Crying - please help with floor grouting

[Loussa]

Hi. I have just bought a new house (first time buyer). Spent more than I can afford (well close to) on a brand new kitchen. We went for limestone effect porcelain tiles (matte).

Ive had to be without my karcher for two months - got lost in the move. Full disclosure we have 2 golden retrievers. I’ve done my best with the flash speed mop but the floors have been trashed.

Gave it a good clean but the grout looks
disgusting still. I’ve told DH not to walk the dogs in the woods but he has ignored me. Dh has called me not to get fixated.

How can I get them back? Do I need to regrout?

Regroup with grey grout.

"Simple solution- the floors are now his Job. And if he does a shit Job then start doing badly at the dishes til he starts commenting on the dirty dishes, then say well the floor is really dirty and you won't walk the dogs elsewhere/clean it properly so I'm just matching your vibe."

So fucking petty. Don't do this or you'll soon enough be selling the house as per divorce settlement.

OP - white grout goes grubby without dogs, without the woods, it's life. Time to decide what's important in life (tip - it isn't fucking grout 🙄)

I don't even like dogs and think you're ridiculous to want to restrict their walks for the sake of grout!

You will never keep pale floor grout clean. If it's going to upset you this much, I'd consider getting them regrouted with a dark grey.

Ok in this picture you can definitely tell the difference. I see what you mean now. I’d try get it regrouted in a darker colour or you’ll forever be cleaning.

It's absolutely nothing! 😂

Make the clean bits dirty so it matches and live life. You won't look back on your death bed and be pleased about grout

You are fighting a loosing battle, let them all get dirty ( purposely dirty some) so they are all a mid grey colour colour and then they will all blend in, no one will know they were not mid grey to start with.
Get DH to clean up after the dogs in future

This 100%!

Your house is there for you to live in - it is meant to serve your needs, you are not meant to relentlessly serve your house. It is not your master.

It is crazy to stop your DH & dogs having a lovely forest walk and completely the wrong way round to put your kitchen floor tiles grout colour above your DH & dogs health & wellbeing - can you not see that?

If it is something like ocd op, it might be worth actually going for a grey grouting to help your mental health. The grouting is what always happens to grout, it does not stay pristine, it’s not about your dogs. So maybe if you struggle it would be worth changing it.

Found it!

This is what we used to use and can highly recommend.

https://universealsealants.co.uk/shop/grout/grout-colour-seal/grout-rescue-colour-seal/

When you mop the dirty water gets stuck in the grout as its lower down, we changed ours to dark grey grout, but luckily our tiles suit that. You need to both mop and remove water from the grout with towels.

Get a tiler to put in kerapoxy grouting. It is polymer based, so cures into plastic-like substance which does not absorb dirt and moisture. Two dogs and cream tiled flooring here, no issues!

Wow, poor dogs and DH.

It's floor grout. You have two big hairy dogs who are basically muck magnets.

Exactly that’s why it’s nothing to do with the dogs , it would happen anyway.

I would advise not worrying about it. If you plan to sell up and move in future you can deal with it then. If it really bothers you then maybe look at something like LVT flooring in the kitchen instead?

In my experience steam mopping won’t actually clean grout properly it’s a hands and knees scrubbbng brush job. But you might be better off staining all the grout a darker colour because you’ll never keep white grout on the floor white (I have white porcelain tiles and the fitters recommended grey grout)

The tiles are lovely. Your tiler should have told you that you need darker grout on floor tiles, not white.
I get you OP - I obsess over my grouting in the downstairs loo. I am forever spraying limescale remover on it. DP thinks I'm bonkers.

I think I may have OCD. Exhibit other OCD linked behaviours (hair pulling). If I see the curtains are asymmetrical I have to go fix.

Its a kitchen. Its going to get splashed with gravy, hot oil/fat, tomato based sauces, squashed chocolate and everything as you cook.

Have you ever sought help for this? I don't know a lot about OCD, but crying over grout isn't proportionate, if this happens with other things it must be very difficult to live with (for both of you). Have a chat with your GP if you haven't already and this isn't an isolated incident.

OP, that's the kind of thing that would fuck me off too.

I also have two large dogs, and a huge muddy garden.

For a life of ease, I'd go the route of changing the grouting, either to the kerpoxy someone mentioned (very interesting!), or a darker colour. You'll forever be on your knees attemping to keep it all that light colour.

Easier to give in a little.

What a silly, immature response.

You really have two choices, recolour the grout darker or chill out. Actually they’re not mutually exclusive, you can do both.

Definitely seek help OP. Meds can be very good for OCD - Sertraline for example.
Life is far too fucking short to be stressed out and crying over grout.

Hair pulling? Oh that doesn’t sound healthy. Have you sought treatment or a diagnosis?