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Cleaning Grout We need your help. We just purchased a home. The former people were chain smokers. The grout in the bathroom is now a gross orange-yellow color. Do you have a suggestion on how to clean it? Smokers Advice on Cleaning Grout Both my husband and I smoke in the house, and we use Greased Lightning spray cleaner, which seems to dissolve all of the accumulated nicotine throughout the house. I have used it on things like curtain rods, mini-blinds, and the tile walls in the bathroom. I've been told by visitors that our house does not smell like smokers live here. As a matter of fact, smokers who visit are hesitant to light up. Greased Lightning spray cleaner is available at Home Depot and also Stop and Shop. Another option may be a cleaner with a bleach additive, or spray on diluted bleach, let sit, mop or wipe up. Steam Clean Grout When we bought our four-year-old home from a couple that must have hated cleaning floors, the grout on my otherwise beautifully tiled floor was the primary reason I started looking into different grout cleaning methods. The best way I found to clean grout was to go the local home improvement store (in my case, Home Depot) and rent a steam grout cleaner. It made for a full day's work, but when I was finished, my grout looked like new, even in the guest bathroom where it was the worst. With some new grout touch-up and a good sealer, my wife and I now love our tile floors. Try Cleaning Grout with Bleach Pour it straight on the walls of your shower and let it sit for an hour and then rinse off. Depending on how badly it's stained, you may want to scrub and then rinse off. Sticky Situation Get a gel type toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. Buy the kind that is advertised to "stick" to the bowl. I use that and apply it with a sponge to discolored grout or mildewed caulking and leave it overnight. The gel/liquid is thick enough to keep it in place. The next day I rinse it off with water and the grout is bleached white and the mildew is gone. Write Away the Dirty Grout A Clorox Bleach Pen will "write" on the grout and remove the stains. Clean with No Nasty Fumes Combine equal parts 3% peroxide and water in a spray bottle and spray on the grout and let it dry completely before rinsing. Depending on how heavy it is, it may take several applications. You can buy peroxide at your local dollar store, usually at 2 or 3 bottles for a dollar, so if the stain is very heavy, you might want to make the first application straight peroxide and then dilute for subsequent applications. This works better than Tilex or bleach and has no nasty fumes! The Cleaning Power of Vinegar Try using white vinegar full strength for cleaning your grout. Put vinegar in a spray bottle, spray the grout and let it soak for a few minutes and then wipe or use a small hand brush to scrub it right off. This worked for me. Budget Sensitive Cleaning Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work great and are easy to use. If that's too pricey for your budget, put one cup of vinegar into a bucket of warm water. Dip an old toothbrush into the vinegar/water mixture and then into a box of baking soda (it will foam) and scrub grout. Rinse with vinegar/water mixture. Reader Proclaims Miracle Cure I've got the miracle cure for the stained grout from smokers. You can purchase a gallon of Castrol super cleaner for around $8 in the automotive section of a Wal-Mart store or an auto supply store. Put it full strength into a spray bottle, spray on the grout and tile, and wipe it off with a wet towel. The yellow will run right off. Rinse and wring the towel out after each wipe. Your grout will look new. This also works great on drawer tops in the bathroom where hair spray and dust have built up. Also, try on stove hoods. I thought I would have to replace mine, but I tried this. It worked great. I plan on cleaning my fiberglass garage door and have also used it in the fiberglass shower. However, I use a nylon scouring pad for that. Share your thoughts about this article with the editor: Click Here Take the Next Step
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