A clean bathroom is one of life’s simple pleasures. After a long day at work, a steaming hot shower or a deliciously bubbly bath is the perfect remedy. Candles - lit, fluffy towel - ready. You’re about to unwind, de-stress and forget about your nagging boss...but then you spot the grim state of your tiles.

The culprit is grout. Made from a mixture of cement, sand and water, grout is the stuff used to hold your bathroom and kitchen tiles in place. It’s often light in colour and extremely porous. As a result, it (unhelpfully) absorbs dirt and gets stained easily.

If you don’t clean the grout regularly, mould and mildew start creeping up, turning it a dodgy grey colour. And to top it off, shampoo and soap suds get soaked up too, leaving behind an unappealing orange tinge.

Dirty grout can take over your bathroom. But luckily, it’s easier than you might think to clean it; once finished you’ll have a sparkly space once more.

So - how to clean bathroom tile grout? Urban Jungle have got 5 tried-and-trusted methods for you. Start with the mildest and most environmentally friendly one, and if that doesn’t work, move on to the harsher stuff. That mould doesn’t stand a chance...

Method 1: Water

You’ll need:

A scrubbing brush or old toothbrush

A bowl of warm water

To kick things off, give the grout a good scrub with warm water. Up, down, side to side, put a bit of elbow grease into it.

Method 2: Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda

You’ll need:

A scrubbing brush or old toothbrush

White vinegar

Bicarbonate of soda

An old spray bottle

A bowl of warm water

As recommended by Good Housekeeping, mix together bicarbonate of soda and water until they form a paste. Then rub it onto the dirty grout with the scrubbing brush or toothbrush.

Leave the paste on the grout for 15 minutes, and in the meantime fill an old spray bottle with the vinegar.

Spray onto the area and the paste should start bubbling up. Now, give the grout and tiles a good scrub and rinse them off with water.

Method 3: Whitening toothpaste

You’ll need:

A scrubbing brush or old toothbrush

Whitening toothpaste

A bowl of warm water

Simply splodge some whitening toothpaste onto the old toothbrush or scrubbing brush and work it into the grout and edges of the tiles.

This should help remove any black marks and restore the grout to a light white colour. Once you’ve given the area a thorough scrub, rinse it off with water.

Method 4: Bleach and bicarbonate of soda

You’ll need:

A scrubbing brush or old toothbrush

Bicarbonate of soda

Bleach

A bowl of warm water

When working out how to clean grout on tiles in the bathroom, bleach is harsh but effective. If the previous methods haven’t managed to get rid of the nasty marks, then it might be time to reach for it.

First, put on a pair of gloves to protect your hands from any bleach spillages. Make sure you have some fresh air flowing through the bathroom, so open up a window or door.

Mix bicarbonate of soda and a splash of bleach into a paste. Apply to the grout and leave it to work it’s magic for around 15 minutes.

Next, scrub the grout with the old toothbrush, making sure to really work it into the corners. For any really fiddly bits, you could switch the toothbrush for a cotton bud.

Rinse the grout and tiles with water. On stubborn areas, repeat the process.

Method 5: Grout eraser

You’ll need:

Grout eraser

A bowl of warm water

One of the easiest but most expensive ways to clean grout is by using a grout eraser.

All you have to do is wet the eraser and then use it to scrub the grout. You should find the mould, mildew and stains quickly disappear!

To finish up, give the grout and tiles a quick wipe with a clean cloth. The downside, however, is that one eraser won’t get you very far; be prepared to eat through at least a pack when cleaning your bathroom.

 

So there you have it, clean grout! And what a difference it makes. If you’re a renter sprucing up the bathroom before moving out, have a read of our ‘End of tenancy cleaning tops: a checklist to a spotless house’.