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.
Vinegar will slowly dissolve the sealer on the grout and tile, allowing dirt, oils, and stains to penetrate deeper into the grout. Using Vinegar on grout can also cause the grout to breakdown overtime. And, that strong acid could damage the finish on the tile too.
Cleaning Grout with Vinegar
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.
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.
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.
What do professionals use to clean grout? Whether you believe it or not, most professionals use a solution of white vinegar and water with a 1:1 ratio.
Arguably the most common homemade grout cleaner, a mixture of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap works best for kitchen and shower tile since the paste is easy to rinse out. "The baking soda is going to give you a little bit more scrubbing power," Rapinchuk says.
Method 2: How to Get Grout White Again with Lemon Juice or White Vinegar. Saturate the grout with lemon juice, a mild disinfectant that gets rid of grout stains naturally. You can also use white vinegar for chemical-free grout cleaning.
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!)
Option 2: Baking soda paste grout cleaner
Mix 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1 tsp dish soap into a paste that you can apply to grout and surrounding tile. The dish soap is especially great at cutting through grease that might make its way onto your kitchen grout.
Mold and mildew are most likely what you're dealing with if you're cleaning grout in the shower. Highly caustic or acidic cleaners like vinegar will stain and slowly corrode grout and tile finishes.
Use vinegar in porcelain and ceramic shower tiles
Vinegar is perfect for cleaning shower tile and grout! It can dissolve soap scum and hard water stains and work as a mild mold remover and disinfectant!
You can safely use vinegar to clean ceramic or porcelain tiles, whether they are glazed or unglazed.
Oxygen-based bleach (hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate) and washing soda are safer alternatives to consider when you're looking for a powerful indoor cleaning solution. They're notably more eco-friendly and treat and prevent the growth of mold in a really effective way.
The vinegar combined with the baking soda will create a bubbly reaction, which will get rid of soap scum, limescale and mould. Be sure to work the baking soda into the grout lines, removing all build-up.
To clean your grout, combine one-part 3% hydrogen peroxide and one-part water into a spray bottle. Spray your grout generously and let the solution sit for about 1 hour, to allow time to work. Rinse the area with water and wipe clean with a microfibre cloth.
Just by diligently wiping down the surface with a wet sponge, the haze will remain and won't come off. Will Vinegar Remove Grout Haze? Yes, vinegar remove grout haze.
Fill a spray bottle with a half-and-half solution of vinegar and warm water. Spray on the grout, let it stand for five minutes, and then scrub with a stiff-bristled brush using a circular motion.
We recommend having your grout and tile professionally cleaned every one to two years, depending on the amount of traffic your tiled surface is exposed to. Public spaces, such as floors, might require a yearly cleaning, whereas a guest room shower will require a cleaning every two years or so.