You've scrubbed the tiles, but the bathroom still looks grubby. Nine times out of ten the culprit is the grout. Because it's porous, grout soaks up soap scum, body oils, dirt and mould. Here's how to get it clean again.
Step 1: General clean
Wash the tiled area with a floor, wall and tile cleaner to remove surface soap scum and dirt. This makes the deeper treatment far more effective.
Step 2: Scrub the grout lines
A narrow, stiff brush gets into grout lines far better than a sponge. Work along each line with your cleaner, rinsing the brush often. A snake-style scrubbing brush is great for long runs of floor grout.
Step 3: Tackle mould and dark stains
For black mould spots and stains on white or light grout, Thick Bleach works well because it clings to vertical lines instead of running off.
- Ventilate the room and wear gloves.
- Apply a thin line of thick bleach along the stained grout.
- Leave it for a few minutes (check the label), then scrub gently.
- Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Step 4: Dry and protect
Mould needs moisture. After a shower, squeegee the walls, open a window or run the extractor fan. Once grout is clean and fully dry, consider applying a grout sealer to help it resist stains in future.
When cleaning isn't enough
If grout is cracked, crumbling or stained right through, cleaning won't fix it. Raking out and regrouting a small area is often easier than you'd think, and prevents water getting behind the tiles.
Quick weekly habit
Spray and wipe tiled walls with a floor and tile cleaner once a week. It stops soap scum building up into the grout in the first place.
Stock up
Thick Bleach, the Snake Scrubbing Brush and Floor, Wall & Tile Cleaner are available from maxproducts.co.za.
Products mentioned in this guide
Available now from our sister company Max Products at maxproducts.co.za, in trade sizes and delivered in Cape Town.
Visit maxproducts.co.za →
Thick Bleach 5L
Snake Scrubbing Brush
Floor, Wall & Tile Cleaner
