Just Though You'd Want to Know ...

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Just Though You'd Want to Know ...
13
Wed, 04-26-2006 - 11:47pm

... that I've been scrubbing all my grout! Miles and miles and miles of it. The kitchen floor is finally finished and I'm heading into the entry with many miles of dirty grout yet to go. Looks pretty darn good so far though, if I may say so myself.

Julie

 

 

 

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2005
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 9:16am
And to think I was pleased with myself for doing a load of laundry yesterday!! You are amazing!
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2003
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 9:49am

Ditto, Tobylady!! I still have dirty dishes in the sink...............Amazing RACE was on last night!

Julie, you are a better woman than me...............if you need more cleaning to do, a 'VACATION' to Mo, and TN is in order, Right TobyladY?

haha
Keep it up! I don't have grout, but I have hardwood that is in desperate need of refinishing............but no $$ or time etc, for such an undertaking, so a good cleaning would work wonders, I suppose!

see ya!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 11:25am

I've already told DH that I never wanted tile anywhere in any house ever again. And to think, I actually liked the stuff when we bought this house -- even picked out the tile and grout. No one ever told me it wouldn't stay all pretty and new-looking forever. Yuk! So hardwood is a pain in the fanny, too? I thought that was the direction I'd go in the next house ...

Next on the list? Touching up the walls. I'm off to the paint store here soon. The weather indicates otherwise, but the calendar says 'spring' so spring cleaning it is -- and boy, does this house need it.

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 11:44am

Yeah right, I have towels in the dryer that have been there for two days and the grass is so high, our dog hates to go out!!!!!

Kudos to anyone who cleans grout.

Andie

Avatar for jupiterfit
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2003
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 11:53am
Okay... I feel the pressure. I need to clean my fridge and the basement. Sometimes I spend a little too much time at the computer. Can't wait to go outside and clean out my flower gardens too.
Deb
Debbie
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2006
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 12:20pm

Hi Julie,

Just out of curiosity, how do you go about cleaning grout? I JUST had tile installed in the kitchen and it still looks like new. I did this on the recommendation of several trusted people and noone mentioned that there may be problems cleaning it. Yikes!

Amelia

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 12:42pm

Well, believe it or not, there is actually such a thing as a grout brush. It's like a long skinny toothbrush with very stiff bristles. I use SoftScrub with bleach to clean it. I squirt a skinny line of scrub on the grout, let it set for a minute or so, then scrub away. Rinse it off with a damp sponge and it's all done. We have extensive ceramic tile on the floor downstairs so it is a time consuming job.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but counter tile does get dirty too. If you used dark grout, it will be hard to notice the dirt build up. My tile is pretty light and I used grout in the same color so when it starts to gets dirty, it darkens up quite obviously, looking nasty.

Another area counter tile gets dirty and gross is in where it meets the range, sink, etc. I have a solid surface countertop, but from time-to-time, I'll run a toothpick through those areas and pull up all the gunk that builds up in the tiny crack there from cooking, spills, etc.

Grout CAN be sealed too which helps keep it clean much longer. You may want to consider doing that since your tile is still new. We intended to seal all of ours when it was first installed, but the task soon became overwhelming due to the number of square feet involved (plus sitting and/or kneeling on hard floor for long periods of time) so was never actually finished. Eventually though, the sealant WILL wear off and you might have to reapply it.

Hope this helps!

Julie

 

 

 

Avatar for mjaye2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 12:44pm
Gee, Julie, my first thought was "Who you mad at??" I do my *best* housecleaning when I am royally ticked off at someone! LOL Egads, cleaning grout??? On the entire kitchen floor AND in the entryway??? Shoot, I can't get the little bit of grout in my shower clean, much less an entire room of it! I AM impressed! And I'm also very, very thankful I put in vinyl sheeting in my kitchen and entryway last year. :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-06-2006
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 3:24pm

LOL ... not mad at anyone at all! Since there is so much tile in the house and it was starting to look pretty nasty, it was starting to really get to me! It just needs to be done, that's all!

You'll probably will think I'm a total nutcase if I told you that I clean and oil my kitchen cabinets twice a year, huh? :-)

 

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Thu, 04-27-2006 - 3:47pm

What is this vinyl sheeting?

Pages