Easiest Way To Clean Grout Without Scrubbing

Nick Durante
by Nick Durante

It is tempting to scrub the stubborn dirt, grime, soap scum, debris, mold, and mildew on your grout. However, it is rarely worth it as scrubbing can damage and lift the grout so that moisture can get between the tiles and damage them. Understandably, many homeowners struggle to find the easiest way to clean grout without scrubbing.

The easiest way to clean grout without scrubbing is to mix 2 tablespoons of sodium percarbonate with 2 cups of water and soak it. You can also mix ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup vinegar, and ½ cup baking soda in a bowl and brush it onto the grout. Otherwise, you can clean grout with a store-bought alkaline cleaner or a mixture of bleach and water.

There is no need to scrub grout when you use a strong chemical like rubbing alcohol, especially if it’s over 70%. Even a steam cleaner can help remove stubborn grime from both your grout and tiles. Follow along as we explore the easiest way to clean grout without scrubbing to prevent tile damage.

What is the Easiest and Fastest Way to Clean Grout?

The easiest and fastest way to clean grout is to use a household mixture that includes vinegar. Several homemade grout cleaner recipes include vinegar because of how strong it is. Ideally, you should opt for a chemical mixture or compound that is strong enough that you won’t need to scrub it.

Scrubbing grout can be harmful and it’s an easy way to knock it loose and let moisture between your tiles. The perfect way to clean grout varies based on the condition of your grout and tiles. For example, you may need a heavy-duty cleaner if your grout has mold, mildew, or stubborn dirt.

Store-bought alkaline cleaners are among the best options as well. Luckily, there is no shortage of options when it comes to cleaning grout without scrubbing. Let’s take a look at the best and easiest ways to clean grout without scrubbing that anybody can figure out.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

The classic mixture of vinegar and baking soda is used as a remedy for many problems around the house. It’s also an effective way to clean grout without scrubbing or using abrasive chemicals. You can make the mixture more potent if you add just a little bit of lemon juice for safe measure.

Simply mix ½ cup of baking soda with ¼ cup of vinegar in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of lemon juice to the mixture and stir it up. Next, add 2 cups of water, stir the mixture for up to 60 seconds, and let it sit for up to 15 minutes.

Put the mixture on a rag, paper towel, or brush to gently apply it to the grout. You can wipe the mixture off of the grout with a wet rag. Once it’s dry, you should notice that your grout is much cleaner and undamaged because you didn’t need to scrub it.

Sodium Percarbonate

Sodium percarbonate is often overlooked but it’s arguably the easiest way to clean grout without scrubbing. Much like vinegar and baking soda, sodium percarbonate can form a paste that you can apply to the grout. This simple solution is easy to mix because it only consists of 2 ingredients: sodium percarbonate and water.

Mix 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of sodium percarbonate in a cup or bowl. Make sure that the water is warm so that the sodium percarbonate will dissolve quickly enough. Cover a brush or rag with the solution and apply it to the grout.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and let the mixture sit on the grout for that time. After 10 minutes, you can splash or spray water onto the grout to rinse it off. This will help remove everything from mildew and soap scum to dirt and debris from your grout.

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol, also known as isopropyl alcohol, is one of the easiest ways to clean grout without scrubbing. It is such a strong chemical that it can help with mold, mildew, soap scup, and dirt. The abrasive nature of rubbing alcohol makes it so that you don’t have to use force or scrub the grout.

You can find rubbing alcohol in a variety of different strengths, and anything over 70% should suffice. However, be careful when you use rubbing alcohol that is over 90%. It is much stronger than 70%, but it may damage the grout if you let it sit on the surface for too long.

All that you need to do is dip a brush or rag into the rubbing alcohol. Apply the rubbing alcohol to the grout and let it sit for 5 minutes. After that, you can wet a rag and blot the rubbing alcohol off of the grout. Luckily, rubbing alcohol can evaporate quickly on its own because it doesn’t contain much water.

