We’ve all been there. You may be expecting a visit from your landlord and doing the final pre-visit checks. Maybe the in-laws are coming for the holidays and you’re sprucing up the bathroom. Whatever the situation, there is that familiar sinking feeling as you scrub and scrub at your bathroom or kitchen tiles, only to find some stubborn grout remains entrenched in there from back when they were first fitted. Read on for help on eliminating grout from your tiling.
Cleaning tile from grout can be a time-consuming and infuriating endeavour if you don’t have the right tools for the job. Use a power drill with an attached oscillating blade or a rotary tool with a blade designed for jobs such as this one. Make sure your tool head has been designed for tile (most heads will specify this). You’ll need to start by very gently pressing the tool against the surface of the tile to remove the grout that hangs over the line of the tile. Increase the pressure until you are flush with the wall – but be careful not to damage the tiles themselves.
Repeat this process with the tool angled into the gaps between the tiles to remove or loosen as much of the grout as you can get to. The power tool stage removal is by far the quickest and easiest, so you’ll want to get as much of the grout cleaned out here, while again taking care not to damage any tiles. Once you have the majority of the grout taken care of vacuum up any loose fragments you have and break out the hand tools.
Hand grouting tools can be picked up that are strengthened with diamond or carbide to make it strong enough to cut through and remove grout from your tiles. Smoothly and accurately score down the line of grout with the hand tool. It will turn any remaining grout to dust on its way through, so all that is left to do is clear up the dust and you are ready for regrouting!
It’s important to note that patience is a necessary trait to have when you are removing grout. You may have only a few grimy tiles in the kitchen or an entire bathroom floor to fix. Whatever the size of the job, break it down into manageable segments so that you don’t find yourself burning out halfway through, or losing concentration and chipping one of your tiles.
Cleaning grout from tile is a simple job when done right. If you don’t have an oscillating tool it may even be worth getting one just for grouting, but a good multi-tool will show its value all around the home, so consider picking one up to make more DIY jobs easier. Instead of a special hand grouting tool you can use a flathead screwdriver as its shape allows good access to the gaps in the tiles. Whichever tool you use, follow these simple steps for an easier route to sparkling clean tiles.
