Pinteresting: Cleaning Bathroom Grout

The longer I live in my house, the more I like my bathroom. I love the old tiles and since it's small, that just means less for me to clean! One of the first things I had to do before moving in was a deep cleaning. The bathroom floors and walls were pretty disgusting and I knew it would look so much better if only the grout wasn't so dingy. 

I mean, just look at those hexagon tiles! (What can I say? I'm a fan of this shape.) 

I headed over to Pinterest to see what I could use to give this grout a makeover. 

Attempt #1: Bleach pen

The only bleach pen I could find was the Tilex Tile and Grout pen with Bleach. I bought 2 pens and that was barely enough for half the tub. I let the solution stay for 10-15 minutes before rinsing it off. 

This didn't really do anything. The tiles were clean, but the grout wasn't any whiter. I think it was because the solution just dripped off the wall tiles. This may have worked better on floor tiles where the solution could penetrate the grout and not run off of them. I couldn't test this theory since I didn't have any more grout pens to use. 

Attempt #2: Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide Paste

Hey, if it whitens teeth, it should work on grout, right? Plus, it would stick to the grout, which would solve one of the issues the grout pen had.

I made a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (3:1 ratio), slathered it on the wall tile, and let it sit  for more than an hour.

Huge mess. No results. Tile was clean, but the grout was still dark. 

Attempt #3: Toilet Cleaner 

Ladies & Gentlemen, we have a winner! 

It whitens toilets, clings, and has bleach. Sounds good so far! Plus it's super easy and fast to apply and doesn't cost too much. It took 2 bottles to cover all the tile on the walls and the floor. 

The excess cleaner pooled on the floor, so I just threw on some rubber gloves and spread it around. 

I did all this in the evening, after a long day of working on the house, so I was not in the mood to stay longer just to clean. So I let it sit overnight. 

The next day, I took a cleaning brush and a little bit of water, scrubbed the tiles, and wiped everything clean with a damp cloth. 

Just look at those gorgeous tiles! It's like a brand new floor! Now I'm not embarrassed to have people use my bathroom.

Hopefully the tiles will never look that gross again, but if they do, I know what to do!