10 September 2026 1 min read How-to & care
Tiles are nearly indestructible. Grout and silicone are not — and they’re what makes
a tiled room look tired.
Everyday cleaning
Warm water and a pH-neutral cleaner. That’s it. Squeegee or wipe shower walls after use; it takes
fifteen seconds and does more than any product.
What to keep away from it
- Bleach — strips the colour out of grout and makes silicone brittle.
- Acidic descalers and limescale removers — will etch natural stone and eat at cement grout.
- Steam cleaners on silicone — repeated blasts of steam break the bond at the edges.
- Scouring pads on polished porcelain — fine scratches that show up in low sun.
Mould on silicone
Black spotting means moisture is sitting in the joint. Clean with a dedicated mould remover, dry
the room properly and improve the extraction if you can. If it keeps coming back within weeks,
the silicone has failed internally and wants stripping out and replacing — a short job that
transforms a shower.
When to regrout
If grout is cracking, crumbling or stained beyond cleaning, renewing it costs a fraction of
retiling and buys years. It’s a day’s work for most bathrooms. If tiles sound hollow when tapped,
though, the problem is underneath the grout and needs looking at properly.