What is the best grout cleaner? It depends on how dirty the grout is that you are cleaning, where the grout is (is it on the floor, on the wall, in the kitchen, the bathroom, etc.), and your personal preference as far as cleaning products go.  Some of the products with the best customer reviews are listed here.

Grout cleaners come in variations from very mild to very harsh. There are homemade and organic cleaners as well as chemical cleaners that need gloves, goggles, and a well-ventilated area to be used properly. There are cleaners that are sprays, sprays that turn bubbly, and pastes. Each of them have their place, so we will go over each one so you can determine what the best grout cleaner is for your job.

Mild grout cleaners can range from general household cleaners to homemade cleaners made specifically for tile and grout. Each of these are to be used for general use, to be used often, as well as for simple jobs. If your job doesn’t have a lot of soiling, try a general cleaner, to see if it does the trick.

Tough grout cleaners are just that. They are very tough and proper precautions should be taken when using these products. These are only to be used on occasion because if they’re used too often, they can erode the grout causing more problems than you started with. And so only use them on very heavily soiled grout. A good rule of thumb to follow is to use the weakest solution that will get the job done. So generally I recommend starting with a water mist, let it sit, and then try as mild a cleaner as you can find and gradually go tougher and tougher until you find the one that will work. Do all this on a small area (one or two squares) and then move on to the rest of the area to be cleaned with the cleaner that does the job.

There are several cleaners you can make from common household items that are organic and fairly effective. Vinegar water solutions can work as well as any general household cleaner and it is naturally a disinfectant. You can make a great baking soda paste to use on dirtier grout. Use 1/3 baking soda, 1/3 salt, and 1/3 vinegar. And you can use lemon juice instead of bleach on discolored areas and stains. (Just be careful because it will bleach colored grout.) Another cleaner you can make that is not organic, is a bleach solution. Just don’t use a solution any stronger than three parts water to one part bleach. Or it may cause problem with eroding the grout like with the tough chemical cleaners.

Sprays are very nice, but a paste may be just the ticket to cleaning the soiled grout that you have. Pastes are very nice because they have dissolving granules that can get down into the pores of the grout and pull the dirt out with it. Usually the granules are some sort of salt solution with a little glycerin to attract the dirt and then be able to dissolve in order to clean it up.

As you can see, there is no one right answer to the question: what is the best grout cleaner. But now you have the information you need to pick what the best cleaner is for your needs.

This product, Wagner 915 1,500-Watt On-Demand Power Steamer and Cleaner is in the best value category for steam cleaners. It has received some of the highest customer reviews. It is an all purpose steamer that can be used for cleaning grout, carpets, and floors. It is the best steam cleaner you can get for the price. The tank is large enough it can clean for a long time. The downside is this is only an entry- level steam cleaner. You can buy a better cleaner by spending more money.

Learn more tips for how to clean grout.

With so many different types of grout cleaners and cleaning methodologies out there, a lot of people ask, “how do I clean grout?” Everyone knows that cleaning grout is important if you want your grout to look its best and last longer, but the truth is, it is important to know the best grout cleaners to use because using harsh chemicals to clean with can damage your grout in the long run.

I have heard of probably dozens of different ways of cleaning tile and grout. Any thing from Soft Scrub to dish-washing detergent, to toilet bowl cleaner or commercial floor cleaner. Although I haven’t tried all 100 types of cleaners that I have heard of, I would imagine to one degree or another, if you worked at it long enough using any of these methods, (or even just water) your grout would become cleaner.


Recently, I read a blog written by a third generation tile cleaner and installer. I thought his opinion was really interesting so I am including it here.

