What's the best way to clean the darkened, damaged grout in the corner of my
shower without damaging the tub at the bottom? Any ideas on what to use
(and how to use it?) Swore we wouldn't let this happen when we redid the
bathroom, but here we are. And I haven't got a clue. I want to redo the
corners with new grout and sealant, but she fears I'll screw it up. And I
keep thinking that if I screw it up, I back up and do it again. Right now
nothing is happening, and it's getting worse. Am tempted to take an old
toothbruth and some general purpose cleaner (called Method, in a pump spray
bottle) and see what that leaves me with. Have some toilet cleaner that is
20 percent hydrogen chloride which I know will probably damage the tub
(enamal over steel, or cast iron, looks like), but is there nothing in
between these two extremes?

Thanks for any replies. Haven't been here in a while, and would appreciate
a measure or two of the home repair wisdom and experience that is know is
out there.

Dave

Dave wrote:
What's the best way to clean the darkened, damaged grout in the corner of my
shower without damaging the tub at the bottom? Any ideas on what to use
(and how to use it?) Swore we wouldn't let this happen when we redid the
bathroom, but here we are. And I haven't got a clue. I want to redo the
corners with new grout and sealant, but she fears I'll screw it up. And I
keep thinking that if I screw it up, I back up and do it again. Right now
nothing is happening, and it's getting worse. Am tempted to take an old
toothbruth and some general purpose cleaner (called Method, in a pump spray
bottle) and see what that leaves me with. Have some toilet cleaner that is
20 percent hydrogen chloride which I know will probably damage the tub
(enamal over steel, or cast iron, looks like), but is there nothing in
between these two extremes?

Thanks for any replies. Haven't been here in a while, and would appreciate
a measure or two of the home repair wisdom and experience that is know is
out there.

Dave


Try bleach for mold (black stuff) let it sit for a few minutes.
Rinse very well then try white vinegar for hard water issues.
Also try google for more ideas.

"Dave" wrote in message
...
What's the best way to clean the darkened, damaged grout in the corner of
my shower without damaging the tub at the bottom? Any ideas on what to
use (and how to use it?) Swore we wouldn't let this happen when we redid
the bathroom, but here we are. And I haven't got a clue. I want to redo
the corners with new grout and sealant, but she fears I'll screw it up.
And I keep thinking that if I screw it up, I back up and do it again.
Right now nothing is happening, and it's getting worse. Am tempted to
take an old toothbruth and some general purpose cleaner (called Method, in
a pump spray bottle) and see what that leaves me with. Have some toilet
cleaner that is 20 percent hydrogen chloride which I know will probably
damage the tub (enamal over steel, or cast iron, looks like), but is there
nothing in between these two extremes?

Thanks for any replies. Haven't been here in a while, and would
appreciate a measure or two of the home repair wisdom and experience that
is know is out there.

Dave




There was recently a discussion about this, and someone said you have to use
a product containing phosphoric acid to first remove soap scum completely.
Otherwise, the soap acts as a barrier which keeps mildew remover from
working effectively. I don't recall, but one product mentioned MIGHT HAVE
BEEN called "Kaboom", which I've seen in several supermarkets. Stay tuned.
Someone will wander in here with more info.

On Tue, 28 Dec 2010 10:15:54 -0600, "Dave" wrote:

What's the best way to clean the darkened, damaged grout in the corner of my
shower without damaging the tub at the bottom? Any ideas on what to use
(and how to use it?) Swore we wouldn't let this happen when we redid the
bathroom, but here we are. And I haven't got a clue. I want to redo the
corners with new grout and sealant, but she fears I'll screw it up. And I
keep thinking that if I screw it up, I back up and do it again. Right now
nothing is happening, and it's getting worse. Am tempted to take an old
toothbruth and some general purpose cleaner (called Method, in a pump spray
bottle) and see what that leaves me with. Have some toilet cleaner that is
20 percent hydrogen chloride which I know will probably damage the tub
(enamal over steel, or cast iron, looks like), but is there nothing in
between these two extremes?

Chlorox or any mildew cleaner. If it's permanently stained and not too deep
you can abrade the grout with a tile cutter and then seal. If it's really deep
you can cut the grout out (there are several methods) and re-grout. I doubt
anything you're likely to use will damage the tub or tile, but I would stick
with things designed to work on mildew. Even though they say not to, I've
even used them on painted surfaces without damage.

After you get it cleaned you're going to have to do something to keep the
bathroom dry or you'll make a career out of this.

Thanks for any replies. Haven't been here in a while, and would appreciate
a measure or two of the home repair wisdom and experience that is know is
out there.

Dave

wrote in message
news
On Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:53:11 -0500, "
wrote:

On 12/28/2010 11:15 AM, Dave wrote:
What's the best way to clean the darkened, damaged grout in the corner
of my
shower without damaging the tub at the bottom? Any ideas on what to use
(and how to use it?) Swore we wouldn't let this happen when we redid
the
bathroom, but here we are. And I haven't got a clue. I want to redo
the
corners with new grout and sealant, but she fears I'll screw it up. And
I
keep thinking that if I screw it up, I back up and do it again. Right
now
nothing is happening, and it's getting worse. Am tempted to take an old
toothbruth and some general purpose cleaner (called Method, in a pump
spray
bottle) and see what that leaves me with. Have some toilet cleaner that
is
20 percent hydrogen chloride which I know will probably damage the tub
(enamal over steel, or cast iron, looks like), but is there nothing in
between these two extremes?

Thanks for any replies. Haven't been here in a while, and would
appreciate
a measure or two of the home repair wisdom and experience that is know
is
out there.

Dave



Corners should properly be caulked, not grouted. I would use a utility
knife to scrape out the surface grout - no reason that I know of to
completely remove the grout unless it is loose and crumbly - you will be
covering it and sealing it up. Then clean the joint immaculately,
beginning with a good household cleaner to remove grease and soap film.

Yes, excellent point.

Wipe/brush with full strength laundry bleach, let dry, then grout with
good silicone caulk. Done.

Let dry == 48 hours. An alternative is to rinse the area down with
alcohol,
being sure to get it into any cracks (to displace any water). It'll dry
much
faster.

If you haven't done caulking, practice on
something else - might be tricky to get a smooth line going across the
other grout lines - can use masking tape and take care to smoosh it down
into the other grout lines so caulk doesn't ooze under the tape. Remove
the tape right away. I've done it with good results and I'm not an
expert.

If the grout is a color other than white, grout tinted caulk is available
at
tile stores. You can often get very close. Use a wet finger to smooth
the
caulk. There are also cheap grout forming tools at &bigboxstore.

Hey all, thank you very much for the input. I cleaned the area with
isopropyl alcohol and a somewhat stiff nylon bristle brush, and will do it
up right this weekend. Cleaning was all the wife was after for the moment,
so she is happy. I am happy cause I now have some idea as to how to proceed
from this point forward. Many thanks.

Dave