Distilled white vinegar is a safe, natural cleaner and disinfectant you can use all around the house. Pour or spray undiluted vinegar onto your grout and let it sit for 10 minutes before using a toothbrush, scrubbing in a circular motion. Next, rinse away the dirt and mildew.
Cleaning Tile Grout
Start with water and a stiff brush, and if that doesn't do the trick, try an oxygen cleaner or a mix of baking soda and vinegar followed by brushing. Deep stains may call for replacing the grout altogether.
Dawn and Vinegar Grout Cleaner
Heat a cup of 1-to-1 vinegar and water in the microwave for about a minute. Pour it into a spray bottle and add a cup of Dawn dish soap. Carefully spray the mixture on your grout lines. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes longer if you have really dirty grout.
In most cases, vinegar is the best product to clean shower tiles. However, if you are using another cleaning product, the process is almost the same!
Grout that hasn't been sealed, needs to be resealed, or is in poor shape should not be cleaned with vinegar. The vinegar penetrates into the pores of the grout, further weakening the material. Over time, vinegar will deteriorate the condition of the grout by etching or wearing it away.
You can also use white vinegar for chemical-free grout cleaning. Simply pour vinegar from the bottle into the cap and pour it over the dirty grout lines. Allow the lemon juice or vinegar to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, scrub with a small brush or old toothbrush.
For stubborn shower stains, soap scum and grime, mix one cup of warm water, two cups of white vinegar and one teaspoon of a vegetable-based dishwashing soap in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the shower walls, let it work for 15 minutes and use a sponge to scrub off scum and grime.
(The heat will help the vinegar and soap mix together better.) Add a half cup of dish soap like Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid (Buy on Amazon, $14.22 for three bottles) to the bottle while the vinegar is still warm. Swirl the mixture to combine, then spray onto your shower doors and tiles.
Let the vinegar solution sit for up to an hour. Then, use a cloth, sponge, or old toothbrush to rub the mess off of the fiberglass tub. Rinse and enjoy!
Avoid Vinegar and Baking Soda
Vinegar and other acids are also a bad idea for stone tile because the acid can etch the stone. Another widely praised household cleaner, baking soda, is alkaline (not acid), but it is not very effective as a grout cleaner.
The easiest way to clean grout without scrubbing involves hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Mix the two into a paste with some dish soap and apply to the grout lines. Alternatively, you can use a cleaning solution of water, vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda.
Fill your spray bottle with a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water and spray the work area generously. Let the solution sit for about five minutes, then follow up with a grout brush or a scrub brush. If you don't have one of these, a toothbrush works in a pinch. Rinse with warm water.
“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”
Spray all over the tub and shower and let it sit for a few minutes to a few hours, depending how challenging the job is. Scrub if you need to, but the scum should rub right off. Don't worry about the strong vinegar smell. You will be pleasantly surprised it smells more like Dawn than vinegar!
While white vinegar is best known for its culinary uses, it can work wonders in the bathroom. Praised for its powerful acetic acid solution, vinegar helps to dissolve mineral deposit, bacteria, dirt, grease and grime.
You can safely use vinegar to clean ceramic or porcelain tiles, whether they are glazed or unglazed. For other types, however, like terracotta, marble or grante, we recommend you look for ph neutral cleaner that will not harm the material.
Mix one part vinegar with two parts distilled water in an empty spray bottle and shake well. (If you prefer a store-bought cleaner, be sure to check out these suggestions.) Spray the surface of the shower door with the solution and let it work its magic for 10 minutes. Use a microfiber sponge to wipe away the grime.
So the answer to the titular question is vinegar. Vinegar is better for cleaning. But that's because bleach isn't intended for cleaning, but for disinfecting. And, by the way, if you want to use bleach for disinfecting, make sure the area you want to treat is clean (and rinsed clean, if you used vinegar!)
In a big spray bottle or bucket, combine one part white vinegar with four parts water. For enhanced strength, more vinegar can be used. Use a mop or a soft nylon pad depending on the surface you need to clean. After using the vinegar-water combination, thoroughly rinse the area with clean water.
Using a spray bottle, cover any mouldy areas of grout with undiluted white vinegar. If you don't have a spray bottle, don't worry – you can also apply the vinegar with a cloth. Simply let the vinegar sit for an hour before rinsing with warm water and repeat if needed.