Anybody done this? After seeing how well my power washer cleaned my decades-begrimed concrete walkway, I am tempted to haul it inside and give the old bathtub tile surround the works. Cleaning grout by hand is a miserable job, and one that leaves me wanting a better result. I have tried most of the grout cleaning detergents on the market, wire brushes, chlorine and oxy bleaches, etc. with dismal results. I have not tried the rout-out and re-apply route yet, but I have tried the grout dyes and found them useless.

My main concern is excessive splashing. A slightly smaller concern is blasting out the grout entirely, and/or water infiltration under caulked tile joints. I see there are various splash guard attachments, but they seem to be designed for horizontal use rather than the vertical tile joints I want to clean.

The pressure washer I want to use is a medium strength electrically-powered unit, 2K PSI or so. I do not dare try to run a gas-powered unit inside the house, I do not enjoy sleeping with the dog that much. But if I get water splashed all over the bathroom, I'll be in the same place.

On a related note, should I pretreat the grout lines with a chemical first?

Sorry, architect, I cannot comment on the indoor pressure washer, but I agree that it may remove the grout altogether.

Have you tried hydrogen peroxide or plain white vinegar?



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I've had good results cleaning grout with a mini steamer.

I would think that a pressure washer would produce a little more water than would be wanted spraying around in an inside bathroom.

I'm getting sufficient, not perfect, results using brushes attached to a hand drill. Like what Ryobi offers. The white pads work great for cleaning shower glass (YMMV). The harder brushes for grout and tiles. Corners remain a challenge though.

I use Barkeepers's with the attachments. Tip: spread the Barkeeper on the area to be cleaned before using the drill. Otherwise, the cleaner will end up everywhere. Ask me how I know.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
I've had good results cleaning grout with a mini steamer.

I would think that a pressure washer would produce a little more water than would be wanted spraying around in an inside bathroom.

I second the mini steamer option. Did a fantastic job on our grout: Mini steam cleaner

Third on the steamer. I’ve got a McCullagh I use for detailing and it does a great job on grout.

Yes to vinegar and H2O2 (not together, and not the high-strength industrial stuff), steam cleaner as well (McCullough), no joy there.

I wouldn't, for multiple reasons.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
My main concern is excessive splashing. A slightly smaller concern is blasting out the grout entirely, and/or water infiltration under caulked tile joints.

Excessive splashing is a concern. 2k PSI water is guaranteed to splash everywhere, and your shower door/shower curtain don't cover 100% of the shower. Especially since you'd need to have a way to get the wand's hose into the shower in the first place.

Removing grout is also definitely a concern. Especially older or already damaged grout. It's not designed to stand up to close range high pressure water.

Water infiltration is also a concern, but maybe not in the way you think. The tile and grout aren't what make your shower waterproof. The waterproofing is underneath the tile. This can be as simple as cement board and redgard membrane, or as fancy as the new shower systems like Kerdi. But your waterproofing may not extend much above/around your tile, or may not have been applied behind your tub insert, and there may be the ability for close range high pressure water to end up going into an area that's not designed for it.


So some of the above recommendations for steam cleaners or mechanical cleaning are better options to try.

And worst case scenario, you could remove the old nasty grout and regrout it with newer mildew proof grout. It's not super difficult or technical, it just requires a lot of effort to scrape out the old grout, and some care taken with the working time of the drying grout when it comes time to sponge off. I've grouted/regrouted a few tile surrounds and backsplashes with the help of some Youtube tutorials, with good results.

I would think that is some of the grout is removed by the pressure washer, the tiles are not far behind

Don’t use a pressure washer!!!
Too much water, under pressure- you’re just asking for a bad time.

Hand held steam cleaner works well.
A bleach and water solution pretty much kills everything! Yeah, it’s going to smell like a pool for a day or two, but it’s going to be clean!

A little OT: we have a McCullough steam cleaner, never used it. Can it be used to spot clean a stain (cough syrup) in carpet?

Magic eraser. Seriously.

A pressure washer might be more like an SNL skit from the 90s.

I refreshed ALL the grout in one of my bathrooms. It was a lot of work, but I used a reciprocating saw with a grout saw, the applied new grout, sealed it, and have been gtg since. Only thing is you HAVE to wear the BEST breathing gear you can dare to buy, since Silicosis of the Lungs is a very bad disease. I see outdoor construction, road, demolition, and highway workers breathing dust into their lungs all the time, I'm sure for some of them the damage is already done.

If I were to do it again I would consider paying a contractor to remove it all and completely replace with new tile, though I don't know what kind of cost that involves. BUT, it would be better in the long term since everything would be brand new, considering other things being equal like very skilled prep and quality materials.

Steamer all the way

off topic - can i use a steamer to clean the range hood? the hood is made of wood (maple?) and is covered in oil from cooking over the years. it's formed a sticky film that's proven difficult to remove (using chemicals and sponges / brushes).

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
My main concern is excessive splashing.

First thing that crossed my mind, also.

Maybe get some cheap shower curtains and do a trial run outside to see whether something like that could be propped around the target area as a shroud enough to constrain the deluge into the tub?

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
off topic - can i use a steamer to clean the range hood? the hood is made of wood (maple?) and is covered in oil from cooking over the years. it's formed a sticky film that's proven difficult to remove (using chemicals and sponges / brushes).

Have you tried a product called goobegone?
It’s designed to remove sticky stuff.

Back on topic, I’m looking up those steam cleaners. Sounds like the way to go.

That has bad idea written all over it.

I’ve pressure washed tile on my dad’s lanai with no ill effects. This was sanded grout if that makes a difference. You could get larger orifice nozzles to cut the psi back. That’s what we did knock our 2,000 psi electric pressure washer to 900 psi for car washing.

Just in case it’s not obvious to someone, don’t use gas motor powered equipment indoors. You’d be amazed how quickly you’ll set off carbon monoxide detectors if you do even with windows open.

Clean it as best you can, then apply grout sealer in the color you want.