Cleaning your tile with bleach-based products may seem like a good solution to get rid of the ‘gunk’ growing in your shower, but it may have the exact opposite effect. Bleach-based products sold by many manufacturers as “mildew solutions or preventives” actually open the pores of the grout between your tiles and encourage the growth of even more bacteria.
This can cause your cementitious grout to deteriorate, and it can make your grout more susceptible to bacteria growth, meaning you’ll be cleaning it even more often. This works well for manufacturers of off-the-shelf, bleach-based products, but it’s causing more work for you, costing you extra money, and releasing more chemicals into your environment.
Save yourself some work and give your grout (and your lungs) a break — clean tile and grout ONLY with pH-Neutral cleaners and a stiff-bristle brush. (pH-Neutral cleaners are neither acidic nor alkaline.) Routine squeegeeing of your tile will also help it stay cleaner longer. Remember, you chose tile because it was easy to maintain; don’t make extra work for yourself. 
There are many good pH-Neutral tile cleaners sold at local tile distributors, or you can check out our website, www.neusetile.com, for links to our favorites.
See our related post offering some ‘green’ tile cleaning options – http://neusetile.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/clean-green/
July 5, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Thanks for the information. I had no idea how much damage bleach can do to grout.
July 5, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Good information – bleach is often the first thing we tend to grab when there’s build-up that we want to disinfect.
July 5, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Thanks, Chris. Yes, many of us see bleach-based products as ‘go-to’ cleaners, but constant use really does take a toll on your grout.
October 8, 2012 at 11:21 am
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