Using the best grout when laying tiles, unfortunately, does not eliminate the problem of its gradual darkening, loss of color, and cracking. Moreover, situations are not uncommon when it simply crumbles, the wall, laid out with tiles, looks ugly, the interior of the room loses its former gloss and attractiveness. What are the ways to deal with this problem, how to restore the whiteness and cleanliness of the seams?
Why does grout darken?
The most common reason is the insufficient efficiency of the ventilation system. In second place is the untimely care, the use of unsuitable household chemicals. To reduce the risk of darkening, before applying the grout, it is necessary to treat the seams with an appropriate composition, to ensure their maximum resistance to moisture, including direct contact with water, pollution.
As you know, the most difficult climatic conditions are typical for the bathroom and kitchen, because there the seams can lose their original beauty very quickly. High humidity, temperature fluctuations, accumulation of fatty contaminants - all this will ruin even the most expensive finishing material.
Folk ways
If small accumulations of dirt appear on the grout, do not delay cleaning! Subsequently, they may increase, or even be replaced by dots of a characteristic black color, which indicates the appearance of dangerous mold.
An antiseptic will help to cope with it, it not only kills the fungus, but blocks its spread, forms an environment unfavorable for the appearance and development.
The most effective folk tips to cope with the misfortune are as follows:
- 1. Soda is the head of everything! Wet the seams well and cover with soda. You don’t need to feel sorry for the white powder, you won’t be able to overdo it.
The exposure time is 7-8 minutes, after which a thorough cleaning is carried out with an old toothbrush, preferably a hard one. The remnants of soda are washed off, wiped off with a soft damp sponge or cloth;
- 2. A combination of baking soda and vinegar. Yes, this mixture is used not only in baking! The recipe is simple: 7 glasses of water, a hundred grams of soda, a third of a glass of lemon juice and 50 grams of ordinary vinegar essence. For convenience, the composition can be poured into a spray bottle, and then heartily go through the seams.
A quarter of an hour is enough to dissolve or at least soften even stubborn stains that can be easily removed with the already mentioned toothbrush. The final stage of cleaning is rinsing and drying;
- 3. Hydrogen peroxide. You can buy it at any pharmacy, the price is a penny, and the effectiveness is comparable to professional household chemicals, the fungus has no chance! In addition, the method is 100% safe and extremely simple.
Pour a solution of water (2 parts) and peroxide (1 part) into the spray bottle, sprinkle the seams liberally. All. You can forget about the wall, it will dry itself. The disadvantage of the method is that it only works against mold and light dirt, old dark spots will become, as a maximum, a little lighter;
- 4. A mixture of mustard powder. The recipe for its preparation is as follows:
For a liter of water you need to take a tablespoon of mustard, you can with a slide;
Auxiliary components - a lemon slice, 100 grams of soda already familiar to us and about 5 grams of toothpaste.
The resulting thick mass should be spread over the grout with a sponge. Holding time - half an hour, then - washing and drying.
- 5. Vinegar essence and ammonia. For 250 milliliters of warm water, you need to take a teaspoon of vinegar and two - ammonia. The seams are abundantly wetted with a solution, after 30 minutes they are washed clean with water.
For those who prefer to be guided by the principles of simplicity, I can give my own way. We take an unnecessary toothbrush and paste, preferably whitening, with high abrasiveness. Let's start cleaning! Only, of course, not teeth, but seams. It is good to walk with a brush, wait 10 minutes, remove with a damp sponge - everything is simple, but the result is impressive!
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