How to Clean Grout After Installation

When you flip houses for a living, you install more than your fair share of tile and grout. Last week, I let (begged) a friend of mine to help me seal a floor that I had to get done in a hurry. Because I wasn’t there to give her any instruction, she mopped the sealant onto the floor without cleaning the grout first. Now the grout haze that I neglected to clean up is a permanent part of the decor. Here’s a quick tutorial — with help from The Tile Doctor — on how to clean grout after installation.

Let the Grout Cure First
As a fresh grout job dries, it often reveals a chalky grey or white grout haze behind. You’ll be tempted to jump right in there and clean it up, but hold your horses. The grout has to cure for the manufacturer-recommended amount of time before its ready to support any cleanup or traffic. Cure time is usually somewhere between 24 and 72 hours. But read the label on the back of the grout’s container for a more exact time frame. Once that’s passed, you’re ready to clean up the grout haze.

Scrubbing
Most grout haze will come off with some vigorous circular scrubbing with a plastic scrubbing sponge and a little cold water. Keep a bucket of clean water beside you, get on your hands and knees and start scrubbing. Rinse the sponge often. The small grout particles in the haze can scratch or dull your tile. Wipe the floor dry with a towel when you’re done. Then check on the grout in 15 minutes or so. If the grout haze is still gone, you’re home free. If not, you’ll need to use a stronger solution

A Stronger Solution
Grout haze remover is a chemical solvent that you can find at most stores or websites that sell tile and/or grout. Read the container’s instructions carefully. Open a window and put on a dust mask and rubber gloves before you open the lid. Wet a rag with the grout remover and buff the grout haze away. Mop the floor with clean water when you’re done.