How to clean the seams between the tiles in the bathroom

What could be better than a beautiful renovated bathroom: freshly laid tiles, shiny chrome accessories, new plumbing. Maintaining all this splendor is not difficult, the most important thing is that care should be carried out systematically, otherwise increased humidity and related factors, such as plaque, fungus and mold, will do their dirty job.

Chemical cleansing

The first thing that suffers from moisture - the seams between the tiles, this is the weakest link. During the use of the bathroom, they can become soiled that the luxurious tile will lose its appeal. And to avoid this phenomenon does not work, such is the specifics of using the room. What to do? Is it possible to clean tile joints in the bathroom at home, or is it mandatory to call specialists who will remove the dirt? There is nothing impossible; you just need to choose the most acceptable method for yourself.

Before starting work, you need to remove from the room everything that can interfere with the process: remove cabinets, shelves and mirrors. If you have to work with an acidic cleaner, it is necessary to ensure access of fresh air to the bathroom.

Chemical cleaning refers to ordinary washing of seams with the help of special products sold in the departments of household chemicals. A fairly effective way, although not without drawbacks: chemicals effectively clean a smooth surface, which is tile, but not porous - the seams between the tiles. Mud so eats into the seams that chemistry is often powerless to cope with it. You can try, but in this case you need to look for strong agents that contain acids in your composition, but the maximum you can count on is light clarification, but by no means a hundred percent purification.

When using a chemical agent, clearly follow the instructions. For this purpose, Pemolux, tried and tested in many ways by a good hostess, is perfect. The product must be applied to the seams, left for a while, rubbed with a brush, rinse with warm water, wipe the surface dry.

It is better not to bring to a state where you have to take drastic measures, care for the seams between the tiles should be done from the very beginning.

Mechanical way

The next method is very long, painstaking and tedious, but effective. It consists in cleaning off the top layer of grout with a metal brush, sandpaper or a scraper. In this case, it doesn’t matter how deep the mud has dropped. Some enterprising owners use a drill for this purpose, but experts do not recommend using this unit, because there is a high probability of damage to the enamel of the tile. Too stiff brushes should also not be used, as they remove the top layer of grout with uneven, noticeable strips.

Severe dirt and fungus are removed in the following way. Seams are cleaned with any improvised sharp tool that is at hand. It can be a knife, scraper or screwdriver. In some especially advanced cases, it will be necessary to completely remove the grout. It should be cleaned until all dirt has disappeared.

The next step will be the treatment of the joints with acetic acid. Each cleaned millimeter is smeared with vinegar. This will prevent the appearance of the fungus in the future. After 10 minutes, the surface is wiped with a damp cloth, then dry and, finally, fresh grout is applied with a rubber spatula, the excess is wiped with a dry cloth.

Folk methods and methods for cleaning seams

As practice shows, folk methods of cleaning the seams between the tiles are much more effective than using chemical means.

Of course, you will have to work, but the result is worth it. With the help of a prepared homemade reagent, you can not only significantly lighten the seams, but also get rid of the fungus, if it did not have time to penetrate deeply. Conventional baking soda will help. It is applied to the seams with a toothbrush, rubbed and washed off. The treated areas must be thoroughly wiped dry.

If the degree of contamination is very high or the fungus has deeply taken root, it will be necessary to resort to more stringent measures.

Each house has a whiteness, if nevertheless it is not there, you can use acetic acid. Vinegar is never used in its pure form, it is diluted with water in the following proportions: 1.5 tablespoons per half liter of water.

The product must be applied to the seams, left for 10 minutes, rub the seams with a brush and rinse with water. The final chord is wiping with a dry rag to avoid moisture. Rubber gloves and a gauze bandage will be quite out of place.

However, this is not all. If the hostess wants the tile joints to shine with whiteness, like brand new, she can repeat the procedure using soda.

But you can’t use soap, it can contribute to the rapid spread of the fungus.

Another effective way is cleaning with a steam cleaner. This method is the safest, most effective and, most importantly, environmentally friendly. Hot thick steam will remove any dirt, and no streaks or sagging will form.

The nozzle of the steam generator should be directed to a contaminated place and the contaminants should be cleaned with steam. After the procedure, rinse the surface and wipe. It is advisable to treat the surface with an antibacterial disinfectant.

If this device is not at home, you can always use the services of a special company that will clean the seams with steam in a matter of minutes.

Removing completely old grout

Unfortunately, there is a situation where none of the above methods helps, especially when it is not possible to get rid of mold. The hostess has no choice but to resort to a radical measure - the removal of the grout completely.

The cleaned joints are treated with a special primer, after which fresh grout is applied.

This work is very complicated and time-consuming, but the result is worth it, and it’s better to remove the old, damaged grout in time than to completely change the tile.

By the way, on a white grout between the seams, the dirt immediately becomes noticeable, so experts recommend using it only if the tiles are white. Contrast seams visually look no less impressive.

As you can see, it’s difficult to wash the seams between the tiles, but maybe you just don’t need to be lazy to periodically remove dirt, take preventive measures against fungus, and then the bathroom will delight the eye with freshness and cleanliness for a long time.

Video: how to clean the seams between the tiles