Grout cleaning

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michellegal

Guest
I did a search but couldn't find anything on this topic. I have tan ceramic tile in my foyer with a tan grout. I've noticed lately that the grout is starting to turn brown in spots from the dirt on my shoes because of walking in and out.

Any suggestions on getting this clean? I've tried a few cleaners and nothing seems to be working.

Thanks.
 

crabcake

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I believe there are specific grout cleaning products, but you may have to reseal the grout afterward ... not sure. Call Lowes or Home Depot. :yay:
 
michellegal said:
I did a search but couldn't find anything on this topic. I have tan ceramic tile in my foyer with a tan grout. I've noticed lately that the grout is starting to turn brown in spots from the dirt on my shoes because of walking in and out.

Any suggestions on getting this clean? I've tried a few cleaners and nothing seems to be working.

Thanks.
Try the "Magic Eraser"... I hear nothing but good comments about it...:shrug:
 
M

michellegal

Guest
Hunter, I have a rug there, but there is still dirt that gets in the grout.

Crabcake, thank you, I will look there to see what they have.

Kwillia, I will try this first, since I have one of these already at the house. I didn't even think of that.

Thanks everyone for your advice.
 

crabcake

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kwillia said:
Try the "Magic Eraser"... I hear nothing but good comments about it...:shrug:
but it doesn't remove the dye stains from melted candlewax on a white stove back thingamabob. :whistle:
 
Be sure to give us an update as to what finally worked for you. :yay:

I'm currently having to decide on 2,000 sq. ft. of flooring to put down in various rooms and I continue to want to avoid ceramic tile if for no other reason than the whole "cleaning the grout" issue. :ohwell:
 

crabcake

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kwillia said:
I'm currently having to decide on 2,000 sq. ft. of flooring to put down in various rooms and I continue to want to avoid ceramic tile if for no other reason than the whole "cleaning the grout" issue. :ohwell:
hard wood :yay:
 
M

michellegal

Guest
kwillia said:
Be sure to give us an update as to what finally worked for you. :yay:

I'm currently having to decide on 2,000 sq. ft. of flooring to put down in various rooms and I continue to want to avoid ceramic tile if for no other reason than the whole "cleaning the grout" issue. :ohwell:
I will let you know. I'm going to see what I can do tonight after I get off of work. Thanks.
 

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
kwillia said:
I'm actually leaning towards laminate wood flooring such as Pergo.
I've got Bruce hardwood floors in much of my house and it ROCKS. :dude: It's very easy to clean and very durable. :yay:
 

crabcake

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jazz lady said:
I've got Bruce hardwood floors in much of my house and it ROCKS. :dude: It's very easy to clean and very durable. :yay:
:yay: that's what I was looking in to. read lots of positive stuff about it.

Kwillia, what scared me off from the laminate flooring is that all it is (essentially) is a picture of the wood flooring. Now, while it is durable, I had a test piece that I tried some scratches on, and the heal of one of my shoes cut that "picture". If it's the swiftlock or tongue in groove kind, you'll have to replace a section to replace the one scratched piece. If it's a true hardwood (i.e., Bruce 3/4 inch strips), you can repair the scratch on just that piece without ripping your floor up.

Bruce makes a great pre-finished floor that is VERY durable and holds up well to scratches and stuff. Lowes carries it in a variety of colors, thicknesses, widths, etc. as well. :yay:
 
K

Kizzy

Guest
They sell grout cleaner. It is very strong and I honestly think it doesn’t work any better than a bleach mix and a scrub brush. Ceramic floors are great, but cleaning the grout is a PITA. My entire kitchen at my old house was ceramic tile, with white grout. I ended up using a plastic type white paint and painting over the grout.

:neener: Yep, that was my secret on how that floor always looked so clean. It kept me from being on my hands and knees scrubbing a floor all the dayum time.
 

crabcake

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kwillia said:
I will definately check into this... 1,000 sq feet will be the foyer, diningroom, livingroom and gameroom area which will all be very "high traffic" so durable is a must. The only drawback to this would be installation costs... we can do the laminate flooring ourselves saving several thousands in labor alone. :ohwell:
if you can do laminate flooring yourself, you can do bruce pre-finished hardwood yourself too. my neighbor did his entire downstairs (about 1200 sq ft) by himself. He did buy a compressor nail gun thingy so he didn't have to hammer 'em all down, but he did it over a weekend, piece of cake. And since it's prefinished, you lay it, nail it, and put your furniture back on top of it ... no waiting from the sealer stuff or laminate flooring glue to dry. :yay:
 
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jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
crabcake said:
if you can do laminate flooring yourself, you can do bruce pre-finished hardwood yourself too. my neighbor did his entire downstairs (about 1200 sq ft) by himself. He did buy a compressor nail gun thingy so he didn't have to hammer 'em all down, but he did it over a weekend, piece of cake. And since it's prefinished, you lay it, nail it, and put your furniture back on top of it ... no waiting from the sealer stuff to dry. :yay:
Exactly. It's a little more upfront for cost, but well worth it in the end. I have two large dogs that tear around the house and the floor has stood up beautifully. :yay:

As our house was being built, I watched the installers putting the floors in one day and it looks pretty easy. The "compressor nail gun thingy" :wink: is a must according to the installers.
 

crabcake

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Check Lumber Liquidators out for deals on Bruce and other hard wood products though before you go to Lowes. They have a store up in Greenbelt or Silver Spring. Maybe be worth the trip, depending on cost. :yay:
 
crabcake said:
Check Lumber Liquidators out for deals on Bruce and other hard wood products though before you go to Lowes. They have a store up in Greenbelt or Silver Spring. Maybe be worth the trip, depending on cost. :yay:
ooooooooooooo..... great tip... my sis lives in Silver Spring... she'll help me find the place... I'm getting all tingly now... this is exciting... :clap:
 

crabcake

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My bad; it's in Beltsville, MD ... but there's also one in Richmond and a few others in VA. None in DC.
 
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