How to Clean Shower Grout and Tile

If you are struggling with cleaning shower grout and want to know how to clean shower grout the quick and easy way, then you are at the right place.  Bathroom grout is very porous, tough mildew and other fungus can become deeply embedded in between the tiles so it is important to know how to clean them.

How does Bathroom Mildew Develop?
Mildew is a type of fungus that grows in bathroom showers, and wet laundry. The type that grows in your bathroom shower is typically a blueish color. Mildew feeds on the oils in the soap you use in your shower as well as the dead cells from your skin. Mildew needs a humid, damp and warm environment to thrive. Overtime mildew stains build up and become worse, cleaning the grout once every two weeks can do a lot to prevent it from getting out of hand. Another way to prevent mildew is to use the bathroom fan and keep you window open during the summer or after you shower. This cuts down on the level of humidity in the air.


(For basic how to clean grout information please visit our other pages.)

The toughest grout stain may take several hours to remove. The best way to get rid of mildew stains is to use bleach diluted to a  ratio of one cup of bleach to one gallon of water.  Put this into a spray bottle. Spray this on and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes. If you had colored tiles, try using bleach with color guard or oxygenated bleach. It may take up to a few hours of spray but eventually the stain should come out.

Another method I have never heard about before I read on (www.askthebuilder.com, by Tim Burton) Was pretty novel and so I thought I would mention it here. I haven’t tried it so if any of you do and it works for you, please leave me a comment ans let me know. They said that you need to use distilled white vinegar and paper towels. You get the paper towels wet with vinegar and then you past them to your walls. The downside to this methods is that you will need to come in and replace the paper towel every hour and you use a lot of vinegar. It takes 4 to 5 hours as well. The upside to this method is that vinegar is a lot milder cleaner and it is considered organic. If you can use it to clean with instead a bleach, your grout should last a little be longer.

If you are still having trouble removing the stain after a few hours, you may need to use a grout pen with a water proof epoxy. This can reseal the porous surface of the grout and restore it back to its original color. Each pen will cover approximately 100 linear feet, so it may take a couple of pens to complete the job. After applying the epoxy grout paint allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours before using your shower.