What is grout? The stuff between tour Tiles.
Here are three homemade cleaning solutions you can try to clean your tile grout:
Hydrogen peroxide. Mix half a cup of drugstore hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water. Use a spray bottle and spray it on the grout. Let it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing it off.
Vinegar. If the mold and grime buildup isn’t serious, scrubbing grout with vinegar might do the trick.
Baking soda. Use a 3:1 ratio of baking soda and water to form a paste. Apply it on the grout, wait a few minutes, rinse, and repeat as necessary.
Depending on how serious your mold and mildew problem is, ask the attendant at the hardware store for recommendations. Be careful about using bleach. Not only is it a harsh pollutant, it can also stain your grout yellow. Also double-check the ingredients you find in commercial cleaners for harsh chemicals, and wear gloves when using them to clean.
Stubborn stains? If all your scrubbing doesn’t make the discoloration go away, it might be time to purchase some grout stain from the home improvement store. Note that this won’t fix your problem, just cover it up.
If the mold and mildew continues to reappear quickly after it’s cleaned, it could be a sign that the mold is coming from underneath. If this is the case, you’ll need to remove the grout and replace it.
What is your tried-and-true solution for cleaning tile grout? Share with us below!
More and more landlords these days are requiring renters to have a renter’s insurance policy in place during their tenancy. There are a lot of benefits to both the landlord and the renter as a result of the tenant having a policy. And renter’s policies are inexpensive — about $125-$175 per year — and give a renter decent coverage for the cost. Let’s first talk about why you should have the insurance in place, then answer the question of whether a landlord can require a tenant have renter’s insurance.
Unfortunately, things happen. Houses get robbed, units flood and suffer property damage, fires destroy belongings. The reason you have insurance is so that when these things happen, you don’t have to shoulder the entire cost on your own. The insurance company steps in and helps out, so the problem isn’t as disruptive to your life and livelihood as it would have been if you had not had that policy coverage in place.
And a renter’s policy protects not just your personal property — like TVs, clothing, couches, computers — in case of a loss, but it also provides some liability protection in case the dog bites someone, you cause a flood to other units or a guest at the property gets hurt.
Lastly, many policies will provide cash to cover temporary living costs and rent on another unit in case you cannot live in the apartment due to damages. Talk to your insurance agent regarding this and all the coverage components.
Insurance is a contractual issue between you and the owner of the property. If you have an existing lease that doesn’t require it, then you don’t have to carry it.
But when your lease is up for renewal, the owner can require it as a term of your new lease or any lease extension.
Overall though, it’s a small price to pay for some fair coverage. Before you fight having it, call your insurance agent and get a quote for basic coverage, like $25,000 in personal property coverage. You’ll probably get a lot more information from your agent, and hopefully decide that getting the coverage is really a good idea to give you some added insurance protection in life.