How to Clean Grout

Featured Pro: Eric Stromer
Category: Home Improvement
Time: 2:18


ERIC STROMER: Hey, I’m Eric Stromer here with another GMC Trade Secret, brought to you by the GMC Sierra.

Now, if you have a tile surface in a kitchen or bathroom, you probably know how difficult it can be to clean the grout. Well, I’m going to show you how. Come on.

Now, grout is a porous, cement-based material. That means it’s a great place for things like dirt or mildew to collect. And removing this accumulated grime can be done with materials around your own home, but it requires a little bit of elbow grease.

Now, the first step is to wash away any dirt or debris with a wet cloth. Some people use lemon juice to clean grout, but the acidic nature of lemon juice could damage it. One of the best things you can use to clean grout is oxygen bleach powder. Now, this is great for eliminating dirt and mildew that can work its way into porous grout. Oxygen bleach powder is nontoxic and fume-free, plus it won’t bleach fabric like liquid bleach will.

Now, you can buy oxygen bleach powder or you can make your own by making a paste out of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. It’s actually pretty simple. All you have to do is add your baking soda and then add the hydrogen peroxide until it becomes a paste, thick like peanut butter, basically. And you can choose to wear gloves or not. These two ingredients together won’t harm your skin at all.

And then what we’re going to do is go ahead and put this paste right on our grout joints and then let it set up for about two minutes, and then we can start agitating at that point. It’s been a couple of minutes. That looks good. I’m going to start scrubbing with a toothbrush. It starts to actually congeal a bit, and that’s when you know it’s ready to start scrubbing.

Now, keep in mind, this kitchen has a tremendous amount of ground in it. So if you want to employ a tool to make it go a little bit faster, you may want to think about using an electric toothbrush if you have one.

Wow, this grout looks brand new. Now, to keep your grout looking great, you might want to take this opportunity to protect the grout with a commercial grout sealer. Cleaning your grout can brighten your entire bathroom or kitchen.

I’m Eric Stromer, and this is your GMC Trade Secret.