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#1
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout
(used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? -- Steven L. |
#2
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? *Comet or Ajax cleanser with a toothbrush. The bleach in the cleansers help with the whitening. |
#3
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:20:05 +0000, "Steven L."
wrote: I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? -- Steven L. TILELab Sulfamic Acid Cleaner: Found at HD _and follow_ the directions!! http://www.viewpoints.com/TILELab-Su...r-review-b1d67 |
#4
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Oct 18, 2:09*pm, Oren wrote:
On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:20:05 +0000, "Steven L." wrote: I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? -- Steven L. TILELab Sulfamic Acid Cleaner: Found at HD _and follow_ the directions!! http://www.viewpoints.com/TILELab-Su...-review-b1d67- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - You could try plain old Clorox (generic version also ok) bleach applied with a toothbrush, Keep the area well-ventilated. |
#5
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Steven L." wrote in message m... I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? -- Steven L. You have two things to do. One is to clean the grout, and there are some suggestions here to do that. The second is to seal it after you have cleaned it so that it won't get to looking bad very soon. Clean it good, let it dry, dry, dry, even if you have to bathe for a few days. Sit an electric heater in there overnight to help, but get it dry, and seal, and it will stay clean looking longer. DO NOT USE TUB OR SHOWER, AND HEATER AT THE SAME TIME. Sorry, but the government requires those warnings, so I thought I'd throw one in there in case you might be the one person on the planet that might do that. ;-) Steve Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend. http://cabgbypasssurgery.com |
#6
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Steve B" wrote in message
... "Steven L." wrote in message m... I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? -- Steven L. You have two things to do. One is to clean the grout, and there are some suggestions here to do that. The second is to seal it after you have cleaned it so that it won't get to looking bad very soon. Clean it good, let it dry, dry, dry, even if you have to bathe for a few days. Sit an electric heater in there overnight to help, but get it dry, and seal, and it will stay clean looking longer. DO NOT USE TUB OR SHOWER, AND HEATER AT THE SAME TIME. Sorry, but the government requires those warnings, so I thought I'd throw one in there in case you might be the one person on the planet that might do that. ;-) Steve "I could tell my parents hated me. The first bath toy they gave me was a toaster!" -Rodney Dangerfield- |
#7
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Oct 18, 2:20*pm, "Steven L." wrote:
I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? Have you tried this http://www.finazzle.com/ I have some and it works great. Don't remember where I bought it from because I've had it for years. Think I bought it at Home Depot. |
#8
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:15:05 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote: You could try plain old Clorox (generic version also ok) bleach applied with a toothbrush, Keep the area well-ventilated. We bought a couple of rentals with dirty grout. SWMBO would make a poultice/paste using TSP and allowed that to sit for good long period. It worked well. Once cleaned and dry, the grout was sealed. As a kid, there was "Spic and Span". -- a cleaner! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span |
#9
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On 10/18/2010 11:32 AM John Grabowski spake thus:
[O.P. posted:] I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? *Comet or Ajax cleanser with a toothbrush. The bleach in the cleansers help with the whitening. Amen to that. Exactly the ingredients I was going to suggest: abrasive cleanser and elbow grease. -- The fashion in killing has an insouciant, flirty style this spring, with the flaunting of well-defined muscle, wrapped in flags. - Comment from an article on Antiwar.com (http://antiwar.com) |
#10
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Oren" wrote in message
... On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:15:05 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) " wrote: You could try plain old Clorox (generic version also ok) bleach applied with a toothbrush, Keep the area well-ventilated. We bought a couple of rentals with dirty grout. SWMBO would make a poultice/paste using TSP and allowed that to sit for good long period. It worked well. Once cleaned and dry, the grout was sealed. As a kid, there was "Spic and Span". -- a cleaner! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span SWMBO??? |
#11
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:54:22 -0400, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote: "Oren" wrote in message .. . On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:15:05 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) " wrote: You could try plain old Clorox (generic version also ok) bleach applied with a toothbrush, Keep the area well-ventilated. We bought a couple of rentals with dirty grout. SWMBO would make a poultice/paste using TSP and allowed that to sit for good long period. It worked well. Once cleaned and dry, the grout was sealed. As a kid, there was "Spic and Span". -- a cleaner! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span SWMBO??? Geez, I didn't say "the dishwasher". G |
