Keeping Your Business and Home Clean

Tile is an easy-to-clean and durable surface for countertops, backsplashes, or bathroom walls. Not as easy to clean, however, are the grout lines between tiles. Grout is porous and abrasive and that creates a surface that dirt and stains love to cling to. To combat this stubborn problem, some will turn to harsh chemicals that burn away the muck. But that's always a dangerous solution when there are children or pets involved, and even dangerous for you, the person doing the cleaning. Fortunately, there are several natural products you can use to clean tough grout lines.  

Vinegar

One of the best natural cleaning products in the world is one that is cheap and almost always around the house: vinegar. White vinegar is full of acetic acid, a strong acid with a pH level of between 2 and 3. It easily cuts through most dirt and mineral stains. White vinegar is quite potent so you can easily dilute it with water if needed. Apple cider vinegar will also work as a great natural cleaner. Put some vinegar or a diluted vinegar solution in a spray bottle, spray on the grout lines, and leave for an hour or so. Then come back with a stiff bristled brush and watch as the scum scrubs right off.  

Mini Science Project

If the vinegar isn't doing the job, add a little abrasive powder with baking soda. Remember in school when your idea of a cool science project was to combine baking soda and vinegar for an exciting mini-volcano explosion? It was fun to watch but can the chemical reactions between these two products actually serve a purpose? Not really. A chemical reaction does happen. Acetic acid in the vinegar reacts with the sodium bicarbonate in the baking soda and forms carbonic acid, but a decomposition reaction immediately occurs. The carbonic acid falls apart into carbon dioxide gas and water and what you're left with is water and sodium acetate. Saltwater, basically. However, if you've already tried the vinegar, adding a little friction through the abrasiveness of the baking soda will help. Plus, you'll get to watch a fun explosive reaction, like when you were a kid.  

Steam Clean

When it comes to natural products, there isn't anything more natural than water. One of the best ways to clean your grout without harsh chemicals is to steam clean it. Steam cleaning utilizes only water and heat. Water is heated up to about 212 degrees and then the resulting steam is directed forcefully at the problem. To loosen the dirt, you'll still need to scrub with a bristled brush. If you don't own a steamer you can rent a residential steam cleaner at most home improvement stores.

To learn more, contact a company like Arnold's Advanced Carpet Cleaning.