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Owning a home can be expensive because you not only have to pay your mortgage every month, but you have to take care of it. The maintenance and cleaning costs of keeping your home is good condition can add up. There is one project that should not cost too much but will give you huge returns when it comes to resale value. That chore is grout cleaning.

Clean tile grout can make a huge difference in how attractive your house looks and leaves a good impression on potential buyers because they can tell you take good care of your home. If your grout is moldy and dirty then people might start to wonder what else you do not take good care of. Plus the presence of mold could turn off a potential buyer entirely if someone in their family has allergy problems.

Keeping your grout clean does not cost a lot of money if you clean grout yourself instead of hiring a professional. In fact, the grout cleaning cost is more in time than in dollars. You can keep your grout looking like new with a few household items and a few brushes and cloths. You just need to be willing to put in the time.

A baking soda paste made with a little bit of vinegar is a great grout cleaner. You just spread the paste onto the grout lines and let it sit for about ten to twenty minutes. Then you scrub the grout with circular motions with a medium bristled brush. Wipe away the residue with a clean damp cloth and you are on your way. This method is labor intensive and will take some time, but it is cheap.

If you are willing to spend a little more money you can rent grout cleaning machines that use steam to work dirt out of the grout and a rotating brush system to scrub. The machines usually have suction that cleans up the dirty water after you are finished. If you are willing to spend even more, you can hire a professional grout cleaning company to come in a few times a year to clean your grout. However, if you do not keep up with grout cleaning on a weekly basis, it becomes harder and harder to get it clean because permanent stains start to form.

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The following is a guide on the best method for cleaning grout without using harsh chemicals.  Grout is notorious for attracting dirt and mildew and is often very hard to get clean.  Because grout is so hard to clean, traditional grout cleaner uses harsh chemicals that is toxic to both people and the environment.  This article will discuss greener and environmentally friendly ways of cleaning grout.

A change to green products to clean tile grout will help to improve both the outdoor and indoor environment.  For this reason, consider using baking soda as your active cleaning ingredient.  In order to remove mildew and mold from between you tiles, begin by pouring water over the tiles and then pour baking soda over the same area.  Use a toothbrush to scrub the grout lines and then allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.  Baking soda will disinfect and deodorize your grout and tiles naturally, without dangerous chemicals that are damaging to both you and the environment.  Removing the baking soda is easy.  Take a few gallons of boiled water and pour it over the tile, using rags or a drain to remove excess water.

Grout cleaning products that are safe for you, your home, and the environment, such as baking soda, are cheap but effective.  The commercial cleaning solutions are made from so many harmful chemicals and are often very expensive, it only makes sense to try and find a natural solution.  However, there are some cleaners on the market that offer environmentally friendly solutions, such as Seventh Generation.  They are known for their “green” products and have encouraged many traditional companies to follow suit with their own versions of green products.

Tile and grout cleaning is never going to be fun, but it is necessary.  The next time you need clean yours, research some greener methods first by doing some online searches.  You can also purchase ready-made products that are safe for the environment if you so choose.

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