Why is tile easy to clean but grout is black and filthy ?
The reason is quite simple. When the floor gets mopped all the dirt of the floor goes into the water. Then the water gets pushed in to the lowest areas of the floor which are the grout lines. So basically instead of removing the dirt from your floor you just swished it all around the floor. It is actually quite gross to contemplate the accumulation of years of grime sitting in your grout.
But in fact it goes further than this. Grout generally is cement based and absorbent. You can see how light grout darkens when wet just like a sidewalk in the rain or a sand darkens from water. So when the dirty mopping water goes on your grout in fact it really goes in and it does not come out easily just like a stain absorbed in to clothing. Sometimes it can’t come out at all and can be stained permanently.
So how can you prevent grout from staining and getting dark and dirty ?
The key is proper mopping and sealing your grout.
Proper mopping requires clean water and a clean mop. The water should be changed if necessary. A large 5 gallon mop bucket may not need the water changed for most residential floors. Water should be used in abundance so there is plenty of clean water that can rinse off the grout lines and not just merely dampen the tiles.
Finally and most important the water on the floor should be dried with a bath towel to soak up all the dirty water. Now you will have a clean tile floor and a dirty towel not dirty grout !
So you may ask so why do I need to seal my grout ? The answer is that even when drying properly after mopping because grout is porous it will still absorb some of that dirty water before you have a chance to dry it off. By properly sealing your grout that makes the grout non absorbent and will prevent any absorption. As long as you dry the water before it begins to dry your grout will stay totally clean. I have seen this time and time again.
In the coming articles we will discuss various types of grout and natural stone (granite) sealers and their effectiveness as well as how anyone can tell whether their grout was properly sealed or not. We will also discuss how to clean grout once it does get dirty and caution on how not to ruin your grout in the process. Last but not least we will discuss proper shower maintenance in preventing leaking as well as preventing mold occurrences. We welcome any questions and they may be answered in future articles.
Grout Works can be reached at (732) 994-9681
