Unsealed grout 'bleeding' when wiped?

[jeromedawg]

Hey all,

So I started cleaning the grout at our new place with a steam cleaner and rag. The grout is like a brownish/red colored grout, and I noticed when I wipe it after shooting with steam (or even with a wet cloth) the brown/red color appears to "bleed" onto the rag. Is this normal for most grout? Or is my grout *that* dirty?

[Abe]

May be a type of mold. Do you think the grout is supposed to be red/brown? Seems like an unusual color. Based on your sellers' other machines my guess is its mold for lack of maintenance.

Is it a cement-based (hard) grout or a flexible, soft caulk? The latter should be removed, the area cleaned well, then dried, then new caulk applied. The former you'll have to clean it with a variety of agents to get it cleaned out. It may never be normal color, but breaking out the grout and tile is a lot of run for a short slide. Anyway, tile cleaners work reasonably well. Also, farm-grade anti-fungal like Consan 20 may help.

[former player]

It could be a coloured grout, in which case put a sealant over it after cleaning.

[Metalcat]

You can confirm the colour of your grout by looking under appliances.

I thought my grout in my old kitchen was black. Nope, it was light grey.

That said, the steamer I used did seem to kind of soften the too layer of the grout, so I wouldn't be surprised if a tiny bit of it comes off on your cloth when you wipe. Just let it thoroughly dry once you are done and seal it.

[jeromedawg]

You can confirm the colour of your grout by looking under appliances.

I thought my grout in my old kitchen was black. Nope, it was light grey.

That said, the steamer I used did seem to kind of soften the too layer of the grout, so I wouldn't be surprised if a tiny bit of it comes off on your cloth when you wipe. Just let it thoroughly dry once you are done and seal it.

Ah good idea on the appliances. I'll take a peek. I *think* the grout is just bleeding its color. I applied some of the 511 Sealer/Impregnator in a couple areas last night and it's amazing what that stuff can do!

The sellers had cleaners come in after they moved out but I think they just mopped, vacuumed and cleaned the bathrooms a little. I ran the Hoover Floormate Deluxe over some of the floors and the dirty water tank was full of dark brown water.