What’s the best way to deep clean clean grout in a bathroom, with the added complication that the former occupiers of our house used cream coloured grout between beige coloured tiles?

Some of it has some deep stains which fade with cleaning but are omni present, so I’d like to go beyond the commercial cleaner route if possible.

Remove it

Cover it with  Wetwall.

First port of call is to try thick toilet bleach applied with a toothbrush. Apply neat to grout lines and leave to dry. If this doesn’t work then you’ll have to rake out the old grout and bang in some new.

Looking for a picture of Harry Grout doing some cleaning but can’t find one.

Remove tiles

Fit wet wall

No more worries

A sight complication – I think – in removing it is that the tiles are on a plaster board internal wall.  Removing them I think has disastrous consequences – I’m from the Reg Prescott school of DIY unfortunately.

In reality I need to tidy it up for a bit pending a new bathroom in 2020.

Bleach idea sounds ok with the relevant protective gear – that HG mould spray I presume is “industrial”?

that HG mould spray I presume is “industrial”?

It’s proper strong – make sure there’s ventilation! Good stuff, just spray on and leave – it doesn’t work then it may be new grout time.

100g bicarbonate of soda
50g borax substitute
2 tablespoons liquid castile soap
10 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil
4 tablespoons cooled boiled water

250g lidded glass jar

Put all ingredients except the water into jar and use handle of a wooden spoon to mix well. Add water a little at a time until you have a paste.

To use: wear rubber gloves, wet an old toothbrush or nail brush and coat the bristles. Scrub tiles and grouting.

Leave on for no longer than 15 minutes otherwise it will harden and be difficult to remove. Wet bristles and scrub again then thoroughly rinse with clean water.

Recipe from ‘Fresh Clean Home’ by Wendy Graham, an excellent book full of easy to make cleaning products.

I’ve tried this and it works. Shelf life is 8 weeks.

Mould spray is hydrogen peroxide. Basically a bleaching agent. Others are available, but I’ve found that one to be good. Neat bleach on a toothbrush sounds like hard work. Wear eye protection and old clothes.

That mould spray is just a strong bleach solution, approximately twice as strong as normal bleach.
HG Mould spray MSDS

Sharkbait x a million.

Another +1 for the HG stuff. I pick it up in B&Q.

Had good results with this stuff from Screwfix –

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-grout-cleaner-1ltr/96934

HG do some dedicated grout cleaner as well – I’ve order both from amazon, thanks.

Would also add that for me what’s made the biggest difference is using a shower spray every time, immediately after turning the water off and before getting dried. I make up a litre of white vinegar (cheap as chips from Ebay) then add antibacterial and microbial essential oils such as lemon, lavender etc and wipe down all of the tiles and enclosure glass. Takes a couple of minutes, that’s all.

My bathroom was replaced some 16 months ago and reckon that the reason why it still looks like new is down to using white vinegar solution after every shower. It really breaks down the grunge, a stitch in time and all that.

Can’t help thinking of this when someone mentions grout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twvda8sDo0A

white vinegar solution

doesn’t your bathroom smell like a chipshop?

doesn’t your bathroom smell like a chipshop?

Nope! Use plenty of essential oils and always open window after showering. Come to think of it … can’t remember when I last ventured into a chip shop, probably when I was a teenager.

Mix bleach and bi-carb powder, smooth all over the offending grout, leave for a bit and then scrub out with an old tooth brush.

What about cleaning tarnished polished aluminium shower enclosure? Ours is needing a good clean, vinegar doesn’t seem to look at it.

What about cleaning tarnished polished aluminium shower enclosure? Ours is needing a good clean, vinegar doesn’t seem to look at it.

Tarnished from what? You’re in Scotland aren’t you so not from hard water?

Tarnished from what?

Shame.

He’s from Ayrshire

Ouch pp!

Aye, the HG stuff has no equal for manky grout. You might have to do it more than once but it defo works.

The thick brush on HG stuff worked for ours. Now just use Thier spray in periodically to keep it look nice.

@ nobeer had a quick Google and if you have any lemons left over from pancake day then slice and rub over the aluminium. Make a solution of 4 cups water and 1 cup vinegar then use to rinse off. Do report back!

After several years of just cleaning (with mould and mildew removal type products) the grout in my bathroom became porous, so be aware that replacing it is sometimes necessary as it won’t last forever and when it does leak it brings a whole new wealth of problems!

I’ll try that CG!

Bicarbonate of Soda mixed with a bit of bleach into a runny paste, scrubbed on with an old toothbrush. Works a treat and does the silicon too. Also good on old butler sinks that get that dirty craze on the bottom. Leave it on for an hour at least. Rinse off then do it again if necessary. I do it once a month, shower looks like new.

The best thing I’ve found (and I’ve tried the HG stuff people rave about) was cleaning with a steam mop and a grout attachment.

HG takes about 20-30s to spray my double shower enclosure grout. Walk away, come back 3o mins later, shower it off, another 30s.

Steam mop seemed a bit more faff, and I’m not sure I want to get steam into the sealant.

The HG mould spray is excellent, as is their Scale Away and triple strength Scale Away products.

I also have their grout cleaner but never used it.

I did leave that mould spray on a resin sink once and forgot about it and it made a bad grey/black strain in the resin sink 🙁

On my partners suggestion I put some cif lemon cream cleaner on it overnight and it took the stain right out, luckily.

Overnight soaking not so applicable to the tiles though as they are vertical, but it worked miracles on that sink.

Mrs b uses the karcher steam cleaner in bathroom on the tiles