Your bathroom tiles will have a tendency of getting dingy from soap scum, mildew, shampoo, and water sitting in one spot for long periods of time. The grout is porous and will absorb grime, oil, and spill, which will quickly begin to look unsightly. To top it all off, if you don’t do it properly, it can take a lot of elbow grease and time with little reward. You don’t need a special tool to clean your grout or get your tiles shiny again. You just need the right strategy and we’re going to show you how to clean bathroom tiles in the most effective way.
The Power of Steam
Your bathroom will not only have the usual surface dirt and debris but an additional soap scum residue. This is harder to get rid of so we recommend using steam to help you out. First, you’ll spritz the tiles of the floor and shower walls with a surface cleaner. From here, turn on the water to maximum heat for about five minutes, turn off, and wait for 20 minutes. During this time, the steam will build and it will be incredibly easy to wipe any of that grime off with a cloth. This is how to clean bathroom tiles in the easiest way possible. If there’s a lot more grime, it’s still a good way to get rid of a lot of the problem easily.
Scrubbing the Grout Lines
How to clean bathroom tiles effectively will also involve scrubbing the grout lines. The grout can get really grimy depending on what it’s made of. The traditional grout is made up of sand and cement with modern options having latex and other polymers. The modern grout was developed to resist stains. Regardless of the kind of grout, water and a level of patience will be your best tools.
Firstly, you’ll want to spray the grout with hot water and scrub with a grout brush. This will start to lift grime on the surface. If you happen to have a steam cleaner, you can apply the steam to the grout and use a toothbrush in a circular motion. Wipe away any moisture with a rag so it doesn’t leave watermarks. You’re going to find that your grout will look brand new once it’s dry.
How to Clean Bathroom Tiles with Stubborn Stains
While your tiles will probably be free from stains, your grout can have stubborn stains. Use a pH-neutral cleaner and spray it on the grout. Use a stiff brush and scrub it. Another useful tool is the Magic Eraser, which can clean your tiles and grout, leaving tiles to sparkle and grout to whiten. Once you’ve done the scrubbing, make sure to use a damp sponge or microfiber cloth to take away any of the grout cleaners you used. If you use a dirty sponge, the grout will soak it up and discolor it again. Make sure it’s clean.
Killing Mold on Tiles and Grout
It’s one thing to clean your tiles so they look beautiful but it’s also important to get rid of any mold that could be building up. Bathrooms can tend to have limited circulation and are hot and humid every time you shower. This is where mold spores thrive and while you can use bleach on non-porous surfaces, it doesn’t work so well on a porous surface like grout. There are special mold and mildew stain removers that can help to clean mold and the stains off easily. It’s important to do this regularly as mold growth is a hazard to your health.
Sealing Grout
How to clean bathroom tiles could include sealing the grout’s pores once you’ve put in the work to clean them well. This is going to prevent grime, grit, and mold from being absorbed into the grout. This can be done once or twice a year and reduces the number of times you’ll have to put in the elbow grease to clean tiles and grout.
Spot Checking Tiles
Instead of working for long periods of time on cleaning bathroom tiles, we suggest you make some daily tweaks. If you happen to notice some grimy tiles, quickly do a surface clean in that area. If you do this regularly, it will reduce how often you have to make your tiles shine by doing the whole area. We recommend you keep a squeegee or clean microfiber cloth in your bathroom. After you’ve taken a shower, squeegee your tiles and then run the cloth over areas to prevent water from creating a build-up and leaving marks. This will allow you to avoid deep cleans as nothing will build up on the tile’s surface.