Best Overall
Black Diamond Ultimate Grout Cleaner Spray for Tile with Brush
- This spray cleaner has a light scent and left no residue.
This spray cleaner has a light scent and left no residue.
- The cleaner is more expensive per ounce than other options.
The cleaner is more expensive per ounce than other options.
Cleaning grout is a chore, so it’s important to have effective tools in hand. We gave the Black Black Diamond Ultimate Grout Cleaner Spray top marks in all our tests, and it was hard to find anything we disliked about it.
Infused with a subtle, pleasant floral scent, this liquid cleaner easily tackled our muddy tile and grout surfaces. We appreciated how thin the liquid was and that we could choose from a broad spray or a stream when using the nozzle. The spray only needed to sit on the tile for about three minutes, which was two minutes less than our DIY cleaning solution needed. The Black Diamond wiped clean with a microfiber cloth and didn’t leave any residue behind on our paper towel test.
The included scrub brush was easy to grip, thanks to its triangle shape that allowed us to put some elbow grease in as we scrubbed. The bristles held up well without buckling or bending, which is extra handy for tile and grout that needs some deep cleaning.
The cleaner is safe to use on both colored and white grout, as well as natural stone flooring. In addition, you can also remove grease, food, and pet stains with this handy spray cleaner.
The cleaner is slightly more expensive per ounce than others, but we think the formula is strong enough to make the set of two 32 ounce spray bottles last a long time. Plus, you can bring the cost down by buying a gallon refill bottle.
Product Details: Form: Spray | Volume: 32 ounces per bottle | Recommended Surfaces: Tile and grout
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best Budget
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Tub and Tile
- It has a pleasing lavender scent and is made of naturally derived ingredients.
It has a pleasing lavender scent and is made of naturally derived ingredients.
- The spray nozzle only has one setting, which is a concentrated stream.
The spray nozzle only has one setting, which is a concentrated stream.
It’s important that budget cleaners hold their own, especially in homes with lots of foot traffic that can leave tile dirty and dull. With the Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Tub and Tile Cleaner, we were able to clean the mud mask on our tiles without as much scrubbing, so we felt this budget-friendly pick deserved a spot on our best list. The grout looked much brighter aftering using this cleaner and it left no residue behind. Plus, it has a lavender scent that was pleasant but didn’t overstay its welcome, either.
Using the spray bottle was easy, as we simply sprayed the solution onto the tile and watched it transform into a thick, foamy consistency. While the spray bottle was a cinch to use, it only offers a concentrated stream of cleaner rather than a mist that works well on larger areas.
Overall, we liked how fast and effective this option was. The thicker consistency also meant we didn’t waste the product, which further solidified this as our choice for the best budget option. In addition, the cleaner is free of chlorine and formaldehyde and it’s made from 99 percent naturally derived ingredients. Plus, you can clean other bathroom surfaces with it like showers, countertops, and even porcelain surfaces.
Product Details: Form: Spray | Volume: 33 ounces | Recommended Surfaces: Tile and grout
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best for Showers
Scrubbing Bubbles Grime Fighter Spray
- It cleaned in just one round during our tests.
It cleaned in just one round during our tests.
- There aren’t multiple spray settings to choose from.
There aren’t multiple spray settings to choose from.
Cleaning the shower is a must, but it’s not necessarily something we want to spend a lot of time on. After scrubbing a bit and letting the Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner sit for five minutes, we were impressed with how well it cleaned up our tile’s mud mask—without even leaving any residue behind. In fact, the newly-cleaned area looked just as clean as the mud-free area when we compared the two sections.
Though this cleaners is described by the brand as having a Rainshower scent, we didn’t notice any smell while using it. The lack of scent can help make it an excellent option for cleaning larger areas like the shower, but some may prefer a light scent while cleaning. Formulated for multiple surfaces, you can clean sinks and vinyl shower curtains with it in addition to tile and the shower itself. It’s safe to use on chrome, fiberglass, vinyl, stainless steel, glazed ceramic tile, and glazer porcelain surfaces.
