Grout tile floor yuck!

Ok, I've got gray tile on the floor of my bathroom. There is varying shades of white grout between. (I don't remember how white it was when we moved in two years ago, but it's various shades of, now.) The tile looks a lot like slate, but it's not slate.  It looks a lot like this stuff https://s14-eu5.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https:%2F%2Fwww.tilechoice.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fcache%2F1%2Fimage%2F9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95%2F3%2F0%2F30x60_tanami_black_life_1_4.jpg&sp=faedd17e5a6ec847f4c2059798beb469

So. I've been looking at how to tidy it up. A lot of the stuff I find online says not to use vinegar and baking soda (which is what I would have first tried) if it's real stone.  I don't ~think~ it's real stone, but can't take the chance of damaging it. Other sites say to use bleach on a toothbrush. That's going to be a lot of toothbrushing. Other sites say don't use bleach on it if it's artificial.

Anyone have an idea how to clean that grout safely, without destroying the security deposit on the flat? I was thinking of using the equivalent of oxyclean, since that's pretty mild on clothing and (theoretically) shouldn't hurt the tiles.

Ok, I've got gray tile on the floor of my bathroom. There is varying shades of white grout between. (I don't remember how white it was when we moved in two years ago, but it's various shades of, now.) The tile looks a lot like slate, but it's not slate.  It looks a lot like this stuff https://s14-eu5.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https:%2F%2Fwww.tilechoice.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fcache%2F1%2Fimage%2F9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95%2F3%2F0%2F30x60_tanami_black_life_1_4.jpg&sp=faedd17e5a6ec847f4c2059798beb469

So. I've been looking at how to tidy it up. A lot of the stuff I find online says not to use vinegar and baking soda (which is what I would have first tried) if it's real stone.  I don't ~think~ it's real stone, but can't take the chance of damaging it. Other sites say to use bleach on a toothbrush. That's going to be a lot of toothbrushing. Other sites say don't use bleach on it if it's artificial.

Anyone have an idea how to clean that grout safely, without destroying the security deposit on the flat? I was thinking of using the equivalent of oxyclean, since that's pretty mild on clothing and (theoretically) shouldn't hurt the tiles.

We’ve got gray tile with gray grout and it was gross and white from years of use. I tried lots of different things (bleach, vinegar etc) and the only thing that ended up working was lime away...I do have some grout in another area that is off white and it was really gross and this worked amazingly for it! Just two options

 



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Thanks for the tip.   

My other bathroom floor is white tile with off-white grout, and the grout was just nasty in places. I spent the morning with the oxyclean substitute and a stiff brush, several buckets of very hot water, and a mop, and it looks much better. Not perfect, but much better.

My back, however, is extremely unhappy with me so I don't think I'll be doing that again for quite some time.     I'm wondering if those steam thingymajiggers that they advertise on tv actually work? It'd be a lot easier to aim a nozle of steam at a grout line than to have to scrub it.

I bet the Daughter doesn't even notice how much cleaner it is, when she gets home from work.

She did, and the oxyclean stuff kept on bleaching after I'd done scrubbing. The next day that grout was sparkling white. (And I could then see the spots I'd missed all the more, but they tidied up well.) As long as you want your grout white, it looks like that's the stuff to use!