Grout Cleaner/Whitener

[glock40sw]

G'day All.
The missus is driving me mad about the colour of the grout between the floor tiles. It was nice and white when the house was built 4 years ago. However it has gone a grey/brown colour simply from having stuff dropped on the floor in the kitchen.

Does anyone on the forum know of a product that will clean the grout and restore the near white colour?

Thanks to all.
Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor
Grafton

[blt]

Hi Trevor
We have the same problem with our tiles. The ones under the dining table look lovely and white, the rest look filthy... I've kicked myself for ages because we elected not to seal the grout as soon as we laid the tiles.

I've seen a few heavy-duty grout cleaners/bleaches at the hardware store, but haven't got around to trying them yet. They're in the same store section as the grout. I'm thinking you could try one of those, then get a bottle of grout sealant and seal everything afterwards. This would at least keep the grout looking nicer for a little longer, but it may be something you have to do regularly (once a year?) or just learn to live with the grotty grout :)
There are also small pens that look like liquid-paper pens, that you use to 'draw' over your grout. Again, I haven't tried these either (they're a bit expensive) and I'm dubious how long it would last on a floor... probably ok for walls.

[echnidna]

White King

[glock40sw]

White King
G'day Bob. Mate, More info please?

I've seen White King at the Bi-lo, But nothing that actually said for whitening grout.
Do you know the name of the actual White King product?
Thanks.
hooroo.
Regards, Trevor
Grafton

[simon c]

White King

Bob, do you mean White Knight? They sell specialised paints including a grout pen. website is http://www.whiteknightpaints.com.au

You can buy their stuff at Bunnies.

[maglite]

A quick suggestion.
Try looking in the yellow pages for cleaning contractors that do tile + grout cleaning.
If you find a guy with a truck mount machine and the right tools,it will make a hard job easy.
Have no idea about prices PSQM but from most accounts the results are pretty impressive.......besides it doesnt cost anything to get a quote and pick their brains about wether the end result would be worth the expense or not.

Cheers
Steve

[Dylan SJ]

A quick suggestion.
Try looking in the yellow pages for cleaning contractors that do tile + grout cleaning.
If you find a guy with a truck mount machine and the right tools,it will make a hard job easy.
Have no idea about prices PSQM but from most accounts the results are pretty impressive.......besides it doesnt cost anything to get a quote and pick their brains about wether the end result would be worth the expense or not.

Cheers
SteveI received a quote for cleaning my sandstone and cement grouted floors yesterday. Usual price is $9 per square metre. This contractor uses an alkaline cleaning soution with a high pressure washer and all water and waste is removed. He would not say how much cleaner it would be except that dirt based grime will be removed but acid stains (like red wine) probably wouldn't.

[echnidna]

Trevor , I would just try ordinary White King from the supermarket.

[maglite]

In reply to Dylans post, when you see the work involved to do it yourself, $9 psqm is a pretty good price....you must take into account the no mess ect...no guarantees but there isnt much on the market that will remove deep seated red wine stains anyway.
Most tiled areas these days are wet areas and kitchen/dining areas.
The argument is still the same for tiles as it was for carpeted kitchens.....what you cook WILL have a direct result on the life of your floor covering in these areas.
TILES:A brief outline
Vitreous tiles ( those found in most bathrooms) are generally impervious to staining but as slippery as hell.
Hence the reason that they generally arent laid in the more busier parts of a house.
Non-vitreous tiles are generally very porous, they tend to act like a sponge, soaking things up when they are spilt on them.....drying off and secreteing stuff back up as they are walked upon.This secretion generally appears as dirt as it it can be a slow process.
It isnt uncommon for tiles to look really dirty in a kitchen area but relatively clean in a dining area.
This is a direct result of cooking a lot of fatty foods or steaming a lot of vegetables without an adequate exhaust system.If the steam isnt vented it must come to rest somewhere......
As a result of all these factors all tiles and grout will discolour over time... it is a fact of life.
It is the usual thing....get a few quotes,ask for references and check the references or altenatively call the Master Cleaners Guild or its affilliate in your state.
If anyone wants to do the job themselves....drop me a PM.....no responibility ..if you muck it up tho.
Cheers
Steve

[wombat47]

White King is a brand of household bleach - usually in the supermarket aisle with the washing powders.

I'd try Echidna's suggestion first - might save a lot of money. A toothbrush is a good grout-sized implement. After you've done a section, give it a rinse with straight water.

[maglite]

The white will work but will require a fair amount of effort.
You could try heading to your nearest chemical supplier and inquiring about any high Alkaline ckeaner or better stilll any product that has Sodium Hydroxide as it main ingredient.
Sc Johnsons make a good product called Peneclean tho can work out quite dear to buy in 5l bottles.
Some retailers do sell 1 ltr sample bottles....2 or 3 of those should be enuff.
Mix it as per directions with steaming hot water and liberally wet the floor working a section at a time giving it all a good scrub.
A stiff nail brush is handy for this or alternatively a green scotch scourer pad works pretty well to.
I hope this helps.
Steve

[jackiew]

and the moral of the story is go for grey or black grout on floors.

[lacewood]

White King or better still DOMESTOS is the go. Bleach is cheap and bleaches all the stains out including red wine. Even the colour out of your clothes if you spill any on them. Put a strong solution on and leave on for a few minutes, then rinse off. :cool:

[lacewood]

White King or better still DOMESTOS is the go. Bleach is cheap and bleaches all the stains out including red wine. Even the colour out of your clothes if you spill any on them. Put a strong solution on and leave on for a few minutes, then rinse off. :cool:

Just another thought ..... Probably a very good idea to try out on an inconspicuous spot first to check that it will not change the colour of your tiles too! :eek:

[journeyman Mick]

The colour in tiles comes from either a slip (coloured clay layer) and or a glaze. Either way the colour comes from a metal oxide that's been fired to at least 800 deg C in the case of those funky bright coloured tiles (earthenware) right up to 1300 deg C for stoneware/porcelain tiles. Some decorative tiles might have an on-glaze decoration applied, which is like an earthenware type glaze - bright colours etc, about the same firing temperatures. I know for certain that there's no way that bleach will affect the high fired colours and am pretty confident that it wouldn't affect the lower fired colours either, but I'm not 100% sure because it's well over 20 years ago that I studied this stuff. I think concentrated acids might affect the earthenware colours, but at concentrations you'd be highly unikely to splash around on your floor, and if you did you'd be too busy being overcome by the fumes or watching the acid eat your toes :eek: to worry about the tiles. :D

Mick

[glock40sw]

G'day All.
Thanks for the replies. The missus is a bit worried that the White King/Domestos will remove the actual grout rather than the dirt in the grout.

I think it is time to try it and see.
Bloody tile supplier is no help at all.
He told her to scrub it with a tooth brush along with soapy water.
I can really see me on all fours for a whole weekend with toothbrush in hand :eek:

Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor
Grafton

[DaveInOz]

Bleach doesn't remove dirt or grim - it bleaches it so you can't see it. Some oils etc will dissolve and release the trapped dirt etc, but basicly it kills and turns white any nasties.

Enjo have a mild abrasive paste (marble paste) that SWMBO and I used on our tiles and grout .... lots of elbow grease but clean tiles and grout. (when we bought the place we thought the grout was black, then we looked in the pantry and saw white :eek: ).

I also tried the acid cleaner sold by the tile places - much easier but much less effective, more for removing grout from tile surfaces.

Perhaps the answer is some u-beaut tripoli powder, a bucket of water, a small scrubbing brush (tooth brush) and elbow grease. :)
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