Cleaning tricks for cracked grout: Expert tells people to 'avoid' baking soda and vinegar

Whether it's between the bathroom shower tiles or the kitchen floor , grout can easily stain over time, especially if it's not properly sealed. Accordingly, the Internet is full of anecdotes about cleaning with organic household products.

These range from baking soda and white vinegar to lemon juice, all of which work wonders when it comes to freshening up grout.

On Reddit, an anonymous user shared using a thick paste of baking soda and water as "more effective than bleach."

But Mark Atkins, technical director of LTP , a supplier of cleaning and maintenance products for natural stone and tile, urges homeowners to avoid these tricks.

He told Express.co.uk: "A lot of people recommend mixtures of vinegar, soda, baking soda, water and lemon to make all-purpose cleaners, and those ingredients are either very acidic or very alkaline."

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Citric acid in lemon juice at a low pH of between two and three can cause similar damage to natural stone tiles.

While baking soda is not acidic, it can also seriously damage natural stone tiles.

Baking soda has a pH of around 8.4 in its dry form, which means it strays into the alkaline range.

This high pH means that baking soda can be described as caustic, meaning it is capable of burning or corroding organic tissues through chemical action.

Mixing baking soda and vinegar can result in a volatile combination, especially on porous stone surfaces.

In some cases, this can cause discoloration or staining.

Strongly acidic or alkaline cleaners can "attack the surface of the grout, making it a little thicker and more likely to pick up dirt," says Atkins.

And it's not just your mosaics that are at risk.

The grout itself can deteriorate over time from the use of strongly acidic or alkaline substances, even after you have applied grout.

Mr Atkins said: "Repeatedly using the wrong products and ingredients can also remove any protection that has been put in place to prevent deep stains."

Instead, Atkins recommends investigating the specific properties of the tile you're using to learn how to properly clean it.

He said: "Always use a good quality pH neutral detergent to clean your tiles - this should help ensure protection is not compromised and dirt can be easily removed."

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