🛁 How to whiten tile joints: folk remedies, household chemicals, drastic measures

Tile and ceramic tile is one of the most popular finishing materials for floor lining and walls in bathrooms, toilets and kitchens. It is durable, easy to clean, has a long service life and an excellent appearance. However, tiles there is one disadvantage: over time, the joints between the elements facing sereyut, yellow and joints appear mold and fungi that do not add optimism to the owner of the apartment or house. In this review of HouseChief.ru give some tips on how to quickly and efficiently update the tile seams.

Why darker grout joints between tiles

Before proceeding to update the seams between the tiles, it is necessary to understand what caused the contamination. From this it depends largely on the method and the means for restoration seam grouting. Thus, contamination causes can be as follows:

• lack of ventilation or its poor performance;
• failure to comply with the basic rules of operation of the tile, for example, untimely cleaning;
• before grouting joints previously not been processed;
• prolonged exposure to excessive humidity and high temperatures in the bathroom when there is insufficient ventilation;
• the use of poor-quality grout;
• violation seams processing technology in tiling;
• the poor performance of the kitchen hood, Which leads to settling on tile joints fumes and combustion products, and oil splashing.

If mezhplitochny seam only dirty, it is only necessary to conduct cleaning, bleaching and antiseptic treatment. However, when significant destruction will replace the grout. Consider all the options.

When you can do folk remedies

To clean the tile joints, try to do first folk remedies, which can be made of what is at hand in the kitchen at all. Consider the most popular and easy way.

Option №1: the use of soda

This is a fairly simple way to update people's tile seams. To do this you need to pack the usual baking soda and an old toothbrush. Purification sutures as follows:

1. Moisten the joints with water and apply liberally to them soda.
2. Wait a few minutes and carefully handle the seams toothbrush.
3. Take the brush for the bathroom, put on her stubble soda and process all tiles to remove limescale.
4. Wash away all the clean water through the shower head.

Attention! If the seams are seen black dots, you know this is the beginning of occurrence of fungal structures. For their use 100% destruction of sodium hydrogen carbonate, which is an excellent antiseptic.

Option №2: clean soda with vinegar

Another way to clean and whiten your joints between tiled tiles using tools that are on any kitchen. You will need soda, 9% vinegar, lemon juice or acid solution, spray, brush and clean rags. Next, follow these steps:

• take item 7. water 0.5 Art. soda, 1/3 Art. lemon juice or acid solution, ¼ v. vinegar and mix components;
• Moisten the resulting solution all the seams (you can use a spray gun) and give the composition for 15 minutes to impregnate the old grout, since contamination penetrate deeply enough. The same composition can be processed and the tiles;
• brush carefully go through the seams and tile;
• rinse everything with clean warm water and wipe dry with a cloth.

Variant №3: hydrogen peroxide

Nice update tile joints are possible by means of hydrogen peroxide, which is in almost every home. This non-aggressive agent, has good antiseptic properties. Hydrogen peroxide does not require rinsing and prevents further spread of the fungus, which often occurs in the joints between the tiles.

To prepare a detergent, it is necessary to mix the hydrogen peroxide and water in a ratio of 1: 2. Treat the resulting solution for all seams between the tiles and leave to dry. As mentioned, the tool does not need to wash off. Peroxide does not solve the problem much stubborn stains, but with the recent fungal formations it is perfectly cope.

We call on the aid of household chemicals

Not always folk remedies can help, and then you have to resort to ready-made means of household chemical arsenal. Please find the two most popular methods.

Option №4: the use of bleaches

To clean the tile seams can use virtually any detergent with a high content of chlorine (Domestos, Cif, Komet, Sanita or whiteness). The procedure itself is the cleaning is virtually identical to the previous versions:

1. Moisten the joints between tiles water and applied to a toothbrush which any of the above means.
2. Wait 10-15 minutes and carefully handle the seams.
3. After treatment rinse agent with clean water from the shower head.

Note! This method is only suitable for cleaning white seams. Colored grout exposed to bleaching agents can change their color.

