8 Best Grout Cleaners of 2022, According to Pros

When the Good Housekeeping Institute experts test bathroom cleaning products, we test them in the lab and bring them home to test on our own soap scum, mildew and hard water stains. In the Cleaning Lab, we assess how easily and quickly they cut through the dirty grout lines on our ceramic and marble tile test panels. We note the wait times and how much scrubbing is required for each cleaner to work. We review the labeling and directions for completeness and for any required safety precautions, and we evaluate how easy the products are to apply and rinse off.

Products that are submitted for consideration in our annual Cleaning and Organizing Award are shipped to our team of consumer testers to clean and assess the performance on the soap scum and mildew-stained grout in their own showers, which you just can’t duplicate in a lab.

It may seem like all grout cleaners are created equal, but that’s not necessarily the case. When choosing the best cleaner for your dirty grout, keep the following points in mind:

✔️ Grout material and color: Read the label before buying any grout cleaner to be sure it is safe to use on the surfaces you’ll be cleaning. Some are suited only for white, not colored, grout, and others can damage adjoining tiles made of natural stone, like marble or granite.

✔️ Cleanser form: Sprays and foams are easy to apply, but can run or drip off vertical surfaces before the job is done, meaning you may have to reapply. And they may produce fumes that can be irritating to some, especially when used in small spaces. Thick gels stay in place for longer, but they can take more effort to rinse away.

✔️ Scope of the job: Bleach is a great whitener and germ-killer, so if your grout is very badly stained with mold and mildew, a strong bleach-containing cleaner will be your best bet and will likely require the least amount of scrubbing. If you’ll be cleaning dirty or discolored floor tile grout or you’re fastidious about drying the shower daily and have only occasional spots, a milder formula should suffice.

Taking care of your tile grout starts with preventing the mildew that makes grout dingy in the first place. Mildew grows in warm, moist conditions. Here’s how to stop mildew in its tracks:

• While showering, open a window and run an exhaust fan in the bathroom, if you have one; this will help the moisture produced from a shower dissipate faster.
• Squeegee shower walls or dry them with a towel after the last person in your household showers for the day to keep grout dry.
• Spray a product, like Microban’s 24-Hour Bathroom Cleaner, weekly to prevent mold and mildew growth, soap scum build-up and hard water stains.
• Keeping grout sealed to prevent moisture and stains from penetrating the surface is important too. Reseal bathroom grout lines once a year to keep grout protected.

A spray or gel cleaner and a heavy-duty grout cleaning brush are often all you need to make grout look new again. But if you’ve tried store-bought grout cleaners and are still struggling with yellowing grout, try this DIY method from our cleaning experts. Mix ¾ cup household bleach with 1 gallon of water. Wearing rubber gloves, apply the mixture to the grout, being careful not to get it on any fabric or other material. Allow it to sit for several minutes then scrub with a stiff brush and rinse well.

It’s important to note that if your grout is not white to begin with, using bleach to clean it will likely remove the color from the grout. If not even this bleach mixture seems to work, it might be time to call in the pros for a professional grout cleaning or to reapply and reseal your grout.

If you want to avoid having to deep clean your tile grout with the bleach mixture mentioned above, it’s best to add your home’s tile grout to your usual cleaning routine. Use a cleanser that requires little scrubbing about once a week or whenever you start to notice your grout is becoming a bit discolored.

As the Executive Director of the Home Care and Cleaning Lab, Carolyn Forté tests hundreds of cleaning appliances, products and tools each year. Every product in this roundup was vetted, researched or tested by Forté and her dedicated team of analysts and consumer testers.