Grouts can either be good or bad. The good thing about grouts that most people do not recognize is the fact that ceramic tiles would not look as great without a great looking grout. Great looking grout complements the tiles by adding more sophistication on the tiles. On the other hand, the bad thing about them is that they are permeable. Being porous, they attract dirt, oil and lime scale easily causing marks and scraps in between tiles.

Moulds and mildew are just among the unpleasant sight which normally appears in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens because of the porosity of grouts. Discoloration also happens with grout. Usually, it appears in shower areas where formulated soaps and shampoos are frequently used. The chemicals contained in shampoos and soaps cause the discoloration that it can turn the grouts to either pink or yellow orange stains. Also, cleaning with solutions over time also causes discoloration to the grout making it unattractive.

One way to protect grouts is through the use of a sealer. Although at this time this kind of protection is still starting to emerge, it is good to know that there are some ways to be able to prolong the clean looks of the grout because the sealer acts as an unseen barrier between any foreign objects and the grout.

However, there are times when grouts can no longer be protected by this sealer and neither can it be cleaned, the only way is to make grouts replacement. This entails removing grouts from ceramic tiles for the old grouts to be replaced by the new ones. But this is not the single reason of household owners as to why they want to remove grouts. Others would simply want to have a fresher look for their tiles. Regardless of reasons, the task is fairly simple, fast and clean to do.  And fortunately, tools to be used for this process are just ordinary tools like protective glasses, utility knife with not so sharp blade, screwdriver with flat head, portable vacuum cleaner and a rotary or oscillating tool.

First thing that needs to be done is to fit a saw blade with fine incisors into your rotary or oscillating tool. Then, in horizontal or vertical position, depending on which seams is being worked on, turn the power on and gently press the blade to the grout. There would be no need to use manual force. Just let the power of the tool crush through the grout. Repeat this process in every seam until all grouts that need replacement are removed.

With the use of the screwdriver with flat head, gently scrape the remaining grouts that are still attached to the tiles. Switch to the utility knife with a dull blade if there are still pieces of grouts that could not be removed. Finally, to check on progress, use the portable vacuum cleaner to see the grouts that have not been removed and repeat the process with the screwdriver and utility knife until all pieces of grouts have been eradicated. Once done, use the vacuum cleaner again to clean up the mess from the process.

It is possible that by using the proper tools and following through the procedure, 100% of old grouts can be removed. This means that it will barely leave a trail of the old one giving a clean and fresher look in that area of the house.