I need help with grout cleaning and mildew issues.
by
Vicki Owen
+9
We are moving into a rental house in FL. The kitchen and bathrooms have tile floors and the grout is very light. Some spots are really dark (from dirt?) and I'd like the easiest and quickest ways to clean them please. Also, there is a shed on the carport that smells like mildew and I would like to clean it so I can use it for my Christmas decorations but I don't want them ending up smelling musty. Any suggestions? Thank you
12 answers
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For the carport, as strange as this may sound, use peroxide/baking soda/water mix through a garden sprayer tank that hooks onto a garden house. Spray the walls down good and the smell should dissipate rather quickly. If there is electric service to the shed you can set a box fan in the doorway blowing out while the walls dry and it will help 'pull' the smell out too. As for the grout issue, you can go one of 2 ways; a) lay a bleach rag on the worst parts to draw the stains out, or b) use a small fingernail grinder (looks like a small dermal) and just lightly run it over the worst stains. I bought mine at the beauty supply store for about 10 dollars.
Therese C
on Jul 13, 2013
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Thank s Therese....I'm going right out the get a garden sprayer and do that tomorrow first thing. Gives it a week to dry before the move. We went down yesterday to check how bad the grout is and it's throughout most of the kitchen. I bought some grout cleaner and hope it works.
Vicki Owen
on Jul 14, 2013
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lysol toilet bowl cleaner for grout cleaner...leave on 30 minutes to an hour and then mop up.
Karen LaValley
on Jul 14, 2013
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Put all holiday stuff in plastic bins that seal tight. In the next few months you will see these sold at the big box stores for deep discounts as kids begin to move away to school and need them for packing.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Jul 14, 2013
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Everything is in plastic totes now but the musty smell is not pleasant to walk into. Just want to get rid of it altogether. Would a humidifier help? We are also putting a fridge out there for drinks, pop, beer, water, etc. Will it get into the fridge system? We had some moth balls fall out of a box and some rolled under the fridge and the freezer items all smelled like moth balls. Had to throw it all out.
Vicki Owen
on Jul 15, 2013
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Vicki if it were me, I would want to rid the smell as much as possible. If it smells musty there is a good chance that there are mold spores or mildew in there. Something you can try after spraying the walls down and drying, is to place containers of odor absorbing kitty litter for awhile to just keep pulling any lingering smells out.
Therese C
on Jul 15, 2013
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To remove the musty smell, you need to determine where the moisture is coming in. You can do all sorts of things to hide or mask the smell, but regardless of what you do, if you do not stop the moisture issue, you will continue to have mold smells. Ventilation goes a long way to lower humidity issues, but in a inclosed carport, there must be some damage somewhere that is causing this odor. Is it totally inclosed? Then its a garage, if that is the case, then its highly likely that the odor is coming from the drywall covering the walls. The fix? Tear out drywall and offending insulation on interior adjoining walls. Then replace with new. Only way to stop it for good.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Jul 15, 2013
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It's been closed up for some time and alot of rain in FL lately probably caused alot of it. It's really dry inside just musty smelling.....no drywall. It's a shed at the back of the carport. One window.....I'll open it tomorrow and air it out but it's ALL wood with shelves built in. They lost the key and no one has been in it for awhile. @Therese C.......does the kitty litter really work in drawing out the odor? Sounds like a quick and easy fix. Thanks.
Vicki Owen
on Jul 15, 2013
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Use tree tea oil, it will kill the mildew, it is a natural disinfectant.
Bonnie Lewenza
on Jul 16, 2013
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Thank you all for your suggestions. I actually used Therese's remedy and it worked. It smells clean now and is ready for move in. :)
Vicki Owen
on Jul 17, 2013
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Peroxide works great and the more difficult spots peroxide and baking soda.
Lee Cunningham Green
on Sep 21, 2014
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If you still have some stubborn places on your tile grout try using a 'magic eraser' they work great for me!
Hayley@ TheDesertNestDubai
on Sep 24, 2014
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