My kitchen and bathroom grout needed a refresh, so I tried the internet famous DIY trick. Here are my thoughts on the results, and what you shouldn’t do if you try it yourself.
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Danielle Moore
Grout is one of those parts of a house that are easy to overlook when it comes to deep cleaning. I clean my kitchen and bathroom floors weekly, but haven’t given the grout itself a second thought. (In my defense, I moved into this house only a year ago.) I assumed the dark gray color of the grout was intentional—then I came across this viral video that made me want to start scrubbing.
The video shows the creator mixing a few simple ingredients, scrubbing the mixture into the grout, and revealing a much lighter version of the same grout that was shown before. I decided I’d give the cleaning hack a try to see if my grout was supposed to be that light too. Here are my thoughts on this cleaning trick—and what I advise you to to be careful of if you try it in your own home.
Related: How to Clean Grout Using Pantry Staples You Probably Already Have
What Is the DIY Grout Cleaner?
The popular video, posted to Instagram by a professional organizer and cleaner, has nearly 22,000 likes. The caption of the video shares the recipe for the DIY grout cleaner the creator uses, which only requires three ingredients:
- ¾ cup baking soda
- ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide
- 1 Tbsp. Dawn dish soap
In the video, the creator mixes all three ingredients and adds the mixture to a squeeze bottle. The video shows the creator applying the mixture to the grout with the squeeze bottle. She directs people to let the mixture sit on the grout for 15 minutes before wiping it clean.
My Experience with the Viral Grout Cleaner
I followed the directions carefully as I made my own mixture of the grout cleaner—I even had an empty squeeze bottle on hand that was exactly like the one in the video. I started with my kitchen tile grout, applying it in just one vertical line. I immediately loved the squeeze bottle idea—it made it easy to apply with minimal mess or waste of product. I followed the same steps with my bathroom tile grout and waited the recommended 15 minutes. So far, the hack seemed super easy: The cleaning soution was easy to make and the technique was quick to execute.
Related: Make Your Old Tile Look New with These Tips for Painting Grout
The Results
Once the 15 minutes were up, I wiped away the solution with a wet cloth. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my grout was indeed a few shades lighter in the areas where I used the cleaning solution. I wasn’t seeing as stark of results as the video had shown, but I was still impressed to see that my grout was visibly lighter. It turns out that my grout was dirtier than I had thought. And since this DIY cleaner was so easy and inexpensive, I immediately tackled the rest of my grout with it.
Related: How to Clean Tile Floors, No Matter What Type (and Grout, Too!)
What Not to Do If You Try It Yourself
While it might be tempting to scrub your grout as hard as possible, this can actually damage your flooring. Vigorously scrubbing can deteriorate or even remove the grout itself, so it’s best to clean gently with a soft-bristled brush.
Many cleaning sites also recommend sealing your grout after cleaning it, as scrubbing it can remove any previous sealer and expose it to mold and mildew growth—which, in turn, makes it harder to clean in the future. After your grout is clean and dry, apply a clear liquid sealer and let it fully dry.
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