Grout turning orange/rusty

First of all, apologies for yet another grout thread I’ve read through quite a few of the existing ones, but haven't found the answer… the grout between my shower tiles, as you can see, has gradually gone orange.

I had to replace some tiles a couple of years ago, and followed advice (on the bag of grout, I think) to spray grout protector on the grout when finished.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have been effective, as you can see.



What I’m wondering is, what causes this discoloration? Is it fungal, bacterial, or maybe a gradual deposit of rust coming from a problem somewhere in the water supply?

Not much point in my digging it all out and replacing it if it’s going to be like this again in a year or so… any advice much appreciated.

Oh, and the white silicone at the bottom was replaced at the same time, but started to grow patches of black mould very quickly. Do any of these sprays which claim to remove black mould actually work?

I’m wondering about digging it all out, and replacing with BLACK silicone – given the black tiles, I think maybe if it was done carefully it might look OK, and black mould would never be a problem again

Its orange mould.

Yes, the mould removing sprays (which basically contain bleach) do work and should remove the orange mould too.

Without being rude, it's gone that colour because its not being cleaned.

Lower said:

Its orange mould.

Yes, the mould removing sprays (which basically contain bleach) do work and should remove the orange mould too.

Without being rude, it's gone that colour because its not being cleaned.

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Thanks for that and not rude at all... it get cleaned occasionally (like every couple of weeks maybe) - do people clean them every day???

The shower in my previous house in England (this is in N Ireland now) never turned orange, and I don't think I cleaned it any more often...

Roger465 said:

Thanks for that and not rude at all... it get cleaned occasionally (like every couple of weeks maybe) - do people clean them every day???

The shower in my previous house in England (this is in N Ireland now) never turned orange, and I don't think I cleaned it any more often...

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Depends on how well ventilated the shower/bathroom is, how recessed the grout is to the tiles and the grade of grout and silicone used.

Better quality grouts and silicones are more resistant to mould than the cheaper version and a better ventilated bathroom will allow the shower to dry out between uses and won't be as mouldy.

If the grout isn't flush with the tiles then it never gets touched when the tiles are cleaned and hence the orange.

If you get a mould removing spray, spray all the grout lines and the silicone, leave it to soak for a few hours and then rinse, you'll probably find most of it comes off.

The orange is traces of shower gel/shampoo that are attracting bacteria.

As others have said, bleach type products should work, you might need to scrub the grout lines with a tooth brush though.

Again, I agree that part of the problem might be airflow. Epoxy grout might be a better option but it is much more expensive and more difficult to work with. You could go for black epoxy and black silicone though.

Thanks for all the help, chaps. I got a foamy bleach spray, and it has certainly whitened most of it.

I'd have tried it before posting, but SO many of these things are a bit of a joke (the stuff that's supposed to remove silicone comes to mind).

And you're quite right - the grout is quite recessed, and there is absolutely no airflow in the shower end of the bathroom