IF your kitchen grout is looking super grubby but your purse is feeling tighter than ever before, fear not, you’ve come to the right place.
Just three weeks ago, I bought my first home and it’s safe to say, the kitchen was left in a bit of a state.
I spent hours scrubbing the work surfaces and trying to make the stained tiles look halfway decent, but the dirty grout continued to stare me in the face.
I tried it all – the Astonish Cleaning Paste, Elbow Grease and a DIY mixture of baking soda and vinegar – but nothing seemed to work.
Desperate for help, I asked our builder what he would advise, but was quickly sent back to the drawing board when he quoted me a minimum of £300 to get it all sorted and looking brand new.
I even followed ChatGPT’s advice and tried bleach in the hope it would work a miracle, but nothing.
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That’s when I turned to a Grout Pen, which cost me just £4.20 from Amazon.
At less than a fiver, I certainly didn’t have high hopes. And I’m by no means a DIY expert either, in fact I’m very much a beginner, so the odds weren’t exactly in my favour.
But with more than 30,000 online reviews, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.
The Grout Pen, which is said to “revive tile grout” is a water-based pen that’s described as a “fast and inexpensive way to restore tiled areas in bathrooms and kitchens.”
But would this non-toxic and eco-friendly buy really work? Well, the simple answer is, absolutely yes.
My builder raised his eyebrows and didn’t look hopeful when I showed him my new purchase, but luckily for me, it was incredibly ineffective with barely any faff involved.
In just a matter of seconds, I could see an instant improvement thanks to this Amazon buy, which offers up to 60 metres of coverage and is perfect for those on a budget.
It’s super simple to use, it is literally like using a colouring pen – you simply draw over the messy grout for a bright and clean appearance that is visible straight away.
The entire kitchen took me around two hours, but for a couple of hours of work, I’m over the moon.
Not only does my grout now look bright and brand new, but even my builder was impressed.
I eagerly called him in to take a look and the shock on his face was instantly clear.
He took a close-up look at my work and couldn’t believe his eyes. He admitted his unexpected surprise at my DIY hack – not only at the results but by the fact that someone as unskilled as me (no offence taken) could transform their kitchen to such a high standard on a random Monday morning.
How to add 20k value to your home
Property expert Jonathan Rolande shares 12 simple, affordable hacks that could help add £20k of value to your property…
Banish bins – before the estate agent takes photos, move them out of sight. Value added: £1k
Ace your kerb appeal – re-paint the front door, add pots and plants. Value added: £2.5k
Up your EPC rating – switch to energy-saving LED light bulbs, and insulate your loft. Value added: £3k
Clean your carpets – it’ll instantly refresh the room and eliminate odours. Value added: £3k
Take a pen to tatty tiles – a £5 grout pen could be the difference between poor offers and a swift property sale. Value added: £1k
Groom the garden – buyers want a low-maintenance space, so trim the lawn and bushes, and hide the rusty trampoline and BBQ. Value added: £1k
Buff up your basin taps – remove any limescale so the fittings stand out in photos. Value added: £500
Replace the toilet seat – and accessorise the bathroom with new towels and a soap dispenser. Value added: £500
Remove scuffs and scrapes – you can get a magic eraser for a couple of quid and the walls and skirtings will look brand new. Value added: £1.5k
Replace dodgy door knobs – out with the old, and in with modern sleek handles for kitchen cupboards. Value added: £3k
Update the drapes – and tie curtains back to allow more light in. Value added: £1k
Go greige – swap garish painted walls for a neutral hue – like grey or beige – but don’t be too bland. A splash of colour on a feature wall, cushions or cabinets will add a little interest. Value added: £2k.
With an en-suite bill about to make a significant dent in my bank balance and shopping trips to B&Q becoming a weekly occurrence, I’m overjoyed and quite frankly gobsmacked that I managed to not only make my grout sparkle again, but to also save hundreds of pounds in the process.
One thing I will say is it can be a bit messy. Depending on the size of your grout, you, like me, may have to go around it and wipe it with a microfiber cloth, to avoid any spillages being left on your tiles.
However, for a super simple yet highly effective hack that shows instant results for a fraction of the cost, this is a DIY job you’ll need to add to your list.
Upgrading tatty tiles could even increase the value of your home by £1,000 too – what a win
Abigail Wilson
And not only will this cheap buy ensure you save cash getting the experts involved, but this “anti-fungal formula” is also said to “prevent future mould and bacteria build up,” ensuring my kitchen will stay looking beautiful for longer.
But that’s not even the best part, as I literally jumped for joy and let out a scream when I found out that property expert Jonathan Rolande revealed that revamping the grout around your tiles with a bargain grout pen could be the difference between poor offers and a swift property sale.
Not only this, but upgrading tatty tiles could even increase the value of your home by £1,000 too – what a win!
My bathroom tiles could also do with an upgrade, so after the success of this, that’s definitely the next job on my list.
You can even do floor tiles too, so if you’ve got tired grout that is in need of a makeover, this highly pigmented buy is one you won’t want to miss.
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