Office, Shop and Restaurant Cleaning Services

How to Clean Tile and Grout Without Bleach or Harsh Chemicals

21 March 2017

Enrique Howell

Bleach is often used as a cleanser for bathroom tile and grout, as it does kill bacteria, mould, and mildew; however, you may notice that bleach doesn't make grout look bright and white again, and bathroom tile may also still look dingy and dirty after using bleach. This is because bleach strips fabrics of colour dyes, leaving the material white, but grout and bathroom tiles don't have colour dyes that can be pulled up in the same way, so bleach won't whiten and brighten those surfaces.

Since bleach is very harsh yet still somewhat ineffective in cleaning bathroom tile and grout, note a few other methods you might try. These will get your bathroom tile and grout clean and looking its best without harsh chemicals or abrasives.

Baking soda and vinegar

When mixed together, baking soda and vinegar have a chemical reaction that causes them to bubble and foam. This foaming action can loosen ground-in dirt from the porous surface of tile and grout, giving them a very deep clean that can restore their appearance.

To use these products, mix baking soda and water until it forms a paste, and rub it firmly into the tile and grout. Next, spray the area with white vinegar that's been diluted with water. The paste should then bubble and foam; wipe it down with a warm, wet cloth, and the tile and grout are clean and fresh.

Peroxide, baking soda, dish soap

Peroxide is very good at cleaning ground-in dirt and for killing germs. Mix a small amount of peroxide with baking soda and dish soap to create a slick paste, and then use a scrub brush to brush this onto the surface of the tile and grout. Rinse the tile and then wipe it down with hot water. This will remove any traces of the peroxide and soap, and the tile and grout will be thoroughly clean and fresh.

Steam cleaning

 Steam will loosen the deep dirt that gets ground into tile and grout and then allow it to be rinsed away. Steam also kills germs and bacteria, so it not only makes tile and grout look better, but it creates a more hygienic surface as well. Warm steam can also add moisture to old grout that has become dry and brittle over the years so that grout is less likely to pull away from tile and the building materials behind it. You can usually rent a tile steam cleaner from a home improvement store or have this service done by a carpet cleaning company.

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