Option №5: cleaning with spets.sredstv

In a large range of household chemicals have special potent compounds (Sillit Bang, Sano Mildew Remover, VEKSA et al.). They are meant to combat limescale mold, mildew and other types of pollution. These means are easy to use and eliminates the need of mechanical action. Purification sutures as follows:

• with a sponge and water to moisten the joints between the tiles;
• applied to detergent joints;
• wait 5-7 minutes and rinse well with clean running water everything.

Attention! Working with any household chemicals, you must be sure to use rubber gloves, goggles, mask or respirator.

Cosmetics for seams and a steam room

Result whitening joints between tile depends largely on the degree of contamination. Sometimes even strong remedies do not help get rid of the gray streaks and black spots. Then we offer to resort to cosmetic restoration.

Variant №6: update vodoemulsionkoy seams

If you get rid of the stains on the grout joints can not, then you can resort to cosmetic procedures, such as the use of water-based paint. You can use it to update the joints and give them the original appearance. Making paint for joints, it should be noted that its color should be 2-3 shades darker grout (when dry it becomes lighter). Vodoemulsionku be applied in two or three layers.

Option №7: use markers

Whiten tile joints and possible also with a special pencil or marker. This is a fairly easy way to make the joints between the tiles attractive. Marker for plumbing joints has several positive characteristics:

• light transmission;
• odorless;
• resistance to water;
• harmless to humans;
• It has antiseptic properties, which is important for the fight against mold and mildew.

Updating the tile joints as follows:

1. Remove with water dust and dirt.
2. Hold marker in the seam between the tiles.
3. Post a coloring material to dry.

That's so easy with the help of a marker can be returned to the original appearance of the tile seams.

Option №8: steam bath for tile joints

To update the appearance of the tile joints can be used steam generator. True, this method is more suitable clearing companies, who have to clean the tiles more often, but we still we will tell about it. cleaning principle consists in the fact that hot steam is supplied under pressure to the soiled surface under high pressure. Through this gryazeobrazovaniya softened and removed, together with bacteria, fungus and mold.

Drastic measures to clean up the seams

Imagine that all of these measures have not yielded positive results. Why it happened and what to do in this case? This means that fungus and mold firmly entered the grout and then have to resort to drastic measures.

Variant №9: removing the top layer of grout

By drastic measures mechanical action should be attributed to clean tile joints. If bleach joints traditional methods and chemical agents was not possible, then you can resort to the removal of the top layer. To do this, using sandpaper or a special brush is necessary to process the surface of the grout, the affected fungus or mold. Next should be treated with an antifungal composition of the seam. If as a result of these actions form a notch, then by a new layer of putty you need to fix it.

Variant №10: the complete removal of tile grout and applying new

This is the most extreme way to fix the problem, which, however, requires a minimum amount of tools, experience, but you need patience. Old tile grout must be removed by any means to the base (screwdriver, sander or Bulgarian). The space between tiles disinfected using a solvent, primed and re-rub clean with a special compound.

How to prevent the re-formation of mold and mildew between tiles seams

So we cleared the tile joints from dirt and mildew in one of these ways, but how to make sure that the problems were no more or they appeared as little as possible. Take into service a few simple but effective suggestions:

1. After the seams are fully cleaned they must be treated with a special sealant. This will prevent the ingress of bacteria and fungal spores in microcracks grout. Such compositions can be purchased in specialized plumbing stores.
2. To avoid the appearance of fungi on the joints between tiles in the bathroom, you must clean them with soda at least twice a month.
3. Naladte ventilation and avoid the accumulation of moisture and condensation in the joints between the tiles and the bath itself.
4. Regularly wipe the tiles in the bathroom with a dry cloth or towel and often ventilate the room.
5. Upon detection of occurrence of any signs of mold and mildew treat the affected places special pencil which contains antibacterial substances.
6. Every week, spend in the bathroom wet cleaning with ammonia or vinegar. This will be enough to remove bacteria and fungus formation.

A few words in conclusion

The joints between the tile should be cleaned as often as possible, because the impurities cause the mold and mildewBut it does contribute to your health. We hope that our recommendations will help you keep your kitchen or bathroom in perfect condition. If you have your own ways how to clean dirty joints between tiles with a minimum cost, then share them with us and our readers through our feedback form.