Cleaning Old Germs From Your New Home’s Tile And Grout

Mold and mildew are the enemies of tile and grout. Tile gets installed in kitchens and bathrooms precisely because it shrugs off the water damage that would warp a hardwood floor. Those same rooms stay warm and humid, and warm plus humid plus standing water is how mold gets started.

Regular mopping won’t stop it. Germs settle deep in the pores of the grout, below the level a mop head ever reaches, so you need the right cleaner and enough scrubbing to work it into the grooves.

When you move into a new home you’re inheriting whatever the last owners did or didn’t do. They may have bleached the grout white before listing, and white grout still holds everything living in it. Give the floors one thorough pass before you decide they’re clean. Here’s what actually works:

Salt

You’re fighting living organisms here. Dirt rinses away; mold has to be killed. Salt kills single-celled organisms, and mold is one of them. Those cells are mostly water, and salt pulls the water out of them.

Wet the area first. The water spreads the salt and carries it into the spaces a dry sprinkle would sit on top of. Spray the floor down, sprinkle the salt, then work it into the tile and grout with a damp cloth. Leave it overnight and rinse in the morning.

Borax

Most people file borax under detergent, but it’s a mineral, left behind when salt lakes evaporate. That’s where its high alkalinity comes from, and the alkalinity is what makes it clean and disinfect. It deodorizes as a side effect of disinfecting.

You’ll find it at most grocery and home improvement stores. Pour some into a bowl, dip a damp cloth in it, and scrub the tile and grout with the damp powder. The moisture carries it into the pores where the germs are.

Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide disinfects whatever it touches, which is why it works on both scraped knees and grout lines. It whitens while it kills, so it does two jobs at once. It’s a good choice for cleaning tile and grout in AZ and for plenty else around the house. It’ll even take the burn off old baking pans.

Mix it into a paste before you use it. Baking soda and peroxide makes a double strength cleaner, or plain white flour works if that’s what you have. Whatever ratio gets you a paste is the right ratio. Spread it on the grout and tile, cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out, leave it overnight, and rinse in the morning.

Steam Clean

Steam reaches the stains and the mold that sit in spaces too small for a brush. It takes out soap scum and ground in dirt at the same time, because the heat and pressure push everything up and out of the grout.

You can rent a steam cleaner and run it yourself. The catch is what else the steam reaches. It damages silicone caulk lines and it will pit an enamel tub. Those repairs cost more than the tile and grout cleaning you were trying to save money on. A professional gets the floor clean without taking the caulk and the tub with it.

Never put acidic cleaners or bleach on tile or grout. Both eat the material. Stick to baking soda or a neutral cleaner on a regular schedule, keep standing water off the floor, and mold won’t get a foothold in the first place.

When you move into a new home, call Desert Tile & Grout Care to get the tile and grout cleaned properly. We handle showers, backsplashes, and every other tiled surface in the house, and we work on natural stone too, including travertine, slate, marble, flagstone, and granite. Call us today to book a visit or to ask what your floors need.

About The Authors

Josh Parkhouse and Dan Milne own Desert Tile & Grout Care, a family owned and operated tile, grout, and stone care company based in Gilbert. They’ve spent over 18 years cleaning, sealing, and restoring floors across the Phoenix valley.

Desert Tile & Grout Care
2917 E. Park Avenue, Gilbert, AZ 85234
Phone: 480-288-4475
Web: deserttileandgrout.com