Alkaline Cleaner

Alkaline cleaners are available at most hardware and home improvement stores. You can spend less than $10 on grout cleaner for small bottles. Chemical concentrations and instructions vary between brands, but you can typically brush them directly onto the grout.

The chemicals will do most of the work for you and you won’t have to worry about scrubbing. Brands like Viper Venom and Gorilla Super Nova produce excellent alkaline cleaners. Alkaline cleaners are ready to go and you simply spray or soak them onto a brush.

Some alkaline cleaners can work well if you spray them directly onto the grout. Exercise caution anytime that you use an alkaline cleaner because you may burn your skin or eyes otherwise. They are considered safe to use, but any chemical cleaner can be harmful after prolonged exposure or ingestion.

Bleach and Water

Bleach is among the most popular household items used to clean countless products and surfaces in the home. Of course, you should never apply pure bleach to most surfaces, and that includes the grout in your floors or shower. You must water down bleach to avoid damaging the tiles that are around the grout.

A little bit goes a long way when it comes to bleach and the last thing that you want to do is use too much. Pour only 2-3 tablespoons of bleach into a bucket and add 2 gallons of warm water. Fill a spray bottle with the solution and spray it directly onto the grout.

Leave it alone for 10-15 minutes to let the bleach to its work. Spray or splash the grout with plain water to rinse away the remaining bleach. Your grout should be much cleaner after the solution dries.

Steam Cleaner

Use a steam cleaner to clean your grout and the surrounding tiles without scrubbing. This will let you kill 2 birds with one stone and you won’t have to worry about damaging the grout. Simply fill your steam cleaner and give it enough time to heat the water.

Wait until the water heats up to between 190 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Move the steam cleaner along the grout to clean it as well as the tiles. Depending on how porous your tiles are, the mildew, dirt, and grime should seep out on their own.

You may have to back in and blot the grout with a dry towel afterward. That is only necessary if you still find grime and debris along the grout and tiles. Otherwise, this is the easiest way to clean grout without scrubbing that doesn’t require chemicals.

Best Homemade Grout Cleaner

The best homemade grout cleaner is a mixture of dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and water. Mix ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide with ½ cup of baking soda in a mixing container or bowl. Stir them together for 60-90 seconds until the consistency becomes pasty.

Next, pour 1 teaspoon of dish soap into the mixture and stir it. Brush the mixture onto the grout and let it sit for 10 minutes. You can easily remove the paste mixture from the grout without scrubbing it after it’s sat for 10 minutes or longer.

This mixture combines the best effects of each ingredient that it contains. None of the ingredients in this mixture are going to damage the tile near your grout because of the concentration of each. Make sure that you don’t overdo it with any of the ingredients or you risk damaging or staining the area.

Will Dawn Dish Soap Clean Grout?

Dawn dish soap can clean grout, but it’s not super effective when you use it on its own. It’s ideal to mix the dish soap with warm water or vinegar before you clean the grout. Dawn dish soap can work on its own if all that you are dealing with is dirt and debris.

Otherwise, you will need to mix additional ingredients with the Dawn dish soap if you have stubborn dirt, mold, or mildew. You can either spray or brush the Dawn dish soap onto the grout. Try adding something acidic like lemon if the Dawn dish soap isn’t effective enough.

Summing it Up

Sodium Percarbonate is one of the easiest ways to clean grout without scrubbing when you mix it with warm water. Simply mix 2 tablespoons of sodium percarbonate with 2 cups of warm water and soak the grout with the mixture. Otherwise, you can mix vinegar and baking soda with ¼ cup of lemon juice and apply it to the grout.

Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, makes it easy to clean grout without scrubbing. Be careful if you use isopropyl alcohol that is stronger than 90% so that you don’t damage the grout. Luckily, you can also find alkaline cleaners at home improvement stores that are safe to clean your grout with.

Even household products like Dawn dish soap are easy to clean grout with, but only when you mix it with warm water. When all else fails, simply water down some bleach with water and soak the grout to clean it. You won’t need to scrub the grout if you clean it using any of these methods.

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Nick Durante
Nick Durante

Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.

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