Third Generation ‘Tile Man’ Cleaning Recipe

He suggested that you just use clear vinegar mixed with water and baking soda. He says this makes the best grout cleaner. The recipe is as follows: In a small stainless steel bucket or basin, fill it up 1/2 way with water. Them mix into it about 1/4 cup of vinegar and two tablespoons of water. This solution should start to react and foam up. Next, you should spray it on the tile and grout and let it sit for a few minutes. Then using a medium brush, clean the heavily solid or stain grout (http://tile-repair.net/). Not only does this method clean and disinfect, but it also helps to lighten the tile grout. This method is very cost effective and one of the simplest ways to clean grout. If you haw tough grout stains, this method may not get rid of the stain on your first cleaning. This leaves you with two options. One, repeated cleaning until the stains start to lighten and disappear, or two, upgrade to a stronger grout cleaner.

Anyway, I though this method was interesting and definitely worth a shot. I can’t wait to try it out. Please feel free to leave a comment on how well this system of grout cleaning worked for you.

To make the job as easy as possible, you also need to have the right kind of brush. For floor grouts, I recommend a pole grout brush. For large tile and grout, as well as wall cleaning, I recommend a triangle bristled brush. For small grouts, I suggest you use small professional grout cleaning brushes. They are designed to work well and last a long time.

More essential readings you may be interested:

Learn 8 Essential Tips for Grouting Tile
How do I clean grout?

There are several different grout cleaners available on the market. In fact, the selection is so great, it is hard to know what to use to clean grout for the grout job you need done. There are mild cleaners, tough acting ones, bleaching cleaners, pastes, and organic cleaners. We will go over each of the different types of cleaners to help you determine what is best for your job.

First we will discuss mild grout cleaners. Mild grout cleaners are for a more regular use. If the grout is not very dirty, and you are able to get it cleaned on a regular basis, or it is not in a high soil area (like on a kitchen wall) you can use a mild grout cleaner quite effectively. For mild grout cleaners, you can use almost any general household cleaner. However, there are a few notes of caution. First, be sure that if you have colored grout, that the cleaner you are using doesn’t have any bleach in it, or it will discolor your grout. Second, if you are using a powder product be sure it is non-abrasive so it doesn’t destroy the grout. To make these cleaners more effective, it will be beneficial to let water or the cleaner sit on the area you wish to clean for 10 to 15 minutes before washing. This will help loosen any grime and make the scrubbing job much easier.

Bleaching cleaners are what their name implies. As I mentioned earlier, don’t use any sort of bleach cleaner on colored grout. However, if you have white grout, you may be able to get away with using a simple bleach solution to clean your grout. This cleaner falls under the mild cleaner category. You want to make about a three-to-one solution water to bleach, anything stronger than that can damage the grout.

Pastes are very effective grout cleaners. There are several commercial pastes you can buy that really do a great job. Pastes have the approximate consistency of toothpaste. To use them, you first rinse the area to be cleaned, then spread the paste on the grout only. Let sit for a few minutes, and then go to town scrubbing with a soft bristle brush. Pastes are great agents for very dirty grout or high traffic areas, though you will find yourself on your hands and knees scrubbing the floor, it will not take too long and be very effective. Because grout is porous, it is difficult to get dirt out of the several pores, however, grout paste cleaners are made with small grains that get into the pores and clean them out.

Next are very tough acting grout cleaners. You will have to go to a commercial product line to find these. These need to be used with caution and only if none of the other methods worked. Be sure to use the proper safety equipment like goggles and gloves while using these cleaners, and be in a well ventilated area. Look for the most mild type of cleaner possible and be sure it is made specifically for grout and tile. Use of too harsh chemicals too often will erode the grout itself and the glue holding the tile in place causing a bigger problem than dirty grout. So be sparing with the tough chemicals.

Last are some organic grout cleaners you can make at home. They are all quite mild, but can be effective as well. First, you can use vinegar diluted one-to-one or full strength. However, be careful not to use it full strength too often or it will eventually erode the grout. Second, you can use lemon juice. It is quite effective and a natural disinfectant. However, beware that lemons will bleach colored grout. And another cleaner you can make at home is a nice paste. Take one third each baking soda, salt, and vinegar.

Hopefully, these guidelines will help you in choosing what to use to clean grout.