Moni,

Are you referring to grout lines on the walls of the bathroom? Or some other place?

Grout lines on the floor in the kitchen, and the bathroom. Really yucky dark, except where in the areas outside of the normal usage pattern.

Ok, folks, I will check back in, when I can. For now, I am outta here... got stuff to do, places to go. :)

Moni

Get Barkeeper's Friend. It is a powder in a can. Sprinkle on and wet slightly. I use a brush on grout lines or a paper towel on smooth surfaces. DO NOT mix with bleach!

My DD bought a resale that had not been kept all that clean. (The widower owner offered to give her his cleaning lady's number!!!) The bathroom counters were tiled, and the grout was quite dirty. I was amazed at what a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponge did on contact with no scrubbing. I also recommend what I learned here--Awesome all purpose cleaner. Be sure to buy it in the screw top bottle ($1.00) because it is full strength for stubborn jobs. The spray bottle is already diluted. Or buy both and make up your own spray. I find it at any dollar type store, but some of the grocery stores are selling it now too.

I used Awesome to do my kitchen grout, which had really darkened. It was a lot of work, as I have tile from the front door, through the kitchen, out to the laundry area and into the powder room. But it was worth it! Looked great when I was done. A neighbor recommended it to me after she had done her grout. And you can't beat the price. Just make sure you have some air flow around, the smell can be strong.

Be sure to use a gas mask to use with the Awesome.....it's the most caustic stuff I have ever had the misfortune to use.

HERE.....one of these!

I'd scrub the tile and grout with a baking soda paste. Let it sit for an hour to loosen the dirt. Then spray it with vinegar. It bubbles. When the bubbling settles down, let it sit a bit then scrub and rinse well. Then I'd probably hit it again with Zep which is a heavy duty grout cleaner. More dirt will likely come out. Make sure you rinse it well so the dirty water doesn't settle back in.

Then I'd deep clean and sterilize with a steam vac. After that apply a disinfectant. If you have pets, rinse that off after a few days, or at least a few hours.

I use old toothbrushes to scrub stuff like that, you keep your work area limited by doing that. If you don't have an old one, buy a new one for personal use and use the new-old one for the grout cleaning.

Yes, it's much easier to scrub a tile floor in sections.

I bought a tool at a hardware store, made especially for cleaning grout. It is like a power toothbrush but a little bigger. I used a cleaner with bleach, Scrubbing Bubbles I think, sprayed it on, let it sit for five minutes, scrubbed with this little tool, and rinsed. Worked like a charm. After the grout had dried for twenty four hours I finished with a grout sealer. The sealer means that dirt does not penetrate the grout so it is easier to keep clean.

Be sure that the grout is supposed to be white. I write that because my DH spent a long time trying to clean the grout in our bathroom and complained because it still didn't come clean. Unfortunately, the grout between the white tiles was grey not white and wasn't supposed to be white.

Addendum: I have a very stiff brush that I put on a broom pole to clean the grout in our shower, etc. as I can't get down on hands and knees. Seems to work pretty well.

I spray on Crown Spray Power, let it sit a few minutes and scrub with a stiff brush. It really doesn't take that much scrubbing when I use the crown. It is still my go to cleaner for everything. Good luck!!

I use CLR and a stiff brush on my grout - works for me!

I cannot get down on my knees anymore so I don't envy you one bit! Good luck with your project.

I'd ask for bids if there is a LOT of area involved. Not worth welcoming arthritis into your joints with DIY, nor scarring your lungs. YOU are more important than 'sparkling tile'.

Be careful with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, it bleached the tiles along with the grout. Now, I have 3 tiles that don't match the others.

You can't bleach glazed tiles. It's likely dirt that came off.

Magic Eraser is something to be careful with. It's a mild sandpaper. I don't know if it has any bleach in it.

I use a steamer. I have had mine for around 15 years, bought it off HSN on TV. It is a european profession unit, very well made but I do not think that they are around any longer. It makes cleaning grout so easy, Just aim at the grout and a few seconds later you will see the dirty water appearing on the surrounding area. I use a rinsed mop to pick it up, rinse the mop every time that you pick some up. No bending at all and never on my knees. Hope this helps.

I use something called Pink Solution with toothbrushes. It worked great. Another time, my sister introduced me to peroxide and it worked amazing to get blood out of the carpet (whole different story). I googled it for grout and found this video. I will try it even though I am happy with Pink Solution. I am curious to see how it works. I love the scrub brush she is using and have to get one!

Well, did anything work?

girlnamedgale That is what I was hoping for!!! But then you dashed my hope... cause yours is no longer available...

Cookie8 Nice job she did. I may, just may try to get passed the YUCK factor, and safe this job for later this fall, when it is not nice to be outside.

JoAnn_Fla I worked on it, then quit. I really rather finish opening my boxes... and I did end up vacuuming my walls, to get them cleaner looking and washed most of the baseboards.. and door frames, and doors etc. etc. etc.

Here are pictures showing the bathroom floor where I cleaned, and not yet,

and the same for the kitchen floor.

Above all, YIPPEEE I have internet again, here at my new to me house!!!!

Moni

Are you absolutely sure that's dirt on the kitchen floor, Moni? It looks like the grout was meant to be that dark brown color. I've seen many a home where dark grout between a lighter tile was an intentional application....as a floor/tile highlighter....as well as to keep dirt from showing on a tile floor. It was a very popular decorative application some years ago. The grout color in your photos above is too consistent in color to be all dirt...to my eyes. Just a thought.

After you're done cleaning the grout, you can put a grout sealer on it (more hands and knees work with a small paintbrush) that will make the grout surface non-water permeable so that it will stay cleaner.

I REALLY recommend Bar Keeper's Friend. No fumes. Works well. Works on a lot of things. Very mild. Yes, I think the second picture is of brown grout. I have it in my bathrooms (talked into it) and that is what it looks like.

Yes, Bar Keeper's Friend is your best friend! Works like nothing else I've ever used.

The bathroom grout is definitely dirty. The kitchen grout looks dirty too. You can see areas of much lighter in it. Besides that, of course it's dirty even if the grout were brown - you just wouldn't be able to see it! IMO, I think it looks quite dirty, not brown. You had also said it was lighter in the non-traffic areas, dark and dirty in the traffic areas. 'Really yucky dark, except where in the areas outside of the normal usage pattern.'

Scrub to death, get the embedded dirt lifted out, then sterlize ;-)

It is definitely DIRT! I will clean it... but guess, for now I will quit agonizing about it. Got to much other stuff to do.

Got internet today.

The adjuster for the insurance company came and took pictures, to verify my info (over the phone only), went to Verizon, AT&T, back to Verizon and back to AT&T to get an Oklahoma phone number. The whole day is gone, and I only vacuumed, like I told about earlier.

Oh, no, I forgot, also got a haircut. I feel like I didn't get anything done, but I am also wiped out.

Yes, Elmer, I plan to put grout sealer on, once I get it clean.

Thanks everyone for your suggestion... even though I already tried bar keepers friend... and it just doesn't cut it. It's just plain DIRTY! I will prolly try the peroxide and baking soda. I was very impressed with the GREAT job the peroxide did on the smelly furniture.

over and out for now. :)

Moni