Last updated: September 2026
Grout is porous and absorbs stains fast. Learn how to seal, clean and maintain tile and grout to prevent discolouration, mould and permanent staining.
Grout is a cementitious material — naturally porous and highly absorbent. Unsealed grout acts like a sponge, pulling in dirt, soap scum, cooking oils and minerals from water. Over months, this causes the familiar yellow-to-grey-to-black discolouration that no amount of mopping can reverse.
The tile surface itself is usually glazed and non-porous, so it stays relatively clean. The discolouration you see is almost always in the grout lines — and once soil is embedded in the grout pores, surface cleaning alone cannot remove it.
The Sealing Solution:
A quality penetrating grout sealer fills the pores so spills and dirt sit on the surface instead of absorbing. Re-seal high-traffic floors every 1–2 years and shower grout every 6–12 months.
For daily care, sweep or dry-mop to remove abrasive grit before it can scratch the tile surface. For weekly cleaning, use a pH-neutral cleaner — not vinegar, not bleach, not ammonia. Acidic and alkaline cleaners can etch natural stone tiles and degrade grout over time.
In showers, squeegee the glass and tiles after every use to prevent soap scum and hard-water build-up. Leave the door open or run the exhaust fan for 20 minutes to reduce humidity — the #1 cause of shower mould.
When grout has gone dark or black, professional cleaning is the only way to restore it. Specialist rotary scrubbing with high-pressure extraction flushes the embedded soil out of the grout pores — something mopping and brushing can never achieve.
After professional cleaning, a penetrating sealer is applied to the grout lines. This is the critical step: without sealing, the freshly cleaned grout will begin absorbing dirt again within weeks. Sealed grout stays cleaner longer and is far easier to maintain.
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