Have the tiles in your bathroom turned black and splotchy? If so there is really no need to panic. You have begun growing some mildew in the grout of your tile. If the grout is not peeling and is holding well you probably do not have to replace the grout. You do however need to give it a good cleaning and kill the mildew and then you need to seal it to keep the mildew from coming back.

You will need: A bucket, 1 cup of chlorine bleach, a penetrating grout sealer, a drop cloth or a thick layering of news paper, a sponge with a handle, rubber gloves, stiff bristled toothbrush, and a small paint brush. You will also need an additional clean sponge and an old towel for drying.

You should also wear clothes that you won’t mind ruining. Chances of bleach staining your clothes are very high.

Once you have changed in to your sacrifice clothes. Place your bucket in to the tub or a shower stall. In the bucket mix one cup of chlorine bleach in to 1 quart water. Make sure you do this in the tub the bleach won’t harm the tub, but it could harm your floor if it spills.

Cover any exposed flooring with a drop cloth or a thick layering of news papers. If you are cleaning while standing inside the tub or shower you don’t need to do this.

Apply the bleaching liquid on an area of grouted joint using a sponge with a handle. I would do about 1 foot by 1 foot at a time. Apply the liquid to one area and allow it to sit there for a moment while you do the next area.  If you don’t have a sponge with a handle be sure to wear rubber gloves and use a regular sponge, but be very careful about it dripping. Once you have two areas wetted go back to the first area and then scrub

Using a toothbrush with stiff bristles to scrub the grout. Continue to do this one area at a time until all of the grout is clean. After you scrub the first area and before you begin scrubbing the second area wet your next area so it has time to sit with the solution on it for a moment then go back to the second area and scrub. Continue in this patter until all of the tile has been cleaned. Repeat the wetting and scrubbing if necessary.

Use a separate clean sponge and rinse the entire area with clean fresh cool water. Dry with a towel that you don’t mind ruining.

After the grout is all dry take a small paint brush and paint a grout sealer on the grout. Allow to dry. This should help keep the mildew from coming back.