grout cleaner

[Mme poivre]

Hi can anyone recommend a french product to help clean my bathroom tile grout.

I havent got the time at the moment to renew it all and was sondering of there was a product that would clean it up a bit.

Thanks in advance

Judith

[Théière]

Yep Javel! you can pay minimal amounts or have it re-badged by any number of companies but check the back of the container they are based on bleach.

Do not use a metal scourer or coloured as you will transfer the colour and make it worse.

[Mme poivre]

Thanks Theiere

But could you explain in plain english i am being a bit thick tonight :-(

Is the product called javel and you have to be carefull how you use it?

Judith

[Russethouse]

Isn't Javel bleach?

[Théière]

I was using my best french [:D]

Yes javel is bleach, discovered by a frenchman Claude_Louis_Berthollet no less, it was on the Quay Javel in Paris hence the name

An old or the O/H's tooth brush works well but don't sniff it and watch out for splashes, The thicker versions are better for vertical surfaces.

[Chancer]

Those steam cleaners that they demonstrate on the French tellyshopping channels appear to do a good job of cleaning grout, and lets face it they are too small to do any of the other jobs that they reckon they will, I cant help but thinking however that the demos are set up like the spray on bathroom cleaner adverts with Barry the shouting man.

[Dog]

Don't buy cheap silicon sealers they go black very quickly.

[Théière]

Luckily Claude wasn't working on the Avenue de  Marechal Foch..................

How do I clean the tiles?

Foch it![:D]

[BIG MAC]

Brick cleaning products like Disclean  or Spirt of salts both clean grout as does toothpaste

[Théière]

[quote user="BIG MAC"]

Brick cleaning products like Disclean  or Spirt of salts both clean grout as does toothpaste

[/quote]

That's hydrochloric acid without the fancy brand names, watch out for the fumes (wear a charcoal mask and eye protection)

DO NOT MIX WITH BLEACH that would be bad!!![+o(]

[Mme poivre]

Thank you all for the replies some very entertaining

Jxx

[Mme poivre]

Tooth paste works :-)

I was just wondering how you found that out though :-)

[pachapapa]

[quote user="Théière"][quote user="BIG MAC"]

Brick cleaning products like Disclean  or Spirt of salts both clean grout as does toothpaste

[/quote]

That's hydrochloric acid without the fancy brand names, watch out for the fumes (wear a charcoal mask and eye protection)

DO NOT MIX WITH BLEACH that would be bad!!![+o(]

[/quote]

Now, now teapot..no need to overdramatise things its only 23% gay-lussac the fumes are minimalist.

[pachapapa]

Poulet à la javel.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5loqa_poulet-a-la-javel_news

[Théière]

[quote user="pachapapa"][quote user="Théière"][quote user="BIG MAC"]

Brick cleaning products like Disclean  or Spirt of salts both clean grout as does toothpaste

[/quote]

That's hydrochloric acid without the fancy brand names, watch out for the fumes (wear a charcoal mask and eye protection)

DO NOT MIX WITH BLEACH that would be bad!!![+o(]

[/quote]

Now, now teapot..no need to overdramatise things its only 23% gay-lussac the fumes are minimalist.

[/quote]

From Wiki:

Concentrated hydrochloric acid (fuming hydrochloric acid) forms acidic mists. Both the mist and the solution have a corrosive effect on human tissue, with the potential to damage respiratory organs, eyes, skin, and intestines. Upon mixing hydrochloric acid with common oxidizing chemicals, such as sodium hypochlorite (bleach, NaClO) or potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), the toxic gas chlorine is produced.

NaClO + 2 HCl → H₂O + NaCl + Cl₂

2 KMnO₄ + 16 HCl → 2 MnCl₂ + 8 H₂O + 2 KCl + 5 Cl₂

Personal protective equipment such as rubber or PVC gloves, protective eye goggles, and chemical-resistant clothing and shoes are used to minimize risks when handling hydrochloric acid.^[5]

The hazards of solutions of hydrochloric acid depend on the concentration. The following table lists the EU classification of hydrochloric acid solutions.^[21]

Concentration by weight	Classification	R-Phrases
10–25%	Irritant (Xi)	R36/37/38
> 25%	Corrosive (C)	R34 R37

The United States Environmental Protection Agency rates and regulates hydrochloric acid as a toxic substance.^[22]

[Russethouse]

I'd forget the chemistry and try some of the ideas here, starting with the mildest first - vinegar and baking powder seem pretty harmless, used properly.....

[Théière]

I think it has been done with tooth paste,

White vinegar is just weak acetic acid so it does the same but slower, bicarb is always a good cleaner, one of my favorites. don't waste money on branded products if that does'nt work as the article from RH says use bleach (hydrogen peroxide or chlorine, chlorine kills faster)

[Mme poivre]

Well thanks everyone very interesting but as i am not one to play with too many chemicals i have tried the toothpaste (because it was there) and that seemed to do the trick looks a bit tidier now thanks :-)

Judith x

[Théière]

Well  don't read the list of chemicals in toothpaste, [:)] glad it's sorted.

[Mme poivre]

Thats just it i Haven't and it worked - now i am affraid to brush my teeth - the ones i have left that is arhhhhhhh

[BIG MAC]

How do I know? I have fitted hundreds of bathrooms in my time. (Toothpaste may often remove fine scratches or marks from a fibreglass / acrylic / Toplax bath if rubbed in fairly rigorously)

[Théière]

It's not bad for cleaning teeth either [Www] How do I know? I use it twice a day [:D]

[Jonzjob]

We use the vinegar/bicarb mix for cleaning our non-stick frying pans when they get nearly non-stick. Works a treat and as I get the bicarb in 25 Kg sacks there's no shortage![:-))]

[BIG MAC]

Toothpaste or the bath.......I suspect it's the toothpaste

[Doodle]

Toothpaste - excellent for white plastic garden chairs and tables that have turned a greyer shade of white and for scuff marks, bird poo stains etc

Chris