TARARA GUIDE

How to Clean & Care for Tiles and Grout

The everyday routine that does most of the work

Most tile care isn’t dramatic — it’s small habits that stop grime building up in the first place:

• Sweep or vacuum grit before it scratches. Sand and grit tracked across a floor act like sandpaper underfoot. Getting it up regularly protects the glaze more than any cleaner.
• Wipe with a pH-neutral cleaner and warm water. A mild, pH-neutral tile cleaner on a microfibre cloth or mop handles day-to-day dirt without attacking the grout. Rinse with clean water so you’re not leaving cleaner behind to attract more grime.
• Squeegee the shower after use. Thirty seconds with a squeegee clears the water that would otherwise dry into marks and feed mould in the grout lines. It’s the single highest-value habit in a bathroom.
• Ventilate. Open a window or run the extractor fan during and after a shower. Most bathroom grout and silicone problems come down to moisture that never got a chance to dry out.

What to avoid — the mistakes that damage grout and stone

• Acidic cleaners on natural stone. Vinegar, lemon and acidic bathroom sprays will etch natural stone — marble, limestone, travertine — leaving dull marks you can’t polish out at home. If you’re not certain what your tiles are, treat them as stone and stick to a pH-neutral cleaner.
• Harsh scouring pads and wire brushes. Abrasives scratch glazes and wear grout away faster. A soft brush or a nylon pad does the job without the damage.
• Undiluted bleach as a routine cleaner. It can lighten or weaken cement-based grout over time and doesn’t fix the underlying cause of mould. Save it for the occasional spot, not the weekly clean.
• Letting cleaner sit and dry on the surface. Always rinse. Residue left to dry attracts dirt and can mark some finishes.

Marko’s tip: “Nine times out of ten, dirty grout isn’t dirty — it’s damaged. People scrub harder and harder with the wrong thing, and all they do is wear the grout down and open it up to more staining. A gentle, pH-neutral clean done regularly beats a harsh scrub done in a panic every time.”

Cleaning grout the right way

Grout is porous, so it holds onto dirt more than the tile does. For a deeper clean without wrecking it:

• Start with warm water and a soft brush (an old toothbrush is perfect for the lines).
• Move up to a pH-neutral or purpose-made grout cleaner for stubborn areas, and give it a few minutes to work rather than scrubbing hard.
• A paste of bicarbonate of soda and water is a gentle option that lifts a lot of surface grime — leave it briefly, then brush and rinse.
• Rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry the area so you’re not leaving moisture behind.

If the grout still looks grey or patchy after a proper clean, it usually isn’t dirt — it’s grout that has worn, stained through or started to wash out. At that point cleaning won’t bring it back, and regrouting is the fix.

Should you seal your grout?

It depends on the grout. Cement-based grout is porous and benefits from a penetrating grout sealer, which helps it resist staining and moisture — reapplied every so often as the surface wears. Epoxy grout is effectively non-porous and doesn’t need sealing. Natural stone tiles usually need sealing too, with a stone-specific sealer, and acidic cleaners avoided for life. If you’re not sure what you’ve got, your tile supplier or tiler can tell you — and we’re happy to advise if we’ve done the work.

Keeping mould and silicone in check

The dark line that appears along the bottom of a shower wall is usually mould growing in — or behind — the silicone. Regular squeegeeing and ventilation slow it right down, and a mild clean keeps the surface in check. But once mould has grown into the silicone, no cleaner fully removes it — the silicone has to be cut out and replaced. That’s a quick reseal job and it makes a bathroom look years younger straight away.

If the silicone and grout keep failing quickly, or you’re seeing damp patches or a musty smell that won’t clear, the problem may be deeper than the surface — a waterproofing issue behind the tiles. Our waterproofing page explains the warning signs, and it’s always cheaper to check early than to leave it.

When care isn’t enough

Cleaning and resealing keep a good tile job looking its best, but they can’t fix tiles that have come loose, grout that’s crumbling out, or a wet area that’s started to leak. If you’re past the point where a clean helps, talk to us — a regrout, reseal or tile repair brings a tired bathroom back without the cost of a full renovation, and we bring the same care to a small fix as to a full bathroom.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the best thing to clean grout with?

Start gentle: warm water and a soft brush, then a pH-neutral or purpose-made grout cleaner for stubborn spots. A bicarbonate-of-soda paste is a good mild option. Avoid harsh acids and heavy abrasives — they wear grout down and make staining worse.

Can I use vinegar or bleach on my tiles and grout?

Be careful. Vinegar (and other acids) will etch natural stone and can wear cement grout, so avoid it on those. Undiluted bleach can weaken cement grout over time and doesn’t stop mould coming back. A pH-neutral cleaner is the safe everyday choice.

How do I stop my grout going mouldy?

Moisture is the cause, so the fix is drying: squeegee the shower after use, ventilate the room, and wipe surfaces down. Once mould has grown into the silicone, it needs replacing rather than cleaning.

Do I need to seal my grout?

Cement-based grout and natural stone benefit from sealing; epoxy grout doesn’t need it. If you’re not sure what you have, ask your tiler or tile supplier before you reach for a sealer.

My grout won’t come clean no matter what I try — why?

Because it’s probably not dirty. Grout that stays grey or patchy after a proper clean has usually worn, stained through or started to wash out. Cleaning won’t restore it — regrouting will.