I whitened badly stained grout in 10 minutes with 1 natural item expert loves and so do I

Cleaning grout is surprisingly satisfying once you get started, and a great way to make your bathroom feel brand new without spending any money. Whether the grout around your shower has turned a delightful shade of orange due to shampoo build-up or your tile grout has stained, there's one product I always reach for in my cleaning cupboard that cleaners have recommended to me over the years, and so have tile experts. The tile itself is easy to keep looking its best, but grout can prove more tricky to deal with because it is porous and prone to staining.

Instead of using bleach or harsh grout cleaning sprays you find in the shops, many recommend using baking soda. Mike Head from Atlas Ceramics, who has 20 years of experience advising customers on tile and grout maintenance, told me that "baking soda is the most effective homemade remedy for grout stains", and it's worked wonders for me. I first put this natural ingredient to the test on my stained kitchen tile floor grout two years ago, and it's been a go-to of mine ever since.

While this baking soda method does require a fair bit of scrubbing, the results are well worth it.

Some people recommend using white vinegar to clean grout, but its acidic nature can cause damage to the porous material.

Instead, baking soda is only a mild abrasive, loosening dirt on your grout without scratching your tiles.

To use baking soda to clean my grout, I mix three parts baking soda with one part water, which creates a lovely thick paste. If the paste is too thick, more water can be added, and if it is too runny, more baking soda should be used.

With an old toothbrush, I applied it to the stained grout areas and left it to sit for 10 minutes. This was important as it gave the baking soda paste time to sink into the dirt and make it easier to remove.

I then used the toothbrush to begin scrubbing the paste over the grout. As soon as I started to scrub, I noticed that the white paste was turning grey, meaning that the baking soda was removing the dirt from the grout.

After less than a minute of scrubbing, I could see that the stains were vanishing and the grout was turning white again.

After scrubbing the grout, I used a damp microfibre cloth to wipe away the baking soda paste. This is an important step as it prevents a film over the tiles, which can happen when the area dries.