You may be wondering which of the many grout cleaning solutions out there is the best one to use on your grout. Well, the answer is one that you will not like hearing because the best grout cleaner is the one that works. However, you should try to use the least harsh chemical that you can. There is no need to expose your family and pets to harsh or toxic chemicals when less abrasive and harmful ones will work.

You should first start with water or steam. Yu can try just using a brush and some warn water first. This will get rid of any surface dust and maybe a little bit of dirt that has gotten into the grout. If wiping and scrubbing with water does not work you can try steam. With the help of a steam cleaner you can spray steam onto the grout. The steam at high pressure will dislodge the dirt in the grout and then the steam cleaner’s suction can take it away with the excess water.

The next tier of cleaner to try is normal homemade household cleaners. A one to one mixture of vinegar and water is a miracle cleaning solution you can use on almost anything. Add a tablespoon of dish detergent and you have a very potent and effective grout cleaner. You can also try a baking soda paste. Just add a little bit of water to baking soda and you can make a paste that is easy to apply to your grout lines. After the homemade varieties, you should try normal household cleaners like Comet, Mr. Clean, or Lysol. With these and every type of grout cleaner, you want to let the cleaning chemicals sit on the grout for anywhere from two to ten minutes to work on the dirt before you start scrubbing. In general, you want to let the chemicals to sit for longer the dirtier your grout is.

If the cleaners you can make yourself or you can buy in the grocery store do not get the job done then you want to move onto professional grout cleaning agents. There are two tiers of professional grout cleaners. The first is the ones you can buy in home improvement warehouses like Lowes or Home Depot. The typically say something like “professional strength” on the label. The second tier is cleaners that are usually only sold to professional cleaning services. The consumer can get them though, if you shop online. These professional grade cleaners need to be diluted, so be sure to read the instructions carefully.

Usually the last type of cleaner you want to try is bleach based cleaners. Grout can be cleaned very well by bleach cleaners, but they often can cause damage to the grout. There are two categories of bleach grout cleaning products to choose from. Chlorine bleach is usually harsher and might not work as well as oxygen bleach products. Both varieties of grout cleaners need to be diluted in water. With harsh chemicals like this, make sure that you test the results on a small and inconspicuous area tmake sure that your grout will not be adversely affected. Chlorine bleach will actually whiten your grout, but should not be used with colored grout. Oxygen bleach will not eliminate color under normal circumstances, and it is non toxic.