Nothing makes a clean tile floor look dirtier than stained grout. Unfortunately, it is easy for dirt to buildup in the spaces between your tile floors, particularly in high traffic areas like the bathroom.
The damp and grime of the bathroom also make it easy for tile floors as well as tile walls and grout to grow scum and mildew. This can leave you searching for the best answer to how to clean bathroom tile in your home.
The best and easiest way of cleaning bathroom tile and grout is a little bit of elbow grease and the right ingredients. Though there are many commercial cleaning products available that can cut through dirt and scum, many of these products contain harmful chemicals.
Cleaning Bathroom Tiles and Grout
Instead of using a harsh cleaner, you can easily make your own bathroom cleaner for tile and grout using a few cheap ingredients that you might already have in your kitchen cupboard. With homemade cleaning solutions and the right washing techniques, your bathroom tile will sparkle.
We choose tile for the bathroom for its sleek and shiny appearance. However, when tile gets stained or accumulates soap scum, the shine is dulled and it looks nasty. Learn how to deep clean shower tiles with our effective recipes that only require the most basic ingredients and a little elbow grease. You won’t be sorry.
For a clean bathroom, from the tile to the grout, follow one or more of these simple recipes. You likely already have most of the ingredients on hand.
Many of these recipes can also be used to clean a tiled bathroom floor or counter, as well. Having one cleaner to use on multiple surfaces saves time and money – things we can all use more of.
How to Clean Bathroom Tile
To clean your tile floors, you can make the best tile and grout cleaner using this simple recipe. The hydrogen peroxide cuts through dirt and mildew, leaving your ceramic tile clean.
Combine baking soda and hydrogen peroxide in a small container with a squeeze-top. Add the dish soap and replace the lid. Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients. Apply the tile cleaner to the dirty areas and allow it to sit for about five minutes.
Grab a paper towel or damp sponge and wipe away the mixture for an effective DIY hydrogen peroxide cleaner. Rinse the area with warm water to remove residue.
Avoid irritation by wearing gloves when cleaning with this recipe, as hydrogen peroxide can be harsh on the skin. This solution can also take care of stubborn stains on the tiles and is ideally suited for how to clean bathroom grout. Have a small brush handy to work the cleaner into crevices.
Using peroxide is a well-known way to remove blood from walls and other surfaces, including laundry.
How to Remove Soap Scum
Many areas in the bathroom are particularly susceptible to soap scum. Whether it’s the bathroom floor tile or the shower doors, these unsightly stains can make the entire room look dirty.
To remove soap scum from tiles, you can make a stain remover paste out of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Combine the two ingredients and stir. For the perfect bathroom tile cleaner, apply the thick paste to the dirty tiles using a damp cloth or sponge.
Let the paste sit for a minimum of 30 minutes. Take an old toothbrush or grout brush and scrub, removing the soap scum with it. With a clean cloth, rinse the clean bathroom tiles with warm water.
How to Clean Shower Tile
When it comes to how to clean shower tile, a powerful all purpose cleaner suffices. This recipe for an all purpose bathroom cleaner effectively cuts through dirt and leaves your shower tile smelling fresh and clean.
Pour the vinegar and dish soap into a glass spray bottle and shake well to combine. Add essential oils and stir again. Shake the solution before each use, as the oils will separate.
Spray a generous amount of the all purpose cleaner the tile walls and floor of the shower to clean grout between floor tiles, as well as the tiles themselves. The solution should sit for ten minutes or so to get deeply into stains to loosen them. Wipe away with a clean rag. An old toothbrush makes a great tool to scrub the tile grout effectively.
As long as you are careful with the application, you can also use this shower tile cleaner recipe to clean walls without removing paint in the bathroom. Instead of letting the cleaner sit, simply wipe it on the walls to remove grime and swipe the area with a clean sponge or rag.
How to Clean Bathroom Tile Grout
Dirty grout is very stubborn, so learning how to clean bathroom tile grout is helpful. This recipe is suitable to clean porcelain tiles, allowing you to clean grout in the shower or floor. It is also ideal for the bathtub, sink, and toilet bowl.
An old toothbrush or other soft bristle brush can be beneficial to clean shower tile grouting or grout in other bathroom areas. Spray on the cleaner and scrub with the brush to be sure you get into all the porous surfaces of the grout that needs cleaning.
In a large container, combine baking soda, water, ammonia, and vinegar and stir for a simple way of cleaning grout between tiles. Keep this mixture away from bleach, though, as it creates dangerous chlorine gas when mixed with ammonia.
Pour the cleaning solution in a spray bottle and squirt directly on the grout line. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes or more before lightly scrubbing the grout with a brush or toothbrush. Using a sponge or moist cloth, wipe the surface clean. This recipe also works quite well to clean floor grouting, too.
Some extra pressure may be necessary on this grout as it tends to get grimier than that on shower walls. A slight variation of this recipe is also useful to clean marble tile. Add a ½ cup of ammonia to a bucket of hot water.
Use a soft mop or cloth to apply the cleaning solution to the floor or tile before wiping away residue with clean water. To prevent staining on porous marble tiles, dry the surface with a cloth.
If your grout is old and just doesn’t respond to anything you clean it with, it is probably time to replace it. Follow our instructions for the best way to remove grout without harming the tiles and your tile will be ready for nice, clean new grout.
We also have some ideas for removing grout haze from tiles when you do install new grout. Before long, you will have a bright new tub where you can actually enjoy taking a shower.
How to Remove Mildew from Tile Grout
Cleaning tile is relatively easy with a DIY ceramic tile floor cleaner, but tile grout mold and mildew are a little more stubborn and challenging to get rid of. While commercial scouring powder does work for this purpose, it is also very harsh and can damage grout and tile with extensive use.
However, you can tackle this issue with just one ingredient. You can use either vinegar or hydrogen peroxide on its own to get rid of mildew and remove mold from grout or mix them together for a powerful cleaner.
Pour hydrogen peroxide directly onto the mildew and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. If you use vinegar, make sure it is distilled, and then let it sit for ten minutes. Whether you use hydrogen peroxide or vinegar, wipe the surface with a damp sponge.
With these simple bathroom tile and grout cleaning tips and recipes, you can have your floor, shower, and walls sparkling in no time. Find all the ingredients at the grocery store or hardware store and can create these cleaners on a budget.
Remember to clean your bathroom regularly to avoid stubborn soap scum stains or mold from forming, and you won’t have any trouble keeping your home dirt-free.
If you find these tile cleaning solutions helpful, then share our bathroom grout cleaner recipes with your friends and family online!