We Cleaned Our Grout with Vinegar and it Changed the Color?

We cleaned our grout with vinegar and it changed the color? What happened and can we restore to the original color?

We call our friends and members of YCCA Ruth and Rich of Clean N Bright and they said that vinegar can change the color of grout with regular on-going cleaning using vinegar. Using vinegar one time with the correct solution should not change the color, however vinegar is an acidic cleaner so use with caution. Also, using too much vinegar could even dissolve and eat away at the grout. You can change the color by applying a grout stain over the top, this is a time consuming job and it is recommended that a professional flooring company and tile installer perform this task. You can also remove the grout and then regrout, again this is a task that should be done by a professional flooring company.

The grout used to seal tiles is a mixture of sand and cement, which is highly porous and unless sealed is extremely prone to attracting dirt and stains. When Clean-N-Bright cleans grout, they use a commercial hand sprayed on cleaner and then by hand, they scrub the grout areas, then with a tile cleaning machine, the grout is rinsed and dried.

Using bleach as a regular cleaner is not recommended as it will break down the grout over time.