The spray nozzle can be either opened or closed, so there are no spray settings to choose from. The cleaner comes out as a stream rather than a mist, which means you can more precisely target grimey corners in a tiled shower, for instance. And we didn’t need a ton of elbow grease to get our tile clean—just one round of scrubbing, and we were able to wipe up the cleaner and the mud without the need for a second round of cleaning.
Product Details: Form: Spray | Volume: 32 ounces | Recommended Surfaces: Sinks, tile, tubs, vinyl shower curtains, showers, and shower doors
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best for Mold and Mildew
Home Armor Instant Mold and Mildew Stain Remover
- It’s bleach-based to kill harmful bacteria.
It’s bleach-based to kill harmful bacteria.
- We noticed a slight residue left behind by this cleaner.
We noticed a slight residue left behind by this cleaner.
Bathrooms are often humid and damp, which means you might have mold or mildew creep up on your tile flooring or your tub. Mold Armor’s cleaning solution promises to kill 99.9% of bacteria and mold in the home, but it also took on our muddy tile, restoring it to its pre-mud-mask state.
We sprayed the cleaner on the muddy tile, letting it sit for five minutes before scrubbing with a brush. This softened up the mud and allowed us to wipe the mess away easily. However, after wiping the cleaned area with a paper towel two minutes later, we noticed a slight residue left behind by this cleaner.
Overall, we felt the cleaner is easy to use—simply spray to coat tile with a mist. The mist covers generously sized areas quickly, so it’s great for tackling large surfaces like tile flooring. We didn’t notice any scent while using it, which would be a bonus for those with more sensitive noses.
Product Details: Form: Spray | Volume: 32 ounces | Recommended Surfaces: Toilets, sinks, showers, and grout
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best Scent
Better Life Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner
- It’s formulated without alcohol or dyes.
It’s formulated without alcohol or dyes.
- The spray initially made a slightly larger mess when sprayed on muddy tile.
The spray initially made a slightly larger mess when sprayed on muddy tile.
A spa atmosphere doesn’t typically come to mind when we think about deep cleaning bathrooms, but the Better Life Bathroom Cleaner’s eucalyptus scent definitely reminded us of being in a spa. It was calming and even lingered after we were done, which was an added bonus.
But don’t let its pleasing, delicate scent fool you. It’s got brawn as well as beauty—it removed all traces of mud on the tile. It instantly penetrated the mud mask, and we only scrubbed the grout once with a standard brush to remove any lingering stains. Though spraying the cleaner on the mud initially spread the mud a bit to the surrounding area, it was a cinch to clean it all up with a dry towel.
This cleaner is made of plant-based ingredients, without any alcohol or dye. The spray nozzle shot out a concentrated stream of cleaner, making it easy to target specific areas that needed cleaning. It’s also a great option for cleaning other grimey bathroom surfaces like soap scum and hard water stains in the tub.
Product Details: Form: Spray | Volume: 32 ounces | Recommended Surfaces: Toilets, sinks, tile, showers, and grout
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best Brush
Full Circle Grunge Buster Grout and Tile Scrub Brush
- It’s made of a blend of soft and firm bristles that are easy to clean.
It’s made of a blend of soft and firm bristles that are easy to clean.
- The handle may feel slippery, requiring a mindful grip.
The handle may feel slippery, requiring a mindful grip.
There’s no rule saying you have to use a cleaning solution or detergent to get sparkling-clean grout. In fact, this brush from Full Circle is evidence of that. We gave it top marks in five categories, including its ease of use since it was so comfortable to hold. Its design meant we could hold the brush in different ways to prevent sore hands, too.
Compared to our control brush, this option allowed us to easily adjust angles so we could more effectively scrub away at grout stains. Even after applying strong pressure while scrubbing, the bristles remained strong and intact—no splayed bristles. And it includes two kinds of bristles: softer up front, with a blend of soft and firm bristles in the main section to tackle all kinds of grout stains.
To clean the brush, we simply rinsed it with water and scrubbed at the bristles a bit where stubborn debris stuck. Once done, the bristles came clean without any visible stains. One thing to keep in mind is that the handle may get slippery, so use caution at first until you get the feel of using the brush to scrub away bathroom grime.
Product Details: Form: Brush | Volume: Not applicable | Recommended Surfaces: Tile and grout
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK