By Emily Roy
I am always amazed at how many methods of cleaning there are for everything! When it comes to tile grout stains, there are numerous impressive before and after shots of floors out there and I’ve noticed that many of those remarkable tough jobs were done by some kind of a kitchen cupboard formula. Since I had such a small bathroom floor to do and I wasn’t up to bleaching just then, I decided to try out two different interesting formulas I found online.
Contestant #1:
- scotchbrite pad
- baking soda
- peroxide
- water to rinse
This was interesting, the baking soda and peroxide were sprinkled gingerly over my grout lines and combined into a paste. This then was scrubbed into the grout and left there for a few minutes before I began rinsing.
Contestant #2:
- scotchbrite pad
- distilled white vinegar
- lemon juice
- baking soda
- water to rinse
This formula was my preferred, it smelled fresh and clean. Besides, the formula fizzed like crazy which makes scrubbing floors as exciting as scrubbing floors ever gets! The recipe given on Pinterest was 3 cups baking soda, 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup lemon juice combined into slurry. That was way more then I needed so I poured equal parts vinegar and lemon juice onto the floor and added baking soda till I had enough baking soda to scrub. After scrubbing this was allowed to sit for several minutes before I began to rinse.
The thing with these baking soda based formulas is that besides the generous elbow grease needed, the floors have to be rinsed thoroughly or there is a haze left behind. For this case, a sponge mop worked really well for rinsing. After rinsing, I noted how dirty the water had become! That was a great sign. As the floor dried I also noted that the floor looked brighter! Both formulas had worked well.
There are so many ways to mix up these recipes, make variations to your taste and what’s available. What I loved was the fact that I wasn’t using any strong cleaners, I didn’t have to deal with harsh fumes and the floor looked noticeably cleaner.
Happy scrubbing!
Full of fun and passion, Emily invests her energy in her cleaning business (where she has learned so many of the great tips!) and in helping her family’s business. It was in her teen years that Emily surrendered her life to Christ, and she faithfully serves at Lehigh Valley Baptist Church. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, writing, gardening, and kayaking.