Everyone has one: that spot in our house that’s carefully hidden from guests when they visit.  It’s the place that no matter how hard you try, you can never quite keep it clean.  For some, that place is the grout between our tiled showers or bathroom floors.

My house is no different.  My wife and I have bought brushes and cleaners and bleach pens hoping to get rid of the crud. When the products didn’t work, we believed without a doubt that elbow grease would do the trick.  It all ended as an exercise in futility.  We just gave up and lived with the grime until we could replace the tile.  That’s part of the reason why I’m especially excited about my latest product find- grout colorant.

When I first stumbled upon the colorant, I was hesitant; I asked the sales person if the product really worked.  He swore by it, so I decided to give it a go.  The bottle said it not only would change the color of the grout, but it would also protect it from further staining.  Just like paint, you can change your grout to any of the 48 colors they offer.  Do you have unsightly pink grout?  Turn it white.  Tired of white grout?  Make it charcoal.  Anything is possible.

The brand I used was called Polyblend Grout Renew; I found it at Home Depot, but it’s also available at distributors nationwide.  I found the colorant easy to use in a few simple steps.  Anyone could try this at home as a DIY project.

Step 1:  Clean the tile.  Make sure you’re in a well-vented area and clean the tile with an acidic tile cleaner.  After allowing the cleaner to sit for a minute, rinse it with water and let the tile dry thoroughly.

Step 2: Apply the grout colorant.  Brush on the product using an an old toothbrush; be careful not to apply too much colorant on the tile.  Allow the product to dry and decide if you need to apply another coat.

Step 3: Remove excess colorant.  Once the product has dried, use a scruby sponge to remove any colorant that remains on the tile.  There is no need to seal the grout since the colorant has it built in.

Step 4: Voila!  Step back and admire your clean, fancy grout!  It might just look brand-new!

It may take some elbow grease, but the results are well worth the time and money, and it can give your room a whole new feel.  Your guests might even marvel over your “new” tile work!

Want to try your hand at this?  Send us pictures and stories of your experience working with grout colorant.  We’d love to see your DIY project!