The most important step to keep your grout clean is to apply a commercial grout sealer. There are different products on the market depending on the tile and the grout in use. Unfortunately, it takes as much effort to apply the sealer as it takes effort to clean the grout. But once you have sealed it correctly, you can be sure that your bathroom will be free of mildew and mold for a long time.

If you have cleaned your grout intensively, you should wait some hours before you apply the sealer in order to dry the grout completely. To keep the grout clean, no one should enter the room during this time. Afterwords you can apply the sealer. If you re-grout your bathroom, it is recommended to wait around 48 hours before the application of the sealer. If you are not sure about the correct time or how to use the seal, you should contact the tile manufacturer and the producer of your grout seals.

Once you have decided to apply a sealer to your grout, you should also think about sealing your tiles. In general, you can divide the available sealers into two categories. The first one contains membrane forming sealers. Those sealers resist water and many chemicals with a membrane which is almost invisible for the human eye. It is recommended mostly for floors. The other one is the class of penetrating sealers. It fills the remaining pores of the tiles and the grout and hinders water and other particles from entering. It is recommended for very wet places like baths or showers. It is recommended to renew the seal of tiles and grout every two years.

After you have sealed your tiles and grout, you should keep your bathroom clean. Remember that no seal offers an unlimited protection against water, dirt and other chemicals. A sealed grout can be destroyed easily if it is exposed to aggressive cleaning detergents for a long time. Therefore you should clean your bath regularly and store aggressive chemicals in a safe place.

Every three to six months you should clean your bathroom intensively in order to prevent infestation of mold and mildew. There are many effective cleaning detergents and utilities on the market that can help you to keep your bath clean. Since the bathroom is one of the most sensitive rooms in your house, you and your family should stick to some rules. Nobody should enter with dirty street shoes the bathroom. This is the main source of germs and bacteria which might spread easily in the bathroom. You should air the bathroom twice per day for at least 10 minutes in order to prevent infestation of mould. You should keep your house and especially your bathroom as dry as possible in order to protect the sealing of your grout as well.

There are many and different grout cleaning machines in the market today. There are very simple grout cleaning systems usually consisting of a bucket, rollers and sponges which are not expensive. There are electric sponge machines with adjustable rollers and direct water injection rinsing the sponge. The machines are usually pulled backwards at an angle of 45 degrees to the grout and the sponges rotate. These machines have sponges for sanded and epoxy grouts as well. The sponges can be changed very easily. Some of the machines have levers for controlling the dampness. There are machines designed to spread the grout as well as to clean it. There are also electric scrubbing machines specially designed to clean the hard – to – clean areas as well. The scrubbing machines are with compact design and easy to use. They have brushes or pads that can be changed easily. The prices are about $3000 (2700, 2800). Grout steam and vapor cleaning machines became very popular lately. They are available in a wide variety of sizes and types. They operate in the following way: hot water creates steam that looses dirt and grime on the surface. They kill bacteria, mold, fungus and remove allergens. Some of the steam cleaning machines work simply with water, others use cleaning agents. There are a few differences between steam cleaners and vacuum cleaners: vacuum cleaners just picks up the dirt while steam cleaners get into fibers. It takes a few hours for the cleaned surface to dry after using a steam cleaner. If using a vapor steam cleaner, it takes only a quarter of an hour. Another difference is that many steam cleaning machines use chemical cleaning agents. Vapor steam cleaning machines do not need any chemical cleaners but they should not be used on surfaces that are not heat – resistant. Many of these machines can be rented as well so you don’t need to buy them if you think there is no need. In case you don’t want to bother about grout cleaning at all, you can always call some professionals. They will gladly help you.