DIY Grout Cleaner

I'm not a dirty person. My house is lived in and cleaned often. But...I have a confession. In the three plus years we've been in this house, I have NEVER cleaned the grout between the tiles on the floor. Oh, I've swept, vacuumed, and mopped my bathrooms and laundry room (the only rooms with tile), however over time the grout has gotten darker and darker. So with family coming this weekend, I decided it was FINALLY time to git-er-done! As you'll see in the pictures below, it looks like a brownish color that actually coordinates with the tiles...however it's supposed to be more of a light "greige" color. Whoops!

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I wanted to use things from around the house for two reasons.

Fantastic or Grout-eez, though I'm sure they'd get the job done. 1) I've been limiting a lot of commercial cleaners so I didn't want to use something like

And

2) I'm on a budget and specialty cleaners can get super expensive! By using cleaners I already regularly use, I stay on budget as well as lessen the amount of harsh chemicals in the home. Win-Win!

All you need for this grout cleaner is Dawn Liquid Soap, White Vinegar, a spoon, washcloths, and an old toothbrush (or a grout brush if you have one). Using equal parts soap and vinegar, warm the vinegar in the microwave for 30-45 seconds and then mix in the soap with a spoon.

Spoon the vinegar/soap mixture carefully onto the grout lines and let set for 10-15 minutes.

Using an old toothbrush or grout scrubber, scrub the lines in small sections at a time. Don't be too gentle-it takes some elbow grease to get the years of grime off. Scrub and wipe off as you go. It will be sudsy, so you'll need to rinse off your rag periodically. When you've finished, mop the entire floor to clean off any residual soap and have beautifully clean tile.

And there you have it! I love how beautifully clean it is and how much better I feel going in there knowing I cleaned it with simple ingredients from my home. Have you tried a different cleaning recipe that you love? I want to hear about it! When we all share ideas no one is left to "reinvent the wheel" so to speak.