If you read my post about travertine floors, you know that I put them in my kitchen and front hall. I love them and have absolutely zero regrets. However, after a few months I noticed that the grout was getting pretty dark. And after a year of ignoring it, it got really really dark! Anyway, a few weeks ago the COVID lockdowns in our area eased up and I wanted to have family over to my house. They had never seen the floors before and I decided I couldn’t have anyone see them in their current state. I scrubbed and scrubbed, but to no avail.

Then low and behold, my husband mentioned that he’d had success in the past using baking soda and peroxide. I know there are a lot of home remedies out there, but I had never heard this particular solution for cleaning tile grout. So he poured a little peroxide, sprinkled a little baking soda, let it sit for a minute, and voila! He scrubbed for about five or ten seconds, wiped it away, and it was like new. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A year’s worth of dirt and spills, gone. And with very little effort. So I want to share it with the world! Honestly, if I’ve worked in the design and renovation industry for as long as I have and didn’t know about this until a week ago, chances are some of you out there haven’t either. So consider this my PSA.

How to Clean Tile Grout with Baking Soda & Peroxide

Step 1: You should probably put on some rubber gloves. This is more of a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ instruction. I didn’t wear any, but if I’d had any cuts on my hands it could have stung. Also, make sure not to get any peroxide near your eyes.

Step 2: I’ve seen other instructions online that say you should mix about half a cup of baking soda and a quarter cup of peroxide into a bottle and then apply it to the grout. I didn’t do this. I just sprinkled baking soda onto the floor and then splashed some peroxide on top. It’s possible I was a bit wasteful by doing it this way.

Step 3: Let the mixture sit for a minute or two and then scrub with a hard brush. If your grout was as dirty as mine it will result in a messy, dark paste. Simply wipe it away with a clean, damp sponge.

I’m not kidding when I say the results blew me away. The grout looked brand new. In total, the process of cleaning my entire kitchen floor took about an hour. My arm was pretty tired from scrubbing, but it was well worth it. I only wish I had thought to take a full ‘before’ picture that showed the entire floor. But alas, I always think of these things too late. So this little section will have to do. (Seeing the ‘after’ made me realize just how dirty the ‘before’ was! This is in the front hall where people come in from outside. I swear we’re not really this gross!)

In this photo you can see where the top left had been cleaned and the bottom right hadn’t. Not bad, right?

So tell me the truth, am I the only person who didn’t know about this incredible way to clean tile grout? What other home cleaning tips do I need to know? Please feel free to leave them in the comments!