In any situation, cleaning tile grout can be challenging. It is more difficult to clean smoke damaged grout. That is why today we will talk about how to clean smoke-damaged grout. But, first, you need to know how the smoke occur.
How the Smoke Stains Occur?
Whether it’s your bathroom, kitchen, or living room, these smoke stains can occur in various ways. Here are some common areas and situations that you will find these smoke stains.
Kitchen
In the kitchen, you will often use fire for your cooking needs. This will affect badly for tile grout. Over time it will leave an oily residue, unsightly stains, and soot on your surface. Also, the stains will cause by using any heaters.
Living Room
Sometimes cigarettes can cause smoke stain on the tile grout. If you are having a get-together or a party, there is a higher chance that the cigarettes ashes can damage your tile grout.
Bathroom
Most bathrooms are equipped with a heater, and these heaters will keep your bathroom warm. But in that process, heater might damage the surrounding tile grout. If you are using these heaters regularly, it might smoke damage your tile grout without even you knowing it.
Fireplaces and House Fires
If you have a fireplace installed in your house, it will cause severe damage to your tile grout. Also, house fires can damage the grout to a great extent. Sometimes it will be tough to get rid of smoke stains caused by house fires or fireplaces.
How to Clean Smoke Stain Form Grout?
There are a few ways to remove these smoke stains. Depending on the level of residue and stains, you will have to use these methods accordingly.
Method 01 – Cleaning with laundry detergent
This is the easiest and inexpensive method to clean smoke damage grout. Using laundry detergent is very good for your tiles. It won’t damage any tile or grout in the cleaning process. But, this method is more suitable for lower levels of smoke stains. This method is ideal for vinyl tiles. It won’t cause any long-term damage to your tiles.
Materials – Cool water, laundry detergent, a scrub brush, a hose, a clean towel
Step 1
Mix one gallon of cool water and 1/3 cup laundry detergent. Stir the mixture properly.
Step 2
Dip the scrub brush into the mixture. Scrub the smoke-damaged tile areas. If needed, repeat the process until you get rid of all the soot stains and smoke.
Step 3
Rinse the area using the water hose. Then use a clean towel to dry the surface.
Method 02 – Cleaning with oxygen bleach
Use this method if the first method didn’t work for you. Here, we will use Oxygen Bleach. Also, this procedure is most suitable for vinyl tiles.
Materials – Oxygen bleach, warm water, a sponge, a scrub brush, a hose, a clean towel
Step 1
First, remember to wear appropriate safety gear like safety goggles and rubber gloves.
Step 2
Mix one gallon of warm water and one cup of oxygen bleach.
Step 3
Stir the bleach solution properly.
Step 4
Dip the sponge into the bleach solution. Leave the bleach solution for at least 5 minutes on the surface. Then scrub the grout.
Step 5
Now, rinse the surface. Then dry the surface with a clean towel. Repeat the process if necessary.
Method 03 – Cleaning using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide
This is the most advanced method among these three cleaning methods. Also, this method includes a lot of chemicals. So, whenever you use this method, you should be very careful. Also, if you are dealing with stubborn smoke stains, this is the best method for you.
Materials – Baking Soda, hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, two spray bottles, warm water, a scrub brush, a clean towel
Step 1
In this cleaning process, we are using a lot of chemicals. So, make sure to wear safety goggles and rubber gloves. Also, open the windows and doors in the cleaning area.
Step 2
First, fill one spray bottle with white vinegar. And another one with one part of hydrogen peroxide and five parts of warm water. Now you have two spray bottles ready. Then mix one part of baking soda with the right amount of water. Stir the mixture until it forms a paste. Now you have three different combinations to remove those stubborn smoke stains.
Step 3
Spray the smoke-stained grout areas with white vinegar. Wait at least 5 minutes.
Step 4
After 5 minutes, scrub the area with a scrub brush. If you don’t have a scrub brush, you can use a toothbrush or scrubbing pad.
Step 5
Now rinse the surface and clear out all the white vinegar.
Step 6
Then spray the hydrogen peroxide on the tile grout. As like in the earlier step, wait at least 5 minutes.
Step 7
Scrub the grout with a scrub brush. Rinse the surface with clean water.
Step 8
If still smoke stains are left in the grout, use the baking soda paste. Apply the paste to the grout. Wait at least 30 minutes.
Step 9
After 30 minutes, scrub the grout with a scrub brush. Use a circular motion during the scrubbing.
Step 10
Rinse the area with clean water. Then dry the surface with a clean towel. Repeat this step if necessary.
Tips
Here are some valuable tips that should follow during the above cleaning processes.
- Never use whitening toothpaste or bleach on colored grout. If you do this, it will remove the grout’s color. Always use natural cleaners for colored grout.
- After the cleaning process, if you can, seal the grout with a grout sealer. This will prevent future growth of the stains and residue.
- Do not use any powerful chemical that dissolved the grout.
Final Takeaways
The above three methods are very safe under any condition. But, always follow a safety protocol when you deal with chemicals. With this article, we hope that you could enhance your knowledge when it comes to how to clean smoke damaged grout.