Your friends here at The Grout Medic would be happy to professionally clean and restore your tile and grout. But in between professional cleanings, there are things you can do to minimize grime buildup and deterioration of your grout. Here are our biggest tips that will help your grout last longer.
The good thing about tile is that messes are generally easy to clean. But letting spills linger before cleaning them up can leave your grout at risk of staining. Especially if the spill is a deeply saturated color. This, of course, is because of grout’s porous nature. If left, grout is bound to soak up staining liquids. If discolored grout is something you want to avoid, cleaning up spills sooner rather than later is a good practice.
When discoloration and dirt start to develop, the urge to go in with powerful cleaning tools and agents is understandable. The problem with this is that some harsh chemicals can damage your grout by causing pitting. In a similar vein, cleaning tools like steel wool can be too rough on your grout and ultimately cause etching and even flaking. To maintain your grout's integrity, it is best to stick to soft wash cloths or mops when cleaning.
It is almost impossible to keep your tile and grout from being exposed to any moisture. Afterall, cleaning your tile usually involves soapy water, steam, or some other liquid cleanser. The problem is excess moisture. Bathroom tile is especially prone to this issue. If areas are not properly dried after showers and baths, mold can start to develop. And if there are any compromised portions of your grout, water can find its way behind your tiles and mold can start to develop behind your shower walls. An easy way to combat this is to take a towel and wipe tile dry after each shower use. This step takes only a few seconds but could give your tile and grout years of life.
By Grout Medic 7-2-2021
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