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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Cleaning the grout inbetween bathroom tiles..

42 replies

SpanglyGiraffe · 05/01/2012 19:58

Sorry, it's a really boring one!
Ive used bleach & a toothbrush, and some grout cleaner, and it's not made a shred of difference. It's really awful & black.
Does anyone have any wonderful solutions as to how to get it white again?!

OP posts:
amazonianwoman · 05/01/2012 20:04

Dettol mould cleaner

If that doesn't clean it, nothing will.

FortiesCromarty · 05/01/2012 20:15

Grotbuster it's magic.

SpanglyGiraffe · 05/01/2012 21:13

Thankyou, ill try them both!

OP posts:
Seona1973 · 05/01/2012 21:27

I second dettol mould amd mildew remover

Seona1973 · 05/01/2012 21:28

p.s. I didnt think grotbuster was as effective

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 05/01/2012 21:39

Lakeland do a mould remover spray. I think it was called HG something. Was miraculous, all my orange and black mould just wiped away...

lipslave · 05/01/2012 22:03

Hmm... I foolishly mosaic tiled my shower = flipping loads of grout to clean. At first I spent hours with a toothbrush and small quantities of bleach/bathroom cleaner and never had v good results.

My new and far more effective strategy is to open bathroom window and douse tiles liberally with bleach. I squirt all around and allow to run down. I then put rubber gloves on and wipe around a bit so grout all covered. I then leave for an hour and then rinse off. Result: grout whiter than tiles instead if the other way aound, for minimum effort.

I am willing to accept that it is probably not very environmentally friendly (but I don't do if all that often, and the other products mentioned on this thread are prob full of lots of nasty chemicals too). It does make your bathroom smell like the swimming baths - hence the open window - and I do it when my kids are not around. But it does work at getting rid of black marks and the orange tinge that generally makes the shower look a bit grubby.

HTH

bonzo77 · 05/01/2012 22:11

yes yes to dettol mould and mildew remover. which is basically just watered down bleach. Make your own with a spray bottle, value thin bleach diluted 1 part to maybe 5 or so parts water and a spot of fairy liquid.

LadyDamerel · 05/01/2012 22:19

The HG Mould & Mildew remover is even better than the Dettol, imo.

carrotsandcelery · 05/01/2012 22:20

I agree that Dettol Mould and Mildew remover is amazing.

lisianthus · 07/01/2012 15:14

Lakeland have a fabulous brush for grout too. It's magic.

brighthair · 07/01/2012 18:46

I do the same as lipslave. Teeny tiny mosaic tiles were not my brightest idea Grin

dearprudence · 07/01/2012 18:49

Get thee to Lakeland. Their mould remover is fabulous. It does leave your house smelling like the swimming baths, but it brings grout up like new.

TheSpreadingChestnutTree · 07/01/2012 19:13

Am I the only one who loves the smell of the swimming baths and bleach?

Eclairwaldorf · 07/01/2012 19:19

I use the dettol mould one but still have to use a toothbrush - am I ding something wrong? Live in a hardwater area though so notice lots more scum etc on tiles than say, at my parents where the water is softer. Maybe they clean more though Blush

thestringcheesemassacre · 07/01/2012 19:23

Grotbuster, it is indeed magic!

PavlovtheCat · 07/01/2012 19:23

you can buy grout whitener. It is a white paint pen that goes over mould/yucky staining. I do ours every year and in between, I use grot buster once very few months.

PavlovtheCat · 07/01/2012 19:24

grout pen

BikingViking · 07/01/2012 19:25

I love the smell of swimming pools and bleach too Blush

Glad I spotted this thread, will try the hardcore bleach approach as opposed to the heavily watered down bleach and toothbrush one.

Now I just need to find a hardcore limescale remover (with minimal effort) as we also live in a hard water area.

cornishpasty · 07/01/2012 19:28

Detail spray is amazing for this.
Give the area a quick wipe with a wet cloth. Then spray with dettol mould cleaner and leave it for about 10 minutes. When you come back most if the black should be gone.

SearchSquad · 07/01/2012 19:30

Dettol Mould and Mildew remover spray works when everything else fails.

WhatsWrongWithYule · 07/01/2012 19:34

I use the HG one as well - you don't even have to scrub it, just rinse off. Homebase sell it. I also have the Lakeland grout brush, which is good, but hardly ever use it, as tends to be the pattern with me and cleaning materials!

SpanglyGiraffe · 08/01/2012 22:50

Chestnut tree I love the smell too!

Thankyou for all the ideas. I'm
I'm getting all excited now about trying these products & having gleaming bathrooms! Blush Grin

OP posts:
sarahken · 08/01/2012 23:36

Best thing I have found is mixing bicarbonate soda with water to form a paste (quite slushy, not too watery). Apply with a toothbrush, leave for 20 mins then wipe off with a dry towel, hoover any excess, then clean the residue off with window cleaner to shine. Cheap and no nasty chemicals

Raffiiscool · 08/01/2012 23:37

Dettol Mould and Mildew remover - is amazing - it will work - wear gloves!