Y’all, I really feel like I’ve struck gold. I’m certain I’m not the one particular person to ever do that, however I’ve by no means seen it earlier than. Should you search “the way to clear white grout in a bathe” on Pinterest, you’ll discover all types of recipes that each one embrace issues like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and so forth. However the principle factor is that these recipes all embrace directions that require you to placed on some gloves and begin scrubbing your grout.
That’s all high quality and good, however when you’ve gotten an enormous bathe (ours is about 7′ x 7′, so someplace round 49 sq. ft, as a result of it’s wheelchair accessible), scrubbing the tile on the ground to make the grout white once more generally is a two-hour job. I’ve usually used my steam cleaner (that is the one I’ve — affiliate hyperlink), which I nonetheless love and use recurrently, however even that may be a lengthy course of in such an enormous bathe. And whereas it was cleansing the cleaning soap scum off of the tiles, it nonetheless wasn’t getting the grout again to its unique vivid white colour.
Proper after I completed tiling and grouting our bathe again in Could 2022, I keep in mind a number of individuals warning me that I’d remorse having white grout on a bathe ground. And I keep in mind disregarding these feedback, considering to myself, “Meh, I’ll let Future Kristi fear about that.” Properly, on Friday, that Future Kristi was down on her fingers and knees within the bathe, scrubbing and steaming the grout, and cursing Previous Kristi for her resolution to make use of white grout on the bathe ground. 😀
Right here’s the issue. Our bathe has a low spot on the world that’s imagined to be degree, and that low spot catches and holds water. But it surely doesn’t simply catch and maintain clear water straight from the bathe head (which might nonetheless be an issue as a result of we’ve got laborious water). It catches and holds water crammed with cleaning soap and hair conditioner.
Not solely is all of that cleaning soap scum ugly to have a look at because it discolors the grout, but it surely’s harmful as a result of each time it will get moist once more, it’s very slippery.
I want that I might have seen that low spot earlier than tiling the ground in order that I might have used a self-leveling concrete product on that space earlier than waterproofing and tiling the ground, however I didn’t. I used to be simply so anxious to get the tile carried out that I didn’t discover it or give it some thought.
When I’ve the bathe curtains up, it’s actually not an issue as a result of the bathe curtains retains the water contained within the space of the bathe with the sloped ground.
However about six months in the past, I took the bathe curtains down to clean them and by no means put them again up. 😀 I saved which means to place them again up, however simply at all times acquired sidetracked and by no means acquired round to it. In order that low space was wanting terrible and discolored.
I want I had taken earlier than footage, however to be fairly trustworthy, I had no intention of running a blog about cleansing the bathe tile. It didn’t even cross my thoughts that I’d be sharing this on the weblog, so taking earlier than footage was nowhere in my thoughts. I might kick myself for that now as a result of I actually really feel like I’ve struck gold right here.
Anyway, after getting my steamer out and scrubbing that space of the ground, the tile was getting clear, however the grout nonetheless appeared discolored and dingy. I used to be so annoyed, and started planning to seek out time in my schedule to purchase some Grout Renew in order that I might paint the grout on the complete bathe ground. That appeared to be my solely choice for getting the grout again to its unique vivid white colour.
After which I had an thought. I had simply bought a two-pack of this product…
I shared some time again that that is what I take advantage of to take away stains on our white concrete counter tops within the kitchen (along with its meant objective of holding bathroom bowls glowing white). On our counter tops, I put this instantly on the stain, cowl it with paper towels, depart it in a single day, and by morning, the stain is gone.
I assumed if it really works on mustard stains and different cussed stains on white concrete counter tops, I’ll wager it’ll work on white grout! Plus, it has that very useful spout on it that makes it really easy to use precisely the place you need it. So I acquired a bottle and went to work. However I solely put it in that one nook of the bathe the place the water settles when the bathe curtain is down. It took lower than 10 minutes. I did it proper earlier than I went to mattress, and left it there in a single day.
Once I acquired up the subsequent morning, I went into the bathe and used the hand-held sprayer to clean it off, and that grout was BRIGHT WHITE!! I imply, it was so white that that nook appeared model new, after which the remainder of the ground appeared dingy as compared. 😀
At that time, I had no different choice however to do the remainder of the ground. Then I used to be cursing myself for getting myself right into a state of affairs the place I used to be going to need to put that stuff on ALL of the grout strains on the entire ground. I assumed it was going to take perpetually on such an enormous ground. But it surely didn’t! I went in there proper earlier than bedtime, and doing the entire ground (once more, about 49 sq. ft of tiny tiles with numerous grout strains) took about half-hour. And I put it on each single grout line on the bathe ground.
And after I acquired up yesterday morning to prepare for church, it took me only a few minutes to clean all of it away earlier than taking my bathe, and this ground now seems simply nearly as good because it did the day I completed grouting the tile.
Right here’s an image I took again in 2022 proper after I completed the bathe tile…
And right here’s what it seems like this morning…
And better of all…NO SCRUBBING NEEDED!! It did all of the laborious work for me whereas I slept.
I imply, does this seem like 2.5-year-old white grout on a bathe ground that has been used recurrently? It nearly seems whiter and brighter now than it did when it was new. 😀
After all, these footage, I notice I ought to have used some on the vertical grout strains on the backside on the drain wall. That grout is wanting a bit cleaning soap scummy as effectively. And because it’s a clinging product (made for bathroom bowls), I’m fairly certain it’ll work there as effectively. I’m going to strive it. However I did put it on the grout on that wall the place the wall meets the ground, and it introduced that again to vivid white as effectively.
Anyway, I’ll by no means scrub this grout once more. After all, I’ll even be placing these bathe curtains again up ASAP in order that that low spot doesn’t catch water. However I’ll be doing this at the least yearly any more. Forty minutes of time and fewer than $6 for a two-pack of Clorox Clinging Bleach Gel…and NO SCRUBBING…every year is a small value to pay for holding white bathe grout vivid white.
Word: Should you resolve to do that, I recommend testing it out first in a small, inconspicuous place first earlier than leaping in and doing the entire ground. And by no means use bleach on darkish grout or pure stone!
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You may be taught extra about me right here.
