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As we may all know, after installation, grout is typically used to hold joints and a good example is when you are putting tiles in your homes, either on the floors or the walls. When still new, it’s white and gives a beautiful view of your space, and as time goes by during your cleaning sessions, you may want to maintain the color. Bleach, in this case, may come first into your mind as it is affordable since it sells at a lower price and is also readily available in markets. It is also an effective and faster cleaning method for removing those tough stains and whitening.
This may not be a good idea, although everyone knows bleach is a good cleaner and an effective disinfectant. It turns out that using it without proper care and handling, bleach may cause severe damage to your grout, giving you some unnecessary losses, and, in some cases, you may be required to replace it with a whole new one.
I will explain why you need to be very careful the next time you clean your kitchen, bathroom, or tiles floors where you have grout and consider using bleach. It may be causing more damage than you may know.
- Bleach Fades The Color of Grout.
- Bleach Is Ineffective In Removing Mold Build Up On Your Grout
- Bleach Stains The Grout
- Bleach Weakens The Grout
- Color Stripping
- Detachment Of Grout From Using Bleach
- Bleach Destroys The Grout Sealer
- Health Risks When Using Bleach To Clean Grout
- Bleach Becomes Ineffective On Grout After A While
Below we are going to look at some of the reasons you need to be aware of as to know why bleach is terrible for grout:
Bleach Fades The Color of Grout.
Continuously using bleach each time you are about to clean your grout is one of the reasons that eventually results in color fading your grout, giving them unattractive, dull color, which may be boring to the eyes. It is essential and strongly recommended that you be very careful, especially when bleach is your go to cleaning agent in your home.
Bleach has a whitening effect, and this is due to its bleaching properties, even on colors. This is among the main reason why bleach is considered to be wrong on grout surfaces. Hence you may need to start looking for other alternatives to use in cleaning your grout.
Bleach Is Ineffective In Removing Mold Build Up On Your Grout
I am pretty sure that you are not aware that bleach does not entirely kill the mold; instead, it only whitens it. Are you surprised? Well, it’s true, since bleach is commonly known for its whitening effect that is precisely the same thing that it does to the mold that you see in your kitchen and bathroom. This will look like the mold is gone, but the bleach only whitens it, giving you the wrong impression. It is pretty disappointing, but again, this looks like another reason to keep bleach far away as it may not be doing what you intend it to do when using it.
Bleach Stains The Grout
Did you know that using bleach anywhere in your cleaning routine may lead to permanent and irreversible staining of your grout? The stains will be unpleasant on your home, and the most disturbing part is that you will not be able to do anything to have them removed. I mean, who wants such disappointing results that one cannot resolve in any way? I am pretty convinced that we may all agree on the answer. This may be another reason that will be an indication that bleach is bad for grout.
Bleach Weakens The Grout
This is another primary reason that you need to know. Using bleach to clean your grout will result in cracking and crumbling in the long run since the main component of bleach is sodium hypochlorite. As long as you keep on using bleach, it continues to make the grout weak, and this will eventually lead to significant losses because you will need to replace the cracked and crumbled grout which will cost you big time. If you are using bleach, make sure that you are careful and considerate to avoid these disappointing scenarios.
Color Stripping
While many people may find it attractive to add some color to their homes or offices, choosing colored grout may sound ideal in bringing vibrant looks. But you will still need to clean them and keep your space looking good all the time. Bleach may not be the convenient way to do your cleaning. Due to its whitening properties, it will slowly start to strip away the attractive color on your grout, leaving uneven distribution of paint on your colored grout. Just imagine having these results in your space; the thought of it only can be frustrating already.
Detachment Of Grout From Using Bleach
The use of bleach continuously in cleaning your grout will start to make it a bit weak, causing it to loosen, and this will make it detach from joints and make them come off quickly. This outcome is annoying; thus, I will advise you to find another way to clean your grout. It turns out bleach has this effect due to its harsh and corrosive properties on the surfaces, so it ends up corrupting the grout surface. If you are still considering using bleach, I will advise you to take the needed precautions while handling it be cautious not to impose these damages on your grout.
Bleach Destroys The Grout Sealer
During the installation process, the people working on it always ensure that the grout is sealed to stay longer. Bleaching only damages the sealer during cleaning because continuous use of bleach to clean the grout in your home will start fading the grout color. With time this will completely ruin the sealer leading to the destruction of the seal. You will consider replacing it again, another increased cost that is not in the plan. Therefore, it is suitable for you to minimize how you are using bleach to avoid this kind of unnecessary damages and costs to your grout.
Health Risks When Using Bleach To Clean Grout
If you live in your home with your children and pets, you might be putting their lives in danger every time you clean your grout using bleach. Bleach has proven to have dangerous health issues when you inhale its strong fumes; this may expose your lungs to adverse danger in the long run, which is not a good thing. When bleach touches the skin, it can cause rashes or even burns that may require medical attention immediately; its known corrosive effect causes this.
Risking your kids’ lives or your loved pets can be devastating hence the need to be very careful when using bleach in your household. Consider the people around your home to avoid harming them, especially when using bleach to clean. Be very wary, and you might start considering other alternatives to use while cleaning grout in your home.
Learn more about how to feel better after cleaning with bleach here.
Bleach Becomes Ineffective On Grout After A While
If you start using bleach on your grout surfaces, after continuously using it for some time, you might begin to realize that it may not have the same effects as before. And this outcome may be disappointing because it will be like investing for no actual reason since you will not achieve the results you want.
This usually happens because bleach gets easily diluted. You do not want to go through this experience, so why not avoid bleach since it is already considered bad for grout. Instead, find other ways on how to approach this issue.
In conclusion, after all of the discussed effects of bleach on grout, I can conclude that bleach is harmful to grout. This is because it turns out that it has many disadvantages than advantages. It weakens the grout, discolors the grout, fades the grout, causes uneven coloring. Bleach also has severe health issues on both humans and pets that live with you and yourself. Since it corrodes surfaces, it will only end up damaging your grout. You are advised to reconsider using other methods to clean grout for your benefit easily.
Although many love bleach because it whitens and is very effective on stains, it is okay only if you do it correctly with all the measures put in place. Be careful while handling it as it requires proper care while using it.
You are ensuring that no one touches the bleach nor comes close enough to be harmed during cleaning. Rinse the cleaned grout well with enough water to avoid aftermath damages to the surfaces. By ensuring this, you will save a lot in unplanned expenses in a scenario where you will need to replace the whole grout.