Over time the seal on grout wears away allowing moisture to seep into the porous material. Not only does this cause discolouration, it can also increase the chance of mould and mildew growth.
Though many individuals recommend bleach as a fast fix for cleansing grout, this may not be the very best answer.
Posting to a Reddit forum titled ‘Cleansing Suggestions’, the user said: “Bleach will not be the option to clean tile grout.”
They added: “I keep seeing posts with pictures of tile showers asking for cleansing suggestions, invariably a bunch of individuals comment with solutions involving bleach.”
They explained: “Bleach degrades grout.
READ MORE: Ingenious fan hack: The best way to cool your room with only one fan
“The more you utilize bleach in your tile and grout the more you’ll need to.”
Experts from Sirgrout.com are in agreement, advising against the usage of bleach to wash between tiles.
They said: “Using bleach to wash your colored grout can lead to fading of the color, making it uneven, and even removing the duvet if the bleach is not handled properly.”
In keeping with the experts, bleach can discolour and even strip color away, especially if you’ve got colored grout.
https://www.sirgrout.com/blog/is-bleach-bad-for-grout/
The experts added: “Bleach may weaken the grout, causing it to crack and crumble.
“If any of the problems mentioned here were to occur, it could be vital to completely replace the grout.
“That is a value that may be avoided by not using bleach on grout.”
Nonetheless, there may be a natural alternative which you’ll have tucked away in your kitchen cupboard.
Posting to a Reddit forum dedicated to “the amazing uses of baking soda and other natural, low-cost house cleansing suggestions”, one user said: “Baking soda is something that we are likely to ignore when there are all of those fancy cleansing products on the market. But, you actually don’t need them.”
In keeping with the anonymous user, baking soda proves a savvy agent in combatting mould and grout.
They said: “Apply a thick paste of baking soda and water to your grout and afflicted mould areas, similar to the sink, grout, toilet, shower, and let sit for 2 to a few hours. Come back and rinse off.
“I’ve found this to be more practical than bleach.”
