What Should I Use To Clean Bathroom Tiles

What you need

How long volition this take to clean?

For my flat's full-size shower, the entire process took about 15 minutes. But the time it takes volition vary, depending on how much tile yous're trying to clean and the severity of the stains.

Identifying the type of stain

A view of a tiled shower from outside, with noticeable stains forming in between the tiles on the wall of the bathroom. — Photograph: Kyle Fitzgerald

Bathroom tile and grout stains take a few common causes, starting with mold or mildew. These organic stains thrive in the damp corners of a bathroom shower and the porous, physical-based grouts that are unremarkably found in betwixt bathroom tiles.

If y'all're tackling a light stain, or you lot want to avoid working with hasher commercial chemicals, you tin mix equal parts baking soda and water to form a very mild alkaline cleaner that can handle small amounts of mold or mildew.

The other mutual source of staining in a shower is rust or lime buildup. It'south ordinarily caused by hard water—which has higher levels of dissolved calcium or atomic number 26—and these stains are common when your h2o is drawn from a well or other groundwater sources. These deposits can gain footing in the porous tile and grout of a bath and exit a discolored stain. Rust has a ruby-brown tint, while limescale usually has a chalky-white or pale green color.

Cleaning the tile

For any of these common stains, the cleaning process is the same. Apply the cleaner by direct spraying it on the wall or onto a damp sponge, cloth, or brush. Let the solution sit for a short period, then scrub with the brush, making certain to go the bristles into the grout itself. Rinse thoroughly and let the area dry.

If your tile grout is withal discolored or grimy after a few attempts, it may just be onetime instead of stained. In this case you may want to look into applying a grout colorant and sealer, which is a more than in-depth and careful procedure.

What to avoid

Grout is pivotal in keeping tile fresh and rubber, so annihilation that may degrade or remove it should be avoided. Wire brushes or steel wool should not be used. And the same goes for abrasive cleaners similar Borax or Comet. Those tools tin can scratch tiles, and the chemicals can damage grout.