Keep Your Shower Tile Grout Looking New
White vinegar, water and a little elbow grease still works best to clean grout and avoid damaging it.
As a ceramic tile installer, I'm often asked about the best way to maintain a shower to avoid costly repairs in the future.
First, a quick fact about the grout used when your tile was installed. Grout is made with a water repellency built in to provide years of use when maintained. In a perfect world, your grout should look shiny and bright forever.
However, that's not the case in most of the homes I visit. In most houses, even with the best use of cleaning practices, yellowing and mildewing still persist. So why does this happen?
Grout takes a lot of wear
In a home with three people showering once a day, 365 days a year, the shower is used 1,095 times in one year. Also, consider the fact that unlike your car that stays outdoors, your shower doesn't get sunny days in between to dry off.
This heavy abuse really creates a need to maintain your grout to keep it clean, sealed and looking pretty. Unfortunately, the products sold on the market today to clean grout contain harsh chemicals that deliver a quick fix to the eye, but eventually wear down your grout’s repellency over time, causing grout to turn into a water-absorbing, chalk-like consistency.
The cost to regrout tile
Angie's List members report an average price of $411 for a typical regrouting job, with prices ranging from $325 to $475.
Mildewing and discoloring happen as a result. Grout that absorbs water grows mildew and permanently stains, and the only fix at this point is a total regrout — a somewhat expensive option.
Sometimes it's not just mildew we're seeing. Another culprit of stained grout comes from our local water supply. Rust in the water could be a major contributor to stains. Whole house water filters should be considered if your home's water supply is especially rust-filled.
So, how do you keep your showers looking nice?
1. Consider changing your shampoo
When you read the ingredients listed on the back of your shampoo bottle, do you see dyes and colorings in the product? If so, choose a new shampoo that is more natural without colorings in them.
You will be doing your shower a favor, and more importantly, your body. Dyes are not good for you or your family's health and can also stain the grout in your bathroom.
2. Stay away from harsh cleaning chemicals
Harsh cleaners may make your grout look cleaner, but they also strip away the water repellency that we talked about earlier. Bleach is especially bad about this.
A mixture of approximately one-third white vinegar to two-thirds water is what I recommend to my customers to clean grout. Use a soft scrub brush with a little elbow grease.
3. Seal the grout
Most home stores offer sealing products. They add water repellency back into the grout that's lost over time. Grout that is sealed will be more stain resistant. I recommend sealing at least once or twice a year, depending on how many people use the shower on a daily basis.
4. Invest in a squeegee
Preferably, you’ll want to find a squeegee with a suction cup that will mount in your shower, making it handier when you need it. Using it after each shower will allow less water to dry on your grout, tile and shower doors, thereby leaving less mineral deposits behind.
I recommend a yearly visit by your tile man to keep your shower looking new. I know most people will scoff at this recommendation because of the expense, but it will be negligible compared to the cost of having to rip out your shower and install a new one when it goes bad.
Are you trying to restore your grout to its former glory? Share your thoughts and concerns in the comments section!
Editor's note: This is an updated version of an article originally published on Feb. 7, 2014.
About this Experts Contributor: Glenn Angelora is the owner of The Grout Guy, providing ceramic tile installation in New York. Since 1995, The Grout Guy has specialized in tile back splashes, tub and shower repairs, re-grouting and chalking, bathroom renovations and handyman work.
As of Feb. 1, 2016, this service provider was highly rated on Angie's List. Ratings are subject to change based on consumer feedback, so check Angie's List for the most up-to-date reviews. The views expressed by this author do not necessarily reflect those of Angie's List.
