Grout Mildew
Mildew is a slightly less nasty cousin of the despised household mold. Although it’s not as harmful, it needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. Like mold, it loves to grow in tricky places that are tough to clean. The grout that holds together your bathroom or kitchen tiles can easily get mildew infestations. Here’s how you clean grout mildew and stop it from taking over your home.
The Weapons You Will Need
Get a good pair of rubber gloves and a face mask. When cleaning mildew, the risk of inhaling spores is not so serious, but you should still keep yourself protected. For the actual clean-up, you’ll need a heavy brush with wire bristles from a hardware store. It will come in handy cleaning other things as well. You’ll need bleach, vinegar and a good bathroom cleaner. Also, bring a roll of paper towels.
Get Down There And Scrub
The first step is to scrub. Use a good bathroom cleaner and your wire brush, and really work on that mess. The initial scrubbing may take it all off, or it may not. In any case, once you’ve scrubbed, you’re not finished yet. Washing is only the first step to get rid of visible mildew. The real important work is to disinfect.
Disinfecting Grout
To disinfect, soak your paper towels in vinegar. Leave them on the grout and let them work their magic. Vinegar works as a natural disinfectant, so its a great choice for cleaning.
After you’ve done the vinegar treatment, do the same thing with bleach. Mix a solution of bleach and water, soak your paper towels in it, and let it sit on the grout for about 30 minutes. Rinse it off, and do it again until the mildew is gone. Use a low concentration of bleach so you don’t bleach your tiles. Finally, rinse the area well with water.
The trouble with grout mildew is that it comes continually. Keep checking on the trouble area, and as soon as you see any stuff growing there, clean it up immediately.
