We use tiles in various areas of the home, such as the kitchen or bathroom. In rooms such as these, tiles are ideal for walls and floors, as they are hard wearing, easy to clean and maintain, and offer protection in rooms where there is a lot of moisture.  In order to make sure your tiling looks good, you need to make sure that they are properly fitted and that the gaps between the tiles are filled in with grout.

You can buy grout in powder form or in a pre-mixed form with a choice of colours available but we sell a lot of the tools and equipment you’ll need for the job on our accessories page which you can check out here. When it comes to your tiling, you need to familiarise yourself with how to clean your grouting as well as how to re-grout or remove grout from your tiles. 

Tips that can help

There are a number of tips that can help you when it comes to cleaning grouting, re-grouting and removing grouting from tiles, and our tile experts have put together some of the most useful. Let’s start with cleaning your existing tile grouting. 

Cleaning grouting

You need to ensure you keep the grout between your tiles clean, as otherwise it can harbour bacteria, start to wear more quickly, develop mildew and mould, and look generally unappealing. Cleaning grouting is a pretty simple process. You have two options – you can buy a ready-made grout cleaning solution, or you can use a home-made one. This includes using a solution made from 50 percent vinegar and 50 percent warm water. All you need to do is use a spray bottle to spray your cleaning solution onto the grouting between your tiles. If you are using a homemade solution, you can over the grouting with a paste made from baking soda and water first before spraying on the solution. Once you have sprayed the cleaning solution on, leave it for five minutes. All you need to do then is use a stiff brush to scrub the grout lines – a toothbrush is ideal for this. You can then rinse down with warm water, and the job is done.

Re-grouting your tiles

There may be a number of reasons why you need to re-grout between tiles. This includes changing the colour of the grout, replacing damaged grout, or replacing stained/mouldy grout. The task at hand is a pretty simple one with the right tools – some DIY retailers sell re-grouting kits that contain all the tools you need to re-grout quickly and efficiently. In order to re-grout, you first need to remove the old group. You can do this with a specialist grout rake, which can save you a lot of time and effort. Remove the old grout to a minimum depth of 2mm otherwise the new grout may not stay in the joints. Once you have removed the grout, use a stiff nylon brush to get rid of any loose grout and debris from between the joint. You will then be ready to apply the new grout. You simply apply the grout using a grout application tool or even a damp decorator’s sponge. Spread it around so that the joints are completed filled. Of course, this will leave grout marks and residue on the tiles, but you don’t need to worry as they can be cleaned with ease. You then simply wait for the grout to harden.

Removing grout from your tiles

When you apply grout between your tiles, it is inevitable that some level of mess will be left behind on your tiles. Cleaning grout from your tiles is simple. Proving you don’t wait too long, you can simply use a clean, damp sponge to wipe it away. Once the tiles have dried off, you will notice a residue forming, and in order to address this you simply need to rinse out the sponge and wipe the tiles over again. You may need to repeat this several times to get rid of the grout residue altogether.

Found these tips useful? Ask our tile specialists for more of what you liked! We’re always happy to help.