Can You Clean Bathroom Tiles With Bleach? Tips, Alternatives, & FAQ

Bleach is one of the most common cleaning chemicals out there, but it’s also one of the most potent. Therefore, you need to be careful where you use it and how much of it you use.

So, is it safe and effective to clean bathroom tiles with bleach, or should you use another cleaning agent? The truth is that you can use bleach to clean bathroom tiles, but it does come with a few drawbacks, and it’s not the cleaning solution that we recommend.

Keep reading, as we break down everything that you need to know about potentially using bleach to clean bathroom tiles.

Can You Clean Bathroom Tiles With Bleach?

While there are a few concerns with using bleach to clean bathroom tiles, it’s the most common cleaning solution that people use for their bathrooms. So, while you can use bleach to clean bathroom tile, we recommend that reading through our list of concerns before using it.

That said, the short answer is that you absolutely can use bleach to clean tiles effectively.

Concerns of Using Bleach to Clean Bathroom Tiles

There are a few concerns with using bleach to clean bathroom tiles. One is that bleach wears down the silicone between the tiles, and this can eventually lead to water getting underneath the tiles.

However, this is primarily a concern with higher concentration levels of bleach and repeated exposure. It’s not something that happens after just one or two uses. It typically occurs after years of high amounts of bleach usage.

Other Products That You Can Use to Clean Bathroom Tiles

If you want an effective cleaner for the tile in your home but want to stay away from bleach, simply mix a small amount of dish soap with water, and use that instead.

This cleaning mixture is highly effective and won’t wear down the silicone between the tiles. It also contains fewer dangerous chemicals, so it’s a greener, more family-safe alternative.

Tips for Using Bleach to Clean Bathroom Tiles

If you decide that you do want to use bleach to clean your bathroom tiles, you can do a few things to minimize the amount of damage that the bleach will cause to the silicone between the tiles during the cleaning process.

First, heavily dilute the bleach. Use as little as possible — ideally, about ½ cup of bleach per gallon of water. Basically, the less bleach you use, the less it will damage the silicone between the tiles.

Second, consider alternating between a bleach cleaning and another cleaning solution. Ideally, use a bleach cleaning solution for one week, and then use the dishwashing cleaning solution for the next week.

Finally, use protective equipment when working with bleach. At a minimum, you should wear long rubber gloves so you don’t touch the bleach, and we recommend wearing some sort of mask so you don’t inhale any of the fumes.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know more about what bleach can do to the tile in your bathroom, it’s up to you to decide if you want to use it or not. While we recommend using a different cleaning solution to preserve the life of the tile, bleach is indeed effective, convenient, and easy to use.

See Also: Best Shower Tile Cleaners

Featured Image Credit: Andrey_Popov, Shutterstock