How to Clean and Care for Tile and Grout

Why grout gets dirty when tile does not

The face of a porcelain or glazed ceramic tile is hard and nonporous. Dirt sits on top of it and wipes off. Standard cement grout is different: it is porous, a little like concrete, and it sits slightly below the tile surface. Dirty mop water runs into those low lines, and the grout soaks up whatever is in it. Do that a few hundred times and the grout is a shade or two darker than the day it went in.

So the goal of tile care is mostly grout care. Keep grit off the floor, keep dirty water out of the grout lines, and keep cement grout sealed so stains stay on the surface where you can clean them.

The everyday routine

Sweep, dust mop or vacuum a tile floor a few times a week, and more often at entries and in the kitchen. Fine grit is the main thing that dulls a tile finish and wears grout, and in Oklahoma City that grit is often the red dirt that blows in on windy days and rides in on shoes and paws. If you vacuum, use the hard floor setting or turn the beater bar off so it does not scatter debris.

Then damp mop about once a week with warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner made for tile. A neutral cleaner removes everyday soil without eating at the grout or leaving a film. Change the water as soon as it looks cloudy, because mopping with dirty water is exactly how grout gets darker, and wring the mop well so you are cleaning with a damp mop, not flooding the grout lines.

• ✓A microfiber mop or flat mop lifts soil instead of pushing it into the grout lines
• ✓Go over the floor afterward with a clean, dry towel or let a fan dry it to avoid water spots on glossy tile
• ✓Put a good mat inside and outside every exterior door; grit stopped at the door never reaches the grout
• ✓Wipe kitchen spills promptly, especially oil, wine, coffee and tomato, which stain unsealed grout

Cleaners to avoid

The wrong cleaner can do more damage to a tile floor than years of foot traffic. Read the label on anything you use, and check the cleaning instructions from your tile and grout makers first.

• ✓Vinegar, lemon and other acidic cleaners: they slowly etch cement grout and will damage natural stone like marble and travertine
• ✓Bleach as a routine cleaner: it can discolor colored grout and is not needed for normal cleaning
• ✓Oil soaps and wax-based products: they leave a slippery film that attracts dirt and dulls the tile
• ✓Steel wool and wire brushes: they scratch glazed tile and can leave metal particles that rust in the grout
• ✓Mixing cleaners: never mix bleach with ammonia or acidic products, which can release dangerous fumes

Deep cleaning grout that has gone dark

If the grout lines are already darker than they should be, they can usually be brought back. Start with the gentlest method and work up only if you need to. A grout cleaner labeled safe for your tile, or a paste of baking soda and water, worked into the lines with a stiff nylon grout brush, will lift most everyday soil. Let it sit for a few minutes, scrub along the line, then rinse with clean water and pick up the dirty water with a wet vacuum or towels so it does not settle back into the grout.

For heavier staining, an oxygen bleach cleaner mixed according to the label is generally safer for grout and colored tile than chlorine bleach. Test anything new in a closet or behind a door first. A steam cleaner can also work well on ceramic and porcelain, though check with the tile and grout makers before using one, and do not use steam on grout that is cracked or crumbling.

Grout that is stained deep in its pores, cracked, or missing in places is beyond cleaning. It can be ground out and replaced, or in some cases recolored with a grout colorant, without replacing the tile.

Sealing: what it does and how often

Standard cement grout should be sealed once it has fully cured after installation, and resealed periodically after that. Sealer does not make grout stain-proof. It slows down how quickly spills soak in, which buys you time to wipe them up. How often to reseal depends on the sealer and how hard the floor works. A kitchen or entry may need it every year or two, a guest bath far less often. Follow the sealer maker's directions.

A simple test tells you when it is time: put a few drops of water on the grout. If they bead up, the sealer is still working. If the grout darkens and soaks the water in within a few minutes, it is time to clean the grout thoroughly, let it dry, and reseal.

Some grouts do not need sealing at all. Epoxy grout and many high-performance grouts resist stains on their own, which is why we often suggest them for kitchens, entries and other hard-working floors. Our guide to tile floor installation covers how grout is chosen and set.

Cracked grout and loose tiles

A single hairline crack in grout is usually cosmetic. Grout that cracks along the same line every season, a tile that sounds hollow when you tap it, or a tile that has cracked straight across are different. Those usually point to movement underneath, which is common in central Oklahoma, where expansive clay soil makes slabs shift with the seasons. Our post on Oklahoma clay soil and your floors explains what is happening.

Do not just regrout over a crack that keeps coming back. It will crack again. Find out why it is moving first, so the fix addresses the cause and not just the symptom.

When it is time for new tile

Good care keeps tile looking right for decades. If your floor has widespread cracked tiles, a pattern or color that dates the whole room, or grout problems that keep returning because of what is under the tile, it may be time for a new floor rather than another repair. When that happens, the subfloor and slab preparation matters more than the tile you pick.

We bring tile samples to your home, check the slab while we are there, and give you an itemized installed price. Book a free in-home estimate or see our tile flooring options.