small section at a time. I let the stuff sit on the tile for about five minutes and then started scrubbing away with a toothbrush. It didn't work as well as I had hoped, so I started goggling grout brushes and found that Libman offered one. Guess what? I purchased a Libman scrub brush for the kitchen and headed on down to the sink to grab it. I used the rough bristles along to the top of the scrub brush to continue the bathroom cleaning. Again, I didn't love how things were going, so I went a step further with my concoction.

The photo above was taken after working on the back half of my bathroom and you can see the difference from the grout on the right of the brush from the grout behind it. And it helps that a rug has been in front of the tub for years so that grout has been saved from wear and tear. I still worked on it though. 

Okay, so I mentioned earlier that the spray bottle concoction, along with the new scrub brush, weren't resulting on the gleam I was hoping for so I went a step further. I used the original cleaning liquid, but then added straight baking powder and poured straight peroxide on it all and created a thick paste. I then spread that paste onto the section I was working, focusing on keeping the paste more inside the grout, and allowing it to sit longer than the original five minutes. Done! I found the results I was looking for so I continued the process. Oh, and I failed to mention. To clean it all up, I used a sponge to wipe it all up. It did create a sudsy effect, but that's okay. It's just an extra step in the cleaning process. Warm water to rinse.

It's faint, but you can see a little bit of the foaming cleaner and how it's working.

 

 

Is it perfect, no? Is it cleaner, absolutely!! I think that continued cleaning, maybe every month or so, will help. But I love that it didn't smell of harsh chemicals. That I only had to look inside my cabinets to find the ingredients. And that I don't have to go the gym for the rest of the week because I can't lift my arm!! Seriously, my arm was throbbing by the end of the night and two Advil later it's still tender. Last tip. When using all of this cleaner, even thought it's all natural per say, use gloves!! I didn't, and as a result, my pour hands are peeling! The peroxide dried them out terribly and lotion is my best friend today!

I've found some other cleaning remedies on Pinterest that I can't wait to use. Like cleaning the inside of your oven door. How did that build up get there and how in the world am I supposed to get to it? Stay tuned!!

XO,

Andrea