I tried TikTok-famous Zep Grout Cleaner everyone seems to swear by, and it worked extremely well

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• TikTok is obsessed with the before-and-after grout transformations using Zep Grout Cleaner and Brightener.
• We tested it on the floor tiles in a bathroom to see if it really worked.
• While it didn't make a dramatic transformation, the product was easy to use and made the grout way cleaner.

As with most viral trends, it's fun to see if they actually work in real life. Cue Zep, a grout cleaner and brightener. People claim it takes years off old grout, lifts heavy stains, and works in minutes.

I decided to try Zep on the grout of the porcelain floor tile in my bathroom. The bathroom was renovated a few years ago, before I moved in, so I estimate that it's about four years old. I'll start by saying that cleaning the bathroom is my least favorite chore, but using Zep for this review made it a little more tolerable. 

Our review of Zep Grout Cleaner and Brightener

Zep Grout Cleaner and Brightener is a bleach-free grout cleaner that is easy to use and requires very little scrubbing. It can be used on white or colored grout lines and is said to lift tough stains. 

So often with typical bathroom cleaners, the bleach fumes they emit during use are extremely intense, especially in a small space like a bathroom. Not so with Zep.

The entire cleaning experience was so much more tolerable without the smell of bleach wafting through the air; rather, Zep consists of mostly hydrochloric acid, alcohol, and water. Rubber gloves are recommended during use. While it is good for floors like porcelain and ceramic, it is not recommended for use on marble, terrazzo, travertine, natural stone, or stainless steel. 

The application process

I used a broom to do a quick sweep of my bathroom to remove dust, hair, and debris. Then I squirted Zep directly onto all the grout lines, no brush needed at that point. Zep recommends application to grout lines only, so I tried my best not to get it on the rest of the tile. 

I could immediately see the solution bubbling up on the extra dirty areas, which indicated to me that it was lifting up those tougher stains right away. 

I let it sit for the recommended three minutes. Then I scrubbed with a grout scrubbie brush, but any regular cleaning brush would have worked just fine. Afterward, I wiped all of the product up using a paper towel, then finished with a damp cloth to ensure full removal.

What we like about it

It's true: Zep gets you quick results and is easy to use. It's amazing (and slightly embarrassing!) how dirty my floor actually was. I noticed that my grout seemed much brighter and cleaner. 

Grout lines show dirt and age faster than anywhere else in the bathroom, making grout look old regardless of its age, but Zep had a bigger impact than other products I've used in my bathroom. 

On top of that, the product worked well with little effort on my end. I like that Zep is bleach-free, which made the application more tolerable for me.

The cons

I was hoping for a dramatic before-and-after, like I've seen on TikTok. What I got was a super clean floor with grout lines that were a few shades lighter. It's very possible my grout was originally light gray, and perhaps the viral videos feature much dirtier grout than I had.

The only other downside is that there is a decent number of materials that Zep should not be used on. Be sure to read