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Please share your tips for cleaning kitchen floor grout.

Carta

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get grout cleaner from Home Depot or Lowes. You'll probably have use a tooth brush to get it exceptionally clean. Orrrrrrrrr hire someone.
 

JoAnn

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Or....don't do anything and eventually it will ALL be dirty and look alike :D

I asked the man who does my carpet cleaning IF he did tile floors and he said yes and it cost $.70 per square foot because they cleaned all the grout. So, with 'about' 1100 square feet of tiled floor, (bedrooms are carpeted) it would cost me $770. NO thanks...I've got dirty grout.
 

JoAnn

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Darlene said:
what color is your grout?

If you were asking me...then our grout originally was medium tan/sand color. Now, in the heavy traffic areas, i.e. kitchen/bath, it's much darker. No, it is not an option for either my husband or I to do it. It would take a crane to get me up off my knees afterward and get my back to straighten up. :eek:
 

lucillec

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try Mr Clean Magic Eraser......it works wonders..and is a small cost to try...
good luck.. Lucille
 

shmoore

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If you can't get it clean and want it light again, you can get a paint made especially for grout. I'll just keep mine varigated like the tile. :p
 

suzanne

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I was reading magazine last night called First,for women on the go. The article was about cleaning grout. Anyone with the magazine, articles on bottom of page 82. It says to take a toothbrush and brush cola on the grout, let sit for ten minutes then wipe it away with a soapy cloth. The phosphoric acid in the beverage fizzes and seeps into the grout, desolving embedded stains and restoring it to its whitest color.

We just tiled out kitchen and bathrooms so I will be trying this when the grout starts to look dingy or dirty.

There was another tip that I am going to try next time I vacumn. It says to put an herbal tea bag in the vacumn bag and the heat will release the scent when your vacumning making your house smell fresh getting rid of the stale winter air. Now to find the vacumn, I know I have one somewhere.LOL

Suzanne
 

JoAnn

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The Conch Man said:
JoAnn ~~ you have me in tears ~~ I know what ya say ~~ I'm still " R O F L M A O " ~~ :eek:

At least I may have gotten your day started with a good laugh...but I am VERY serious about that statement.
 

Cat

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suzanne said:
I was reading magazine last night called First,for women on the go. The article was about cleaning grout. Anyone with the magazine, articles on bottom of page 82. It says to take a toothbrush and brush cola on the grout, let sit for ten minutes then wipe it away with a soapy cloth. The phosphoric acid in the beverage fizzes and seeps into the grout, desolving embedded stains and restoring it to its whitest color.

Suzanne

Suzanne, I don't have the mag. Can you tell me if the article said that any cola will have phosphoric acid in it? Maybe Steve Nelson knows this. We never have regular cola around, but I'm hooked on Coke Zero (diet). I suppose I could buy a bottle of regular, but any residue that sinks in (and that a later surface cleaning wouldn't reach) might attract ants. One thing I've noticed down here is that almost anything attracts ants!
 

CMF

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I tried the magic eraser and it works.

But the area I would be working on is large and I would have to spend the weeked on the floor. Anything that requires a toothbrush sounds like it's not for me. Maybe Merry Maids is an option? Isn't there a machine out there to do this sort of thing that actually works?

Charles
 

Fern Modena

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Charles,
I'd look in the telephone book for a person/company that specializes in grout cleaning and sealing. Here we have somebody who calls themselves "Grout Doctor." If you can't find anyone, ask at a tile store.

Have them clean *and* seal the grout, and your problems will be over (as long as you clean the floor regularly).

There comes a time in life when you have to figure if it pays to pay others to do things rather than do them yourself. We worked hard for many years to make money so that others can do things for us now :)

Fern
 

The Conch Man

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JoAnn said:
At least I may have gotten your day started with a good laugh...but I am VERY serious about that statement.

JoAnn ~~ I know you are serious as I am ~~ It would take a skyscraper crane to left me up ~~ that's why I said that ~~ We are both "older" & I'm still heavy ~~ When my knees hit the ground ~~ I don't get up for awhile ~~ Sorry ifin you took it the wrong way ~~
 
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dew

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My friend has used a "shark" steam cleaner with success. It think that it would take alot less time than using a tooth brush if you have a large surface area to clean . Dave
 

JoAnn

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The Conch Man said:
JoAnn ~~ I know you are serious as I am ~~ It would take a skyscraper crane to left me up ~~ that's why I said that ~~ We are both "older" & I'm still heavy ~~ When my knees hit the ground ~~ I don't get up for awhile ~~ Sorry ifin you took it the wrong way ~~

I didn't take it the wrong way...I figured you meant you would have the same problem I have...just hard to get up anymore :(
 

Darlene

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JoAnn,
I used to have white grout in my kitchen, and to get it clean I would use a diluted clorox solution. I would buy a cleaner with clorox, or sometimes just make my own soapy, clorox solution (about 1%). I would cover the floor and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes, and then mop up. It would bleach the white grout. I don't know how it would work in tan grout, but I know it won't bleach it white or make it darker.
Darlene
 

Cat

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Diet Coke Zero Works!

I'm happy to report that I used Coke Zero, as the ingredients list included phosphoric acid, and it worked! I let it soak for a half hour, and with very little scrubbing with the toothbrush, it came clean. I only did a small test area, but right in front of the fridge that was charcoal gray.

Looks like a cheap, relatively easy way to set things right again. When I have the ambition to do the huge area of our house (foyer, kitchen, dinette, hall, both bathrooms and family room) and seal it, I'm investing in a few two litre bottles.

Thanks for posting this, Suzanne. You da bomb!!
 

suzanne

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Hi Cat, the article did not specify any particular soda, so I guess any type that fizzes when you open it would work. We never have soda around either but worth a try to buy a bottle just to see if it works.

Your right about the ants, which I hate. We have a pest control company called Petri's (they specialize in ant control)that comes every other month to spray outside and inside if needed for ants and fleas. It took a couple of months to get and keep them out of the house but with the regular treatments we do not have anymore problems with them. If we need them between regular scheduled visits, they come back out at no additional charge.

Just a note about this magazine, for its low price of $1.99, it seems to have a lot of good looking easy to make recipes, as well as diet, exercise and decorating tips for anyone interested.

Suzanne
 
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Cathyb

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Be careful what you use! Tan will bleach white!

If your grout is not a white color -- be careful. We have tan grout and used some different cleaners (and the toothbrush) and found it lightened the tan to almost white -- something we did not want to happen!

We still haven't resolved the problem which is identical to the original poster's problem -- heavily trafficed area is yucky dark.
 

"Roger"

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Once it is clean, or, as clean as you can get it, be sure to put a sealer on. The sealer needs to be reapplied periodically. (How often depends upon the quality of the sealer.)
 

Cat

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Roger, have you found a good brand? If so, what is it and where can it be purchased? Thank you!
 

Fern Modena

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CAT--Cola is good for many things...for example, if you have an oil stain on your driveway or in the garage, put kitty litter on it (if it is still wet). Let it sit for a few minutes, then sweep away. Next, flood with cola. Let that sit for ten minutes or so. Wash it away, and Voila! No more oil. But you know what? You now have a bleached spot, which is lighter than the rest...

It only works with cola, for some reason. Kinda makes you wonder what it does to the tummy...

Fern
 

Cat

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Fern - Phosphoric acid. YUM!

It doesn't surprise me that it cleans so many things, seeing what it did to the grout. But you're right. It just can't be very good for the tummy.
 
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