The grouting in my bathroom is discoloured, only a year old. The tiles are white, the grouting was white and now looks yellowish. It is not a result of soap scum, etc. The grouting manufacturer says it is atmospheric conditions. Any help would be appreciated.
By Fran from Scotland
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You could paint it white. The hardware store would advise you on the proper paint to use.
I think the contrast looks really nice and especially so if that's a floral tile that is showing in the photo (instead of a plant) and happens to have even a small similar amount of the grout color or any other items in your bathroom that might have a similar color for that matter :-)
People are often charged more for tinted contrast grout during installation ;-)
I have used Clorox wipes or even baby wipes to clean the grout. It is time consuming and hard work as you have to rub the grout possibly with the help of an old toothbrush but it works.
Our Dollar Store in America makes a cleaning product called Tuff Stuff. Its in the automotive section. If you have a dollar store in your area, run, dont walk and grab yourself a couple of cans of it. You will be glad you did. Spray it on, wait 5 minutes and wipe it off. It will clean the grout and the tile. If the stains are stubborn, use an old toothbrush. I'm telling you, it works. Does great on carpets too.
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My white ceramic tile floor and grout was not properly sealed. How can I get my grout white again?
By Billie Pree from St. Louis, MO
I used DI-San pre-wash stain remover on my beige grout in the shower. Just spray on and scrub with a toothbrush, then wipe dry. Came up like new. (11/07/2009)
By Carole
We installed floor tile in the house. We used white grout, big mistake. I have tried my Hoover Floormate with the tile brush and cannot get it white again. Any suggestions?
By Anonymous from Anaheim, CA
I have beige grout and the only thing that gets it clean is Greased Lightning. I spray it, scrub it with a brush and wipe it up with a rag. (That way the dirty solution doesn't dry in the depression.) It's a real pain. I do mine in sections, a little every day. Try it first in a corner or somewhere like that, to make sure it doesn't harm the tile by bleaching or removing the finish.
Don't waste your time re-sealing the grout, it won't make any difference.
For cleaning the floor I just use ammonia and water. (05/18/2009)
By Mary
I've had great success using Tile and Grout Magic and a tile brush. (05/18/2009)
By Lisa
Greased Lightning can be found in the cleaning aisle of most supermarkets and stores like Target. Look where the 409 etc. are.
I can't stress enough to try it out first, it is very strong. My tile does fine, it's new, but my cousin had old dark tile (the coloring process was probably different back then) with lighter grout and the GL bleached out all the edges of the tile where it touched it. If you have new tile, it will probably be OK, but check first. (05/19/2009)
By Mary
Try your Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, you'll go through them as they will shred. (Wrap in nylon net to minimize shredding.)
By Diana
I agree with Mary T. Greased Lightning works wonders and I have tried many products including straight bleach. I use a toothbrush. The fumes are rather toxic though so make sure you can open a window. (05/19/2009)
By Rose Smith
If you are still unsatisfied with the whitening results, you can always have the grout company lay another color of grout over this one.
A friend of mine had the grout turn very orange unlike the sample from which she selected. It was pretty bad. The company laid some tan grout over the orange and covered it up. Big difference. (05/23/2009)
By Holly
A mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide works well. It's cheap too. I don't know the exact proportions. I use a couple tablespoons baking soda to a cup of hydrogen peroxide. (05/23/2009)
Krud Kutter, spray on, wait 3-5 minutes, wipe with damp cloth-grout clean now. If it is really bad, repeat. Get Krud Kutter at Lowe's or maybe Home Depot. (05/23/2009)
By Joan
Try a bleach pen. (05/25/2009)
By charlotte
I have Italian off-white color tile with grout that has turned brown. The tile looks like slate with lots of texture; thus it easily holds stains. The grout is now brown, and used to be beige. What can I use for the tile and grout?
Irazema from CA
We use a product in the hotel where I work. It is called Krud Kutter. We buy it at Lowe's Home Improvement. Spray it on, let it set a few minutes and then just scrub with a brush. You do not even have to rinse it off. Just wipe dry. Hope this helps. (11/21/2008)
By Sherry
