The grout in our home does not always look perfect. In many cases it is necessary to take care of their appearance and cleanliness
When preparing food in the kitchen, it may happen that we spill some of the food on the floor, in the bathroom, on the other hand, humidity affects the joints. These factors contribute to the formation of mold and mildew. Taking care of the hygiene of rooms, it is also worth a good cleaning of joints.
In addition to cleaning grout, it is also important to refresh it. This can be done in several ways, home methods.
After cleaning grout, you can easily refresh it by painting it anew – use special products for this purpose. Acrylic paint works very well.
Most products suitable for painting grout are based on high-quality polymer binders and fillers. They give a very good coverage and effect for a very long time.
Lemon juice is suitable for light colored grouts and gives a very good visual effect. You can combine it with coarse salt and with the help of such paste clean the gro ut. Using an extra toothbrush will give even better results.
Lemon juice can also be used in combination with hot water. Scald a lemon in a bowl of boiling water, then squeeze it and clean the grout with the juice.
Using baking soda will also be a good way. Mix baking soda with vinegar to form a smooth paste. Leave it on the grout for about 10 or 15 minutes to clean it later with a damp cloth
Both vinegar and baking soda are ideal for heavily soiled grout and also when oil is spilled on the tiles and grout. In addition, get rid of harmful mold and fungus.
In many cases, unfortunately, it will be necessary to replace the grout. You can do this yourself with power tools. If we have mineral grout, we will need a tile scraper, but you can also use a special attachment for the drill. A milling tip should be able to do the job.
Tools that we can use to remove old grout:
Some people also use wallpaper cutters or razor blades.
Once the old grout is completely gone, the surface must be thoroughly cleaned to apply the new material.
To make new grout, we need to apply a special primer to the joints between the tiles. It will help adjust the absorbency parameters of the substrate, which translates into binding of the material we use.
Then, we should start preparing mortar for grouting . First, it has to be ground in water in appropriate proportions that will allow for obtaining good consistency of the material.
A rubber float or a spatula is suitable for applying grout. The material should be scraped into the joints in such a way as not to scratch the tiles – this requires delicacy and precision. Distribute the grout with flat movements so that it fills all the gaps between the tiles. If there is too much material, you can remove it with a damp sponge once the grout has hardened slightly.
It is a good idea to apply an impregnating agent on the filled joints, which will protect them against mould and darkening. This will also make them more resistant to mechanical damage.
