How to clean the joints between tiles

After laying the tile, you always enjoy the pleasant whiteness of the tile joints, which give the original look to any room. But after a while they become dirty and spoil the look of the entire coverage. And the longer the cleaning measures are not taken, the dirtier they will become. This is due to the impact on the grout wet environment, shampoos and limescale. And to stop this process you need to learn how to clean the seams between the tiles? Immediately I must say that this is not an easy process and you will have to work hard to bring the state of the trowels in its original appearance.

Cleaning the grout with chemical means

Pemolyuks

First, you can try to remove dirt with a regular hard brush, and some detergent (with active substances), for example, the good old "Pemolyuksom." Wet a small area with water, and with a hand, of course, in a rubber glove, apply powder to the seams.

Do not rush to immediately flush it, but wait about 10 minutes. Then you need to forcefully clean the seams with a brush. After that, rinse everything with water and brush again to completely remove the powder. If necessary, you can repeat the whole process until you get the desired result.

This method is the most humane and will help clean the grout between tiles in the event that the pollution is not strongly ingrained in it.

If this method did not help to cope with the pollution of the trowel joints, then you can resort to more radical measures.

Folk method

Whitening seams Mix 6 glasses of water, half a cup of soda, one third of a cup of vinegar and lemon juice.

Such a cleaner should be used very carefully, always with rubber gloves and with the door open. Use a toothbrush or sponge for cleaning. Carefully apply it to the seams between the tiles and, after waiting 10 minutes, rinse with clean water. This procedure is also desirable to repeat twice. Lemon juice, vinegar and soda are eroded into the dirt and wash away even the most difficult of pollution very well.

Mechanical method

Another way to help you quickly and without chemicals to cope with pollution. Take a little sandpaper (one) and gently, so as not to scratch the tile, clean all the seams. This is a relatively quick and easy option. Do not forget to wash the entire tile after this.

If cleaning does not help

Replacing tile grout

If the usual methods of removing dirt from the trowel joints do not help, or after some time they dull again, then most likely a fungus started in the joints. The fungus can be distinguished by characteristic dark spots in small areas.

These places can be painted over with a covering felt-tip pen, but only purchase it with waterproof paint. Just cover them with problem areas. Also help to cope with pollution will help you to update the seams, which are sold in a specialized store. And if the fungal deposits are more serious and the inter-tile joints crumble when cleaning, then only an autopsy will help. For this you can use, for example, a grinder or a grinder.

Before starting work, completely empty the room, clean all the furniture or cover it with something, because there will be a lot of dust.

Gently, so as not to spoil the tile, cut the layer of grout. Then, wiping with a wet rag, once again we pass a grinder to make deeper channels. The remaining fragments, which the grinding wheel does not cut off, can be removed with a piece of large emery paper. After that, you need to process the seams with a solvent, a primer and apply a new trowel paste.

Protection of the grout

Protection for the joints

Masters who lay tiles and, of course, rubbed the seams, do not like to talk about their protection. Meanwhile, special liquids are on the market of building materials that perform such a function. The job of providing such protection is quite tedious and therefore they don’t want to undertake it, and if they do, you are not insured against the poor quality of such work.

In this case, it is better to do everything yourself, and the point here is as follows. After the seams are completely dry, they should be carefully treated with protective liquid using a brush .

Manufacturers do not recommend allowing such a solution to hit the tile, so it is better to immediately wipe the drops that can get on it with a clean cloth.

How to exclude chemical compositions

In order not to resort to the use of chemistry and preserve the inter-tile seams in their original form, they must be washed periodically. Once a month, wipe them with a hard brush with warm water. Of course, this is not to everyone's liking, but later you will not need to resort to drastic measures, and the seams will remain snow-white for a long time.