Have you ever thought that despite the mesmerizing look of porcelain tiles, your decor may look dull? Yes, it's possible when you don't look after grout lines. Grout lines or fillers have a potential effect on the aesthetics. Just imagine, a dusty, untidy and dull layer popping out of a beautiful tile layer. Doesn't it ruin the whole atmosphere and catch the eyes of your visitors?
Therefore, cleaning and maintenance of grout lines is essential to maintain a consistent and beautiful environment in your home. We brought you some easy steps to clean the grout lines and make your space look beautiful.
9 Easy Steps To Clean Tile Grout
1. Gather Supplies
Cleaning the grout requires supplies that you use in your daily routine life. Gathering all the requirements at a place will help you with fast cleaning. The list contains
- Scrub or sponge
- Vinegar
- Hot water
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Brush
- Cleaning cloth
Yes, this is all you need to keep the grout lines neat and clean. However, in some cases, you might require sandpaper and grout sealer too. But these are optional and used in specific conditions, so you can avoid them for now.
2. Sweep Debris
Unlike porcelain tiles, grouts are porous and responsible for holding dirt and debris on the surface. Therefore, regular sweeping of the grouts is required to maintain a tidy appearance. You can use a stiff bristled brush or broom to remove the dust from the surface.
You can use vinegar to loosen up the dust layer in wet areas such as the bathroom and kitchen. Spray a diluted solution of vinegar on the surface and gently scrub with the brush to remove the debris.
3. Mix Cleaner
Preparing a good cleaning solution is essential to maintain the quality of grout and the appearance of porcelain tiles. Using harmful chemicals can ruin the overall appeal by destroying the filler. Thus, you should use natural ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, and lukewarm water for preparing the cleansing solution.
Implementing mild detergent with hot water is also a good alternative for cleaning the grouts. Now, when you are ready with the solution it's time to move towards cleaning of tiles.
4. Apply Solution
Now it's time to apply the homemade solution on the grout lines. Make sure to remove the dust layer before applying the solution. Spoon the paste on the lines and spread evenly. Left the solution to set up on the surface and absorb the dust. It requires 15 to 20 minutes to cleanse the grout lines. Therefore you can move to the next step.
5. Scrub Gently
Now, when the cleansing solution has shown its action, it's time to gently remove the paste by scrubbing. Use a gentle brush or scrubber to remove the solution layer from the grout lines. Apply a bit of pressure during scrubbing, so that the whole dust layer comes off with the solution itself.
6. Focus Sections
Focusing on specific areas is important to ensure proper cleansing of grout lines. For example, the shower area in the bathroom requires more attention as it always captures moisture and tends to potential damage if not cleaned regularly. Therefore, such areas require more focus during the whole procedure. You can apply the cleansing solution for an elongated period in such areas to achieve appropriate results.
7. Rinse Thoroughly
After scrubbing the grout line, it's time to rinse the remaining solutions from the surface to get a clean and tidy appearance of the tiles. You can add a few drops of detergent to the rinsing solution to remove stains and oil spills from the surface of porcelain tiles. This method is beneficial for areas like the kitchen and bathroom.
8. Dry Surface
When you end up with the whole cleaning procedure, leave the space for some time to dry. This is important to ensure the moisture doesn't enter into the porous surface grouts and damage the porcelain tiles. However, you should also be careful, to make sure no dust and debris accumulate on the open surface during the drying period.
9. Maintain Regularly
Regular maintenance of grout lines is essential to the longevity and beauty of porcelain tiles. Weekly cleaning of tiles ensures good health of grout and your decor too. Sweeping and mopping like daily activities is also enough to maintain a good state of tiles and the fillers for a long period.
Conclusion
In summary, the above steps can help you easily clean grout lines. Ensure to keep up a routine for cleaning the fillers to maintain the beautiful appearance of porcelain tiles and elevate the aesthetics of your space.