How to Clean Grout on Tile Walls

Clean the grout on tile walls with common household products.

Tiled walls can add a great deal to the appearance of the home, but cleaning grout between the tiles can easily become a maddening chore. Since grout is a porous material composed of cement and water, dirt and other grime can easily infiltrate and make cleaning difficult. Although it can be time-consuming, cleaning the grout on tile walls can be a bit more straightforward with a few common household items.

 

Things You'll Need

·         Clean cloth

·         Baking soda

·         Water

·         Hydrogen peroxide

·         White vinegar

·         Coarse sponge or nylon brush

·         Oxygen bleach

Instructions

Preparing the Walls

1.       Apply the intended cleaning products to an inconspicuous area for the recommended period of time to test colourfastness. Because the cleansers used to clean the grout will inevitably come in contact with tile, this is a necessary step to prevent damaging tiles. If the colour or texture of the tiles is altered, do not use the product.

2.       Wipe over tiled walls with a clean, dry cloth to remove hair, oils, soap scum and other grime from the surface. This will allow cleaning products to more easily seep in to grout.

3.       Pour a generous amount of baking soda in a plastic mixing bowl. Using a fork or your hands, stir in just enough warm water to form a paste. Mix the ingredients in a bowl that will not be used for food preparation or storage.

Cleaning the Walls

1.       Apply the baking soda paste on the lines of the grout and allow it sit for approximately 10 minutes. If baking soda is not readily obtainable, spray concentrated hydrogen peroxide or distilled white vinegar on the grout and let stand for 10 minutes.

2.       Scour the grout lines with a coarse sponge or nylon brush.

3.       Rinse tile grout with clean, warm water to wash away grime and product residue.

4.       Apply the cleaning products as necessary if stains or a dirty appearance persist.

Tips & Warnings

®      Combine equal parts powder oxygen bleach and water if baking soda, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are not available. Stir the mixture until the bleach has completely dissolved and spray it on the wall. Saturate the grout lines and allow it to work for 30 minutes before scrubbing. Do not apply to coloured grout as it will remove the colour.

®      Use a grout sealer and follow application instructions on the packaging. Sealing grout annually will prevent grime from settling in and makes cleaning much quicker and easier.

®      Because it may be necessary to use a great deal of pressure, consider using a sponge to clean grout around ceramic tiles as they can be scratched easily.

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How to Clean a Burnt Food in a Microwave

Things You'll Need

Food sometime gets burned in the microwave and can be difficult to clean. There are various products out there to clean the microwave, but all you really need are a few simple household supplies. Follow these steps to clean your burnt microwave--some are optional, depending on how bad the burning and smell are.

·         Small, lidless microwavable bowl

·         White vinegar

·         Water

·         Sponge

·         Fabric softener

·         Lemon juice

·         Dish soap

·         Kitchen cleaner

·         Paper towels

Instructions

1.       Wipe out the microwave of any loose crumbs with a cloth or sponge.

2.       Fill a small, lidless microwavable bowl with white vinegar. Dilute it with water or just use pure vinegar if the microwave needs a major cleaning.

3.       Place the bowl in the microwave and heat it on high power for 5 minutes.

4.       Allow the heated vinegar to sit in the microwave for 20 minutes, which will allow the steam to reach all parts of the inside of the microwave's surface and loosen the particles adhering to the surface.

5.       Wipe off the residue inside with water and a sponge.

6.       Spray fabric softener onto the wet area and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. This will clean the last of the residue that is left after the vinegar cleaning.

7.       Wipe off the fabric softener with water and a sponge.

8.       Repeat the vinegar steaming if necessary.

9.       Heat a bowl of water with a few tablespoons of lemon juice inside the microwave, if the vinegar smell lingers for too long or is too strong.

10.   Wash the tray in the sink with dish soap, dry and replace in the microwave.

11.   Spray the outside of the microwave with a kitchen cleaner and wipe with paper towels.

Tips & Warnings

®      An alternative or addition to the vinegar method is baking soda and water with a sponge, which will raise the pH levels and create a basic solution that is a great cleaner.

®      Be careful when boiling water or other liquids in the microwave; sometimes they can become superheated and explode.

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How to clean Food-Colouring Stains Off Tables

Brightly-coloured Easter eggs, pink-frosting roses on wedding cakes, and green-and-red Christmas cookies all share a common component: food colouring. These vivid dyes are easy to use in food decorating and crafts, but not easy to remove from countertops, fingers and clothing. Kids may not mind green-dyed fingers, but you have to work quickly to keep the dyes from ruining the kitchen table or a favourite shirt.

Things You'll Need

·         Paper towels

·         Old washcloths or hand towels

·         White vinegar

·         Baking soda

·         Ammonia (optional)

·         White toothpaste

·         Old toothbrush

Instructions

1.   Wash all spilled food colouring from countertops as soon as it spills to avoid staining. If stains occur, scrub the area with a little vinegar or ammonia on a damp cloth.

2.   For heavier stains, treat the stain with a paste of baking soda and water. Gently scrub with an old toothbrush. The abrasive mix may remove the stain but should not damage countertops. Plain white toothpaste is another mild abrasive; squeeze a small dab onto the stain and scour it with an old toothbrush.

3.   Thoroughly rinse the countertops after treating the stains.

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How to clean and prevent Soap Scum from forming on your bathtub

Instructions

1.       Wipe down walls and bathtubs after bathing. This will help prevent soap scum from forming. Soap residue mixing with water dries on the surface of the bathtub and forms soap scum. Keep the door or shower curtain partly open to promote air circulation and keep the bathtub dry.

2.       Cleanse your bathtub regularly. At least once a week thoroughly clean your bathtub with your usual bathroom and tub cleaner, preferably one designed to cut down on mildew and soap scum. Cleaning weekly will prevent soap scum from building up.

3.       Install a water softener. It is believed that soap mixing with hard water will generate more soap scum. A water softening system can help alleviate the formation of soap scum.

4.       Add a small amount of liquid dish soap to your bath. This is safe for your skin and reduces the formation of soap scum. Make sure you use dish soap and not dishwasher liquid detergent.

5.       Switch from using bar soap to a liquid soap. Bar soap contains talc, an ingredient which forms soap scum. Liquid soap does not contain talc.

Tips & Warnings

®      Another item you can add to bath water to help prevent soap scum formation is Epsom salt.

®      Applying car wax to the shower door and walls every six months helps to reduce the formation of soap scum.

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