How can I clean stained grout?

Question

About 3 years ago while we were on vacation, a can of coke in my pantry sprung a pinhole leak dripping coke on my 2-year-old tiled floor. Naturally, it settled into a good portion of the grout, which had been sealed, but the sealant was apparently no match for the acids in the coke.  I recently had some other tile work done in my home and so, while they were there, had them remove the grout and re-grout that seam.  It looked great initially, but after the first mopping the staining reappeared.  It's not as dark as before, but is still noticeable.  What should we have done differently? Can we rectify this without removing the grout, or do we need to start over.  Hope you can help.

Janet Pizaro · Answer

You can try using a mixture of white vinegar and water (50-50)spray on the affected area leaving on long enough to soak in. Then follow with warm water and mild dish soap and scrub the grout. Not sure but possibly worth trying.

Janice F · Answer

Thanks for your suggestion. Is there any reason why you think this would work better than a commercial grout cleaner such as ZEP?

Pinspired to DIY · Answer

You can try staining or recoloring the grout if the cleaner doesn't work. Home improvement stores carry grout stain or color that is pretty easy to apply and they have many different colors so you may be able to find one to match your existing grout. If not, you can find a close match and recolor the whole area so it all matches.

William · Answer

Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, water, and an old tooth brush.

Janice F · Answer

Janet, I tried your vinegar suggestion yesterday afternoon and it lightened most of it significantly. One area, although slightly lighter, is still pretty obvious. I think I am going to try William's suggestion of the Hydrogen peroxide next. If that makes no difference, then I will go back to the vinegar, but try it full strength. We think what is happening is that there is residual coke sitting on the concrete, that it never occurred to us might be there. If it had, we would have tried to clean it up before regrouting. The first time the floor was mopped, since the grout had not been sealed yet, the mop water soaked through and residual coke got pulled up as the grout dried. I may have to repeat these procedures over time until all the coke is gone. PinspirationMommy, thanks for your suggestion as well. That option has occurred to us, but as a last resort. I have no desire to do the entire area, and I know with that sort of thing it is sometimes hard to get an exact match.

MN Mom · Answer

From the Tile Council of North Americas website: Keep in mind though, that grout is based primarily of cement and sand. Sand, like glass, is unaffected chemically by most cleaners. Cement is not - rather it is alkaline based and is dissolved by acids. As baking soda and vinegar react, so do grout and vinegar. Accordingly, it is better to clean grout with an alkaline cleaner (Spic and Span, Mr. Clean, etc.) than an acid based cleaner. There are also specialty cleaners available at most tile retailers that are designed for tile and grout. You are welcome. Best of luck, Janice!

Alt27858777 · Answer

I have used a mixture of peroxide and corn starch for cleaning grout.

Michele · Answer

If the grout is white just bleach it out. I don't understand if they re grouted it, why did it return. Did you seal the new grout?

How can I clean stained grout?

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How can I clean stained grout?

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