Having tile in your house can be a blessing and a curse ~ here in Arizona, it’s wonderful in the summer because a tile house keeps the home cooler in the warm / hot summer months.
Although tile is easy to clean, grout is the opposite ~ since it’s usually light in color and porous, it’s prone to staining. In places like a mudroom, kitchen or entryway. Soap and commercial cleaning products can actually build up in the grout and attract dirt and grime that can stain the grout and give it the appearance of very dirty, dirty area.
You can find companies that will come and clean your grout for you – but the cost is usually quite high. Depending on how much tile you have in your home, you might be able to tackle the work yourself with a few toothbrushes, some essential oil, baking soda & hydrogen peroxide.
Pick up a stiff bristled brush for your tile on Amazon and DIY your way to cleaner grout with time and a little elbow grease.
Lemon and Lemongrass Essential Oil both work amazingly well at kicking the grime to the curb and allowing you to get the dirt out of the grout so you can have cleaner looking tile.
Mild Grout Stains: Plain water and a stiff bristled brush are best. You can check out your local hardware store for brushes specifically designed for cleaning grout. Simply spray water on the grout and tub with a brush to dissipate the dirt and then let dry thoroughly.
Heavy Grout Stains: Turn to baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to help ward off the dirt. Simply mix 1 C. of baking soda with a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water. For extra cleaning power, add 10 drops of lemon or lemongrass essential oil. Apply the paste to the grout, then spray with Thieves Cleaner and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. Follow up by scrubbing with your brush, then wipe away with water and a rag.
Follow up by steam cleaning your floor to eliminate the residual residue.
Moderate to heavy stains will require that the paste sit for at least 15 minutes before scrubbing with the brush – then follow up by rinsing thoroughly with water so that the dirt doesn’t get into the grout lines.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C. baking soda
- 1/4 C. water
- 1/4 C. hydrogen peroxide
- 10 drops Lemon or Lemongrass essential oil
- stiff bristled brush
- water, for rinsing
Instructions
- In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix the baking soda with the water and hydrogen peroxide.
- Add the essential oils.
- Mix thoroughly into a thick paste.
- Apply to dirty grout, as needed, and spray thoroughly with Thieves Cleaner.
- Allow to sit on the grout for at least 15 minutes, then scrub with your stiff bristled brush.
- Rinse thoroughly to prevent the dirt from re-entering the grout.
See 11 additional Essential Oil DIYs for Home & Garden.
Hello How do I make thieves cleaner I’m from Australia its very expensive here.?
Thieves Cleaner is a product of Young Living Essential Oils. It’s a cleaner that contains essential oils like clove, etc. and cleans and disinfects wonderfully.