I’m so excited for the progress I’ve made with the bathroom makeover. Here’s a picture of the bathroom when we first toured the home:
Eww! I used my special grout cleaning concoction, and it helped a lot, but this old grout was just too stained and nasty to ever really look good. It made me cringe every time I walked into that bathroom.
Brownish yellow grout against crisp white tiles just doesn’t scream “clean.” Nevermind what it does scream. Blech!
So after a lot of research (reading blogs… my favorite kind of research!), I decided to try a product called Mapei Grout Refresh. I bought mine at Lowes in the tile aisle, but Home Depot also carries a similar product with a different name. The bottle cost $12.
I followed the instructions on the bottle. First you apply the paint/stain/whatever it is to all the grout and scrub it in with a toothbrush.
After 30-60 minutes, you mist the floor with a spray bottle and wait 5 minutes. Then you scrub any of the excess paint off of the tile.
I quickly learned that you only want to scrub the tile part, not the grout itself. I accidentally scrubbed off some of the colorant.
Oops! I have just a few teeny spots I’ll have to touch up, but it’s no big deal, really.
After I finished cleaning up all the extra paint, I stood back in disbelief.
LOOK AT THAT GROUT!!! It’s so, so …. white!
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with the results. The bathroom actually looks clean now! It makes such a huge difference to me! I am just giddy!
Comments & Reviews
The Hayes Family says
Wow, it looks fantastic!
Jennifer {The Craft Patch} says
Thanks! I'm so excited about it!
Casey @Waffling says
I have been working hard at the grout in my new place (it had been a rental for probably 10 years, so not much care given to the floors!). I actually found magic erasers to be MAGICAL. It was a lot of work, but I learned my grout is actually sandy coloured…not dark brown as I assumed :). Grout paint was my next option but I am still trying to clean first!
Jennifer {The Craft Patch} says
I cleaned with several different products before I went with the paint. The grout was chocolate brown at first, and after cleaning, I got it to a yellowish tan. But it still just looked icky, so grout paint to the rescue!
Alice says
just baking soda and water works just as well!
Jennifer {The Craft Patch} says
I actually tried that and while it did help, the grout was still nasty looking.
Darla from HeartWork Organizing says
So excited for you! I have a similar bath, except with 6" squares = twice as much grout. Lucky me. I can't wait to get time to do this. I bought the product last week, and it's mocking me, just sitting on the counter. Can't wait to get at it! You've given me inspiration.
Jennifer {The Craft Patch} says
Good luck, Darla. It is worth every second spent. You will be amazed how much cleaner the bathroom will feel!