Does anyone have tips for cleaning tough to clean bathroom tile?

Angela
by Angela
The tile the previous owner used in the bathroom are thick and have grooves. I have tried multiple things to clean it and it never seems to be as clean as I would like it. If anyone has suggestions I would appreciate them.
This is the tile I was talking about.
This is the tile when I first moved in.
Shortly after I moved in.
  24 answers
  • Holly Samson Holly Samson on Apr 10, 2016
    Get bartender's keeper. It worked for me!
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Apr 10, 2016
    Have you tried 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water
    • Angela Angela on Feb 04, 2019

      Yes and it does not seem to work with this type of tile.

  • M M on Apr 10, 2016
    I would also consider re-grouting in a darker color to help hide the grout lines.
  • Dfm Dfm on Apr 10, 2016
    oh wow...it kinda looks like the person who installed the tile didn't know the back from the front. can you tell if the face of the tile is glazed? were there any tiles left over for repairs? if the face is glazed, use a vinegar/ water solution 1st with a bristle brush to get the groves. have you tried clr? citric acid? if you can't get it de limed keep working at it. try cameo as well-as the last resort. once you get the lime off- you might consider taking your towel and manually drying the shower stall...get the lime scale off b/4 the water evaporates. are you hooked up to a water softener? with extremely hard water in my town it's been a blessing.
  • Jean Myles Jean Myles on Apr 10, 2016
    Give CLR a try
  • Darren Darren on Apr 10, 2016
    I am currently in the middle of the same problem. I took my Dremel Tool and added a Grout Bit to it to clean out the old and and the new grooves were fresh. You need to decide what width of the groove you want first. I then put new grout in and I was happy! Try it.
  • Pat Pat on Apr 10, 2016
    Ijust recently discovered a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. You put the hydrogen peoxide on first then the baking soda. The article suggested puttying the bakng soda into a zip loc type bag and cutting he tip off--but not too large a hole. Use a brush on the grout and it should come clean. I have about 800 sq. ft. of flooring to do. Amarting tomorrow. The hint about the vinegar is a good one. Do not mix the vinegar with the peroxide nor bleach. ttoxic vqpor will attack your lungs. Mixing the vinegar with the baking soda may also work.
  • Pat Pat on Apr 10, 2016
    peroxide nor bleach. A toxic vapor can seriously damage your lungs. The hint about vinegar & water is a good one. Baking soda and vinegar is also a good cleaner.
  • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Apr 11, 2016
    I used SOS pads dippedin warm water to get mineral deposits off my exterior windows. A rough texture with grooves for around a tub is puzzling. Honestly, I would bite the bullet and get smooth tile installed over top of existing. Life is too short to put up with this situation.
  • Pat4344727 Pat4344727 on Apr 11, 2016
    there is a product called The Works..it is actually a toilet bowl cleaner. My handy man taught me that using it on grout lines etc cleans it up so fast. I let it sit on the tile and grout then use a toothbrush or old sock or a scrub brush...it comes right off..lime away toilet bowl cleaner works too..it is like 98 cents at wal mart
  • Ruby77 Ruby77 on Apr 11, 2016
    Oxiclean and hot water does the trick as well. Just let it sit for a bit and then scrub. Those appear to be lime deposits too so you may need Lime Away
  • Maria Maria on Apr 11, 2016
    Try a 1/4 cup of bakingsoda and 1 cup of white vinager in a spray bottle spray let it sit for about 15 min then rins off. The smell off vinager will go away after wards
  • Lor2344740 Lor2344740 on Apr 11, 2016
    I moved in to a house and I went to Lowes an accidentally stumbled upon ZEP tub and tile and let me tell you AMAZING!!!! And cheap like $4.00 No scrubbing just sparay on and I did used a brush to get it in the grooves I know that seems like I scrubbed but really I didn't do more than direct it all over surface and then I left it for a few minutes and rinsed in hot water...removed water stains and soap scum...
  • Tanner Clark Tanner Clark on Apr 11, 2016
    CLR cleaner removes Calcium Rust and Lime most likely will work and if you soak all your spouts for like 5 mins they will spray better
  • Mis2643939 Mis2643939 on Apr 11, 2016
    Zep grout cleaner really cleans my grout. With little scrubbing..have not yet tried the tile Conrad. Read the bottle cannot use on certain types of tile. Zep is an awesome product.
  • Linda prunkard Linda prunkard on Apr 12, 2016
    Make a paste with Bartenders Friend and the strongest white vinegar' Rub it on and in each grove, let set, rinse well.
  • Linda Linda on Apr 12, 2016
    Just use spray oven cleaner a tiler suggested this and I thought he was nuts till I tried it on very old dirty tiles on a house purchased.I could not believe how great they looked.You won,t be disappointed.Lindy
  • Leilani Leilani on Apr 30, 2016
    Vinegar and dawn dishwashing soap is great! Heat up vinegar in microwave and then add dawn has to be the blue it's amazing!! Baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl with a tooth brush will work where the vinegar and dawn don't. If it's really bad. I love this shower mixture I leave it in the shower and tell them to spray it down once a week. I have three showers so it helps the build up until I can get in there and spray it and wipe it down. I spray it on first thing in the morning finish. Picking up the house and then go back with a wet magic eraser and it comes right off. Very easy.
  • Sylvia Sylvia on Oct 24, 2016
    Vinegar remover al that shiny stuff from other products and than use something Naturalis for that kind of tili
  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Jul 07, 2021

    I clean mine with vinegar and a scrub brush. You can find the tutorial here

    https://chascrazycreations.com/clean-bathroom-natural-products/

  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Aug 01, 2022

    I have several cleaning tutorials that might help you https://chascrazycreations.com/diys/how-tos/cleaning/

  • Chloe Crabtree Chloe Crabtree on Jun 12, 2023

    For stubborn shower stains, soap scum and grime, mix one cup of warm water, two cups of white vinegar and one teaspoon of a vegetable-based dishwashing soap in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the shower walls, let it work for 15 minutes and use a sponge to scrub off scum and grime.