Dirty Little Secrets: Dirty Secret: Grout.

We have lived in our house for 5 years now. I have yet to (successfully) clean the grout in the bathroom. Let me say...yuck. I don't know how it got so dirty, or how I haven't noticed it before, but its way overdue for a good cleaning.

I am a massive procrastinator. But let's face it: with 3 kids, 3 dogs and being the only one who cleans, I feel quite accomplished if the dishes get washed or the laundry gets folded on a daily basis.

So I scoured the Internet for the best grout cleaner. I found many variations of the same thing and many people swear by it. So I gave it a try.

Ingredients:
Baking soda
Distilled White Vinegar in a spray bottle
Toothbrush
Rag

This is what my bathroom looked like before.

The grout is a similar color to the tile, but not completely white.

And to think, I have walked around on bare feet in here. Make sure you start out with a clean floor, otherwise dirt and (if you have pets) hair will make it difficult.

Step 1:

Sprinkle the baking soda over the grout. I used my hands to push it into the grout lines. I did small sections of about 3 or 4 squares at a time.

Step 2:

Spray vinegar onto the baking soda. You don't want too much, but enough to make it fizzle all the way through, otherwise you have dry baking soda on the bottom. But you don't want too much that it dissolves completely. You want it grainy.

Step 3:

Allow the mixture to fizzle for about 30 or so seconds and then scrub it with a toothbrush or grout brush. I didn't take photos of this step because my hands were gross and I didn't want to touch my phone.

Step 4:

Wipe it up with the rag. Continue on with the rest of the grout.

After its all done, vacuum (not sweep or you push everything back into the grout) the excess stuff off the floor and mop. I wouldn't suggest a steam mop like I have because it doesn't get into the grout. Also you could use a sponge and a bucket of water.

It didn't get it perfectly clean, but it looks a million times better!