Inside: Dealing with dirty grout? Check out the easiest way to clean grout. See how to clean grout without a lot of scrubbing. Your grout will look like new again!
Love the look of tile but hate dealing with dirty grout? I completely understand! I like how durable and low-maintenance tile is, but grout and all its stains drive me crazy! Our kitchen is particularly bad because of spills. I feel like I am always trying to clean the grout.
I had noticed a lot of people on Pinterest were talking about using toilet cleaner on grout. At first, I just thought it was crazy, but as I kept noticing it more and more I decided to give it a try. I really didn't think it would work, but it does. I was amazed at the difference it made. It really is the easiest way to clean grout.
I know it seems kind of gross to use toilet cleaner on your floor but once you see how great it cleans you won't mind at all. Check out how dirty my grout was before I started cleaning.
To start you will need some toilet cleaner, a scrub brush, rag or microfiber cloth, and water. I bought the toilet cleaner and scrub brush from the dollar store for a dollar each.
I recommend you start by testing in a very small inconspicuous spot to start with. I started by testing in the back of my closet. Once you have tested it and it has dried without any problems then you can clean your whole floor.
The best way to clean grout is to pour out some of the toilet cleaner in the grout lines in about a 10 square foot area. Then, set a timer for about 5 minutes and let the toilet cleaner sit on the grout. Make sure any of the toilet cleaner doesn't spread into a carpeted or wood area.
Once the five minutes is up, use the scrub brush to go over the area. You don't need to spend a lot of time doing this, just a minute or two for the whole area. You can see how dirty looking the toilet cleaner is now that I scrubbed it.
Then, reset the timer for two minutes. At the end of two minutes give the grout one more quick scrub down and then wipe the toilet cleaner away using a wet rag or microfiber cloth. You can see all the dirt that came off on the cloth below.
If your grout is like mine it doesn't look that different at first, however, once it dries it looks much better! Look at how clean my grout looks. The improvement is amazing.
Keep working your way around the room just doing small areas at a time. When you are completely finished let it all dry and check for any spots you may have missed or need to go over again. My area in front of the stove needed to be done twice.
Once you have finished you can mop the floor once using just water to get any extra residue away and then mop once using a floor cleaner. I like this homemade floor cleaner.
My floors look much better after using the toilet cleaner on them. Who knew toilet cleaner would do such a great job? It really is the easiest way to clean grout. If you have ever wondered how to clean grout without all the scrubbing this is the method for you!
Check out the before and after of the easiest way to clean grout. Not only does the grout look better but my tile looks lighter and not so dark. The whole room looks brighter after cleaning it!
Materials List
- Toilet Cleaner
- Scrub Brush
- Rags or Microfiber Cloths (these are my favorite!)
- Small Bucket
Free Weekly Cleaning Checklist
Subscribe (free!) to my newsletter and as an added bonus I will send you this free weekly cleaning checklist.
Jeanne says
Is this grout cleaning method using toilet bowl cleaner safe for cleaning the grout in vinyl tile?
Julie says
I haven't tried it on a vinyl tile yet. I would suggest trying it in a small spot that you can't see. Like maybe in a closet or under where furniture sits. I hope that helps.
Laura Wells says
After cleaning my grout, I painted the grout with a Laytex paint the original color of the grout. I used a small sponge paint brush and washed off immediately any paint that may have gotten on the tile. I did this months ago and i am very pleased with the results and the paint doesn’t allow spills to absorb into the grout.
Julie says
I love that idea! I was just saying to my husband recently that I might try that out. Thanks for sharing!
Jo Ann says
The tile in your after photo looks to be a totally different color.
Are you sure this is the same room?
Julie says
Yes, believe it or not, it is the same room. I couldn't believe how much lighter the whole room looks with the grout cleaned. I do have windows in the room where I took the picture so the time of day the picture was taken could affect the lighting, but it really does make the tile look lighter and brighter.
Selina says
Just wondering what kind of toilet cleaner you used......ie one with or without bleach?
Thanks
Julie says
Hi Selina, I use the one without bleach.
Charlotte Brinkley says
What kind of toilet cleaner? Scrubbing Bubbles?
Julie says
I use The Works that I get at the dollar store, but you can buy it on Amazon if you don't have a dollar store nearby.
https://amzn.to/2v2PMp2
Sunflower says
Is this method something you can use to clean grout in the shower? Note, always use gloves when using chemicals!
Julie says
I wouldn't see why not? Maybe give it a try in a small corner and see how it works.
Elena @ Latina Wife and Mom Life says
I have the same exact floor and I am so trying this!
Vonda says
I thought I was the only one! I use it on My tub, too!
Julie says
I've never tried it on my tub before. Thanks for the suggestion!
Judi Mantos says
Great idea! I’m going to try it. I had scrub brushes, but I got empty plastic mustard and ketchup bottles at the dollar store for $1each because they had a very small opening in the pointed spout. Thought that would make spreading the toilet bowel cleaner along the grout lines easier
Julie says
That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Linda Ratcliff says
Thank you so much!!! We bought a new house and were told to seal the grout fast before we got it dirty. I didn't.of course, so now I will wash it with your toilet cleaner and seal it and no more fooling with it ever again, I hope!!!!!
Julie says
So glad I could help! Congrats on the new house.
Camille Tindall says
Do you think I could use this on my kitchen counters?
Julie says
Hi Camille,
I think it would depend on the toilet cleaner that you are using. I wouldn't want to put a lot of those chemicals in the same area where I am preparing food. If you have white or very light grout you can use a homemade bleach pen on your kitchen counter grout. You can see my recipe below.
https://www.frugallyblonde.com/homemade-bleach-pen/