15 Oct How to clean bathroom tiles and grout
Mould and Mildew Stains
Stains from mould or mildew are are best handled with alkaline or high-pH cleaners something like astonish mould and mildew remover. If you’re tackling a light stain, or you want to avoid working with harsher commercial chemicals, you can mix equal parts baking soda and water to form a very mild alkaline cleaner that can handle small amounts of mould or mildew.
Rust or Limescale Do Damage Over Time
The other common source of staining in a shower is rust or limescale buildup. It’s usually caused by hard water—which has higher levels of dissolved calcium or iron—and these stains are common when your water is drawn from a well or other groundwater sources. These deposits can gain footing in the porous tile and grout of a bathroom and leave a discolored stain. Rust has a reddish-brown tint, while limescale usually has a chalky-white or pale green color.
To deal with these kinds of markings you need to use a cleaner with a lower pH, something like Tec7 CA Clean will do the job.
For any of these common stains, the cleaning process is the same. Apply the cleaner by directly spraying it on the wall or onto a damp sponge, cloth, or brush. Leave for a short period, and then scrub with the brush, making sure to get the bristles into the grout itself. Rinse thoroughly and let the area dry.
If your tile grout is still discolored or grimy after a few attempts, it may just be old instead of stained. In this case you may want to look into applying a grout colorant and sealer, which is a more in-depth and careful process.
What to avoid
Grout is pivotal in keeping tile fresh and safe, so anything that may degrade or remove it should be avoided. Wire brushes or steel wool should not be used. And the same goes for abrasive cleaners like Borax. Those tools can scratch tiles, and the chemicals can damage grout.