After researching, I came up with three different solutions on how to properly clean and maintain dirty grout lines. With one clear winning, you could chose from steam cleaning grout, staining grout, and color sealing grout.

First, steam cleaning grout will remove stains from the upper sections of the grout, but deeply penetrated stains in the grout will still show. Grout is like a sponge very porous and absorbent. By stream cleaning the grout it becomes more porous causing the grout lines to soak up more stains and bacteria.

* Another common solution to clean dirty and discolored grout lines is to apply a colored stain. This process helps by making grout lines look new again but will not prevent bacteria, water, and stains from entering the porous grout lines. Grout is made up of a mixture of sand and cement which leaves the grout line very absorbent. Using a colored based stain will only re-color the grout not seal the grout lines. Some other disadvantages in using colored stains could be that they might discolor and begin to crack, chip or peel often within a few months of application.

The most effective solution to cleaning your dirty grout is to color seal the grout. By color sealing the grout you get a beautiful match to your tile and are free from stains and bacteria. Color sealing guarantees that your grout will never crack, chip, or peel. Once the color sealant is down cleaning is simple. Any household cleaner will do the job. Just wet-mop the floor and towel dry for a perfect looking grout.

After researching the three methods of cleaning and protecting grout, I found color sealing is the best solution. Color sealing gives endless color possibilities and a great seal to protect your grout from stains and bacteria. Steam cleaning and staining grout will help beautify your grout but overtime will ultimately go back to being dirty.

Learn more about how to clean your dirty grout. Stop by Jeff Peters’s site where you can find out all about color sealant and what it can do for you.