#12
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On 10/18/2010 4:48 PM, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 10/18/2010 11:32 AM John Grabowski spake thus: [O.P. posted:] I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? *Comet or Ajax cleanser with a toothbrush. The bleach in the cleansers help with the whitening. Amen to that. Exactly the ingredients I was going to suggest: abrasive cleanser and elbow grease. Elbow grease? My supply has been depleted for several years, so I like Scrubbing Bubbles for normal cleaning....it gets rid of normal soap scum without strenuous scrubbing. Rust stains my not be removable, but a rust remover (test inconspicuously) with phosphoric acid may do the trick. I've replaced grout in a shower and it is a fairly big project, but well worth it. In the process I discovered our old shower had a lot more soap scum than was apparent....tile is light taupe, matte, so it didn't show. I could only smell soap while working on the grout until I took a razor blade scraper to the tile. Whew! When all done, sealed the grout and keep the shower open so it ventilates. |
#13
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:28:16 -0400, "
wrote: I've replaced grout in a shower and it is a fairly big project, but well worth it. One great tool is a grout saw. You only need to take the tile grout down a little, but get the grime out when using it. Then top with some new grout and later seal... http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/2780/278045_300.jpg |
#14
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Oct 18, 2:20*pm, "Steven L." wrote:
I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Hire a pro, ask questions...and stop staring! http://aprons-only.com/prices.html R |
#15
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"dadiOH" wrote in
: if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? -- Tegger |
#16
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Tegger" wrote in message
... "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Fiberglass! |
#17
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Oct 18, 4:54*pm, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote: "Oren" wrote in message ... On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:15:05 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) " wrote: You could try plain old Clorox (generic version also ok) bleach applied with a toothbrush, *Keep the area well-ventilated. We bought a couple of rentals with dirty grout. SWMBO would make a poultice/paste using TSP and allowed that to sit for good long period. It worked well. Once cleaned and dry, the grout was sealed. As a kid, there was "Spic and Span". -- a cleaner! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span SWMBO??? She Who Must Be Obeyed |
#18
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Tegger" wrote in message ... "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? -- Tegger acetic ....... errr ........ ethanoic ......... err .............something ................ ;-) Steve |
#19
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Oct 18, 11:45*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"Tegger" wrote in message ... "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? -- Tegger acetic ....... errr ........ ethanoic ......... err .............something ............... ;-) Well, the Romans got their vinegar by collecting ****. Must've been interesting when they brought the toga back to the cleaners... "Hey, Romulus? Yeah, my toga smells like ****, and it's not my ****. Can you run it through again? Thanks." R |
#20
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:38:40 +0000 (UTC), Tegger wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Water -- Pete |
#21
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
On Oct 18, 2:20*pm, "Steven L." wrote:
I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. To get any whitening agent to the grout you first have to penetrate the soap scum, chemically and/or abrasively. I had pretty good luck with TileX, but that was decades ago and it probably isn't worth **** today. ----- - gpsman |
#22
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Michael B" wrote in message
... On Oct 18, 4:54 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote: "Oren" wrote in message ... On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:15:05 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) " wrote: You could try plain old Clorox (generic version also ok) bleach applied with a toothbrush, Keep the area well-ventilated. We bought a couple of rentals with dirty grout. SWMBO would make a poultice/paste using TSP and allowed that to sit for good long period. It worked well. Once cleaned and dry, the grout was sealed. As a kid, there was "Spic and Span". -- a cleaner! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span SWMBO??? She Who Must Be Obeyed ============= Oh.....one of THOSE households.... |
#23
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
