Tile Shower: How to Maintain It

“I wish I could have a tile shower without the grout joints. It’s impossible to keep them clean.”

I suppose tile showers arrived in this country along with inside plumbing over a hundred years ago. The tiles then were imported, mostly from Europe but from other areas also. Back then the joints between the tiles were filled with portland cement grout, which was hard to keep clean.

Nowadays, many tiles used in showers (Standard four-and-a-quarter inch wall tiles) are made in this country from the same materials used to make ceramic figurines. Also, for the past couple decades larger floor tiles have been used. There are many colors and surface textures available, but one thing has not changed over the years: The joints between the tiles are still filled with portland cement grout, which is still hard to keep clean. It’s not so much dirt as it is mold and mildew.

Read more here: http://www.johnbridge.com/articles/showers/tile-showers/