How to Clean Floor Grout Without Scrubbing

Many homes have tiled floors in high-traffic areas such as the bathroom and kitchen. While tiles themselves are incredibly durable, the grout in between them can quickly become discolored. Dirty shoes, water, pets, and kids can all take their toll on these cracks between your tiled surfaces.

In this article, we share our professional tips on how to clean floor grout without scrubbing, so you can get yours bright and white in a flash. Best of all, these methods use items that you’ll probably have on hand already, such as vinegar and baking soda. 

Keeping grouting clean can take up a lot of time, especially if you have a lot of tiled flooring areas. If you need some help with yours, book a professional, affordable cleaner at any time with Homeaglow.

Why you should clean floor grout regularly

Keeping your bathroom and kitchen grout clean is just as important as cleaning your tiles. Neglected grouting can crumble away and decrease the lifespan of your tiles, meaning repairs or replacement tiles will be needed.

Dirty grouting can also breed bacteria and mold that are harmful to you and your family. Floor tiles in bathrooms are especially susceptible to black mold, which is toxic and can cause or increase respiratory problems if you’re sensitive to molds.

Ensuring your grouting is cleaned regularly not only makes your house feel fresher and brighter, but it’s also important for your overall health.

The best way to keep those cracks between your tiles bright and white is to prevent them from getting dirt buildup. 

You can reduce this by:

• Removing shoes before walking on your tiled floor
• Wiping muddy feet (pets and kids!) before they come inside
• Putting floor mats or rugs down over high-traffic areas
• Cleaning up spills as soon as they happen
• Keeping up a weekly cleaning schedule

How to clean floor grout without scrubbing

There are many different household cleaners you can use for cleaning floor grout. If you don’t have any commercial grout cleaner on hand, you can use some more natural alternatives such as:

• White vinegar — an all-round solution for cleaning many areas of your home
• Baking soda — a powerful cleaner and odor neutralizer that’s safe for grouting
• Lemon juice — a natural bleach, with a delicious smell
• Hydrogen peroxide — a safe cleaning chemical that can kill fungus and bacteria in your grouting
• Bleach — (e.g. Clorox)
• Liquid dish soap

These solutions are safe for most types of floor tiles. However, we recommend you test a small, inconspicuous area of grouting first to see how the grout and surrounding tiles react.

‍The easiest way to clean floor grout

Our favorite techniques to remove grime and mold from floor grout fast involve mixing some of the above solutions together to make powerful, tile-friendly cleaners.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda

You’ll need:

• 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap

Mix in a bowl, and use a clean cloth to spread the paste along the grouted cracks in your floor tiles.

Leave the mixture on the grouting for around 10 minutes, then use an old toothbrush to gently clean the grouting. This solution should quickly take your grouting from an unsightly color back to its natural white. It’s an excellent solution for all tiled floor areas, as well as walls and countertops.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is also great for cleaning a glass stovetop.

Lemon and vinegar

This powerful, natural cleaner is one of your best weapons against grimy grouting. 

Mix these ingredients in a spray bottle:

• ½ a cup of baking soda
• ½ a cup of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 3 ½ cups of hot water

Spritz this grout-cleaning solution along the grouted cracks in your flooring, and leave the mixture on for around 60 minutes. Ensure pets and children are kept away while your floor cleaner works its magic.

Gently clean the grouting with an old toothbrush or cloth to remove the cleaning solution and dirt. 

Bleach

Household bleach can make quick work of cleaning and sterilizing your grouting, with zero scrubbing required.

Just be aware that bleach is a harsh chemical, so don’t use it too often and keep it off your skin. If your grouting is incredibly dirty, it can be a great solution to get it back to normal quickly. Ensure you wear gloves and eye protection, and have good ventilation when you’re using bleach on your floor.

Dip a toothbrush or cloth into undiluted bleach, and work it along the grouting. Leave on for a few minutes to lift the stains out, then wash the grouting to remove the bleach.

Once you’ve finished cleaning your floor with any of these methods, make sure you finish up by mopping or rinsing your floor with clean water. Leave it to air dry, or dry it down with a microfiber cloth or towel. You could also use a steam cleaner to make everything extra clean and fresh.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to seal your grout after cleaning

To save you from having to get down on your hands and knees every week, we recommend using a grout sealer after you’ve finished cleaning your grout.

This can protect the porous grouting and ensure that it’s water resistant. This in turn means it won’t attract as much dirt and mold as unsealed grout.

Pop into your local hardware or homeware store and ask the staff for a tile-safe grout sealant that’s suitable for floors. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to apply the sealant. It’s usually as easy as spraying or squirting the cleaner directly down each line of grouting and then leaving it to dry.

Save your time, and your knees, with these scrub-free grout cleaning methods

Now you know all our best tips on which household cleaners to use, and how to clean floor grout without scrubbing, you can start the process of getting the tiled areas of your home back to their former glory.

Even though we’ve shared the easiest way to clean floor grout, this task can still be time-consuming if you have large areas of tiling in your home. The Homeaglow team is always available to help out. Find and book your perfect cleaner online today.