Pete wrote in news:sku53tzf766o.1eb84berkrt4l$.dlg@
40tude.net: On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:38:40 +0000 (UTC), Tegger wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Water I meant the primary thing that makes vinegar, vinegar. -- Tegger |
#24
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
In article ,
Tegger wrote: Pete wrote in news:sku53tzf766o.1eb84berkrt4l$.dlg@ 40tude.net: On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:38:40 +0000 (UTC), Tegger wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Water I meant the primary thing that makes vinegar, vinegar. Spik and span (Sp) active ingredient was Tri sodium phosphate. Good for cleaning all sort of stuff like moss etc. -- Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden http://www.informationisbeautiful.ne...l-supplements/ |
#25
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Bill who putters" wrote in message
... In article , Tegger wrote: Pete wrote in news:sku53tzf766o.1eb84berkrt4l$.dlg@ 40tude.net: On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:38:40 +0000 (UTC), Tegger wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Water I meant the primary thing that makes vinegar, vinegar. Spik and span (Sp) active ingredient was Tri sodium phosphate. Good for cleaning all sort of stuff like moss etc. You're joking, right? |
#26
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote: "Bill who putters" wrote in message ... In article , Tegger wrote: Pete wrote in news:sku53tzf766o.1eb84berkrt4l$.dlg@ 40tude.net: On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:38:40 +0000 (UTC), Tegger wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Water I meant the primary thing that makes vinegar, vinegar. Spik and span (Sp) active ingredient was Tri sodium phosphate. Good for cleaning all sort of stuff like moss etc. You're joking, right? Nope Jusy it is Spic and span, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span -- Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden http://www.informationisbeautiful.ne...l-supplements/ |
#27
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Bill who putters" wrote in message
... In article , "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote: "Bill who putters" wrote in message ... In article , Tegger wrote: Pete wrote in news:sku53tzf766o.1eb84berkrt4l$.dlg@ 40tude.net: On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:38:40 +0000 (UTC), Tegger wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Water I meant the primary thing that makes vinegar, vinegar. Spik and span (Sp) active ingredient was Tri sodium phosphate. Good for cleaning all sort of stuff like moss etc. You're joking, right? Nope Jusy it is Spic and span, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span In this branch of the discussion, the question was "what makes vinegar vinegar". In other words, what is the active ingredient? Take another shot at the question while we break for a commercial. |
#28
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote: "Bill who putters" wrote in message ... In article , "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote: "Bill who putters" wrote in message ... In article , Tegger wrote: Pete wrote in news:sku53tzf766o.1eb84berkrt4l$.dlg@ 40tude.net: On Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:38:40 +0000 (UTC), Tegger wrote: "dadiOH" wrote in : if "acid" scares you, you might try vinegar. The primary constituent of which is...? Water I meant the primary thing that makes vinegar, vinegar. Spik and span (Sp) active ingredient was Tri sodium phosphate. Good for cleaning all sort of stuff like moss etc. You're joking, right? Nope Jusy it is Spic and span, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic_and_Span In this branch of the discussion, the question was "what makes vinegar vinegar". In other words, what is the active ingredient? Take another shot at the question while we break for a commercial. I'm sorry I always think of the entire tread and respond I confess sometimes incoherently. -- Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden http://www.informationisbeautiful.ne...l-supplements/ |
#29
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
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#30
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
"Steven L." wrote in m:
I'm a do-it-yourself newbie who's trying to clean the stained grout (used to be white) between the tiles over the bathtub in my bathroom. The stains appear to be a combination of soap scum and rust stain. I've tried several products that claim to be "grout cleaners," but they haven't worked. Is there any alternative at this point to stripping all the grout and regrouting (quite a long job)? Even some way of staining the grout white again? -- Steven L. I know your post is a couple of weeks old. This came out recently. No new miracle news though. http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/...olved-2403158/ |
#31
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Best ways to clean bathroom tile grout
I have used a grout paint. I apply it with a q-tip. It dries within
minutes and is easily wiped off the tiles where you painted outside the line. I bought it at HD but do not remember the name. It was a white plastic bottle with a blue label approx 8 - 10 oz. |
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