Since moving into this house, every time I would walk past the hall bathroom I would cringe and pray that with one more mopping the grout on the tile floor would come clean. After multiple moppings with no improvement, I finally resolved that I would do whatever it took to get the grout clean. Thankfully it was successful. So if you’ve ever dealt with dirty unsealed grout I present to you: How to get white grout clean.
So this is where we started. The white tile was pretty, but the grout lines were disgustingly dirty, and no scrubbing or mopping made any progress. 
*This post contains affiliate links* So I picked up a bottle of white grout colorant and a toothbrush. Actually Jack thought I was using my toothbrush to clean the floors and he was totally disgusted by it! 
Basically I just went line by line, squirting on the colorant and scrubbing it in with a toothbrush. With so many grout lines this took a while. I ended up spending about four hours scrubbing every grout line.
As I colored each section I would use a damp towel to wipe the colorant off the face of each tile. I wish that I would have wiped them better during this process, because I ended up having to go back and clean them better after the colorant had dried.
The hours of scrubbing were well worth it because when I got done look at what a transformation it was!
Can you even believe that this is the same grout and tile that was so disgustingly dirty? After coloring the grout I applied a coat of grout sealer and let it set for three days. I’m hoping that the sealer will protect the grout from getting as dirty as it was.
Now that I’m happy with the way that the floors look, I’ve got some work to do on the rest of the bathroom. I replaced the small oval mirror with a bigger rectangular one that I got at Lowe’s for only $22. I think it will be perfect after I paint it white. I’m also going to do something about the countertop… hopefully concrete! Otherwise I just am going to swap out the knobs and paint the walls a different color. Possibly a deep gray or black!? I just can’t help myself but pick a dark color with all that white in the bathroom!
Either way, I’m MUCH happier with the bathroom until I get around to making the rest of the updates. If you’ve got tile that is looking dingy, this really was a fairly simple project and it cost under $20. Don’t live with your dirty grout another day and tackle it with a little colorant! Or if you’ve got grout that you’d like to change colors of, this product works for that too! Either way, this was a simple project that anyone could handle!
It looks great! I used a similar product in my entry and loved the transformation. Mine said it was color and sealer in one, so I didn’t seal afterwards. It gets a lot of muddy traffic, but the grout has stayed perfect. It’s been over a year.
Thank you so much! Our local store didn’t have a product with the sealer in it, but that would definitely be the easier way to go! That’s good to hear that it’s held ups well! I hope ours does too!
You are amazing! (and I’m going to try to do it to my tiles, too!)
Aw thank you! Good luck with your tiles, you will love them so much more after doing this!
I had a professional come in and use a colorant to renew my grout. It looked brand new. I sealed it with two coats of sealant. When I cleaned it, however, using the steamer I have always used, it penetrated the clean-looking grout lines, and they looked streaked with dirt. Total bummer. I am trying to work up the energy to redo it. I have 2300 sq.ft. of grout with 1/2″ wide grout lines. So much work.
OH NO! That’s awful. Thank you so much for sharing your story though, I will be sure not to use a steamer on it! I’m sorry that you have to go back over it again.
Oh, wow – that is an amazing difference! Great tips, thanks for sharing.
Looks great! Did it take more than one 8oz bottle to complete the floor?
One was exactly enough, like down to the last drop.
Just the solution I was looking for. I hate my dirty tile. Where did you buy the tile colorant?
Great! I hate it when it looks so dirty. I bought it at our local hardware store, Menards. Lowe’s and Home Depot also sell it though.
I have the exactly same style tiles on my restroom floor and i will also try it. Great idea btw.
Thanks for sharing! You’ve given me hope for my disgusting bathroom floor. I also have a five year old boy who hasn’t quite perfected his aim. I can’t wait to try this!
Wow! That cleaning agent did a great job to your tiles. Will probably try this in the future. Thank you for sharing this wonderful product.
Thanks for checking it out! It made a huge difference and it has actually stayed nice and bright white.
Can it be used on shower wall tile?
Definitely! I think it would work on any tile.
Im so happy to have come across this! I’ve have looked at dingy tile bathroom floors since buying our home 7 years ago. It’s become an obsession to get the grout white again…or completely change the grout color or replace the floors entirely…I’m giving this a try ASAP! THANK YOU!
Let me know how it goes! Worst case scenario you could always use grout colorant to dye them grey or black! Thanks!
I am wondering if you used a separate sealant after you got it all clean looking?
Yes. I applied grout sealer and let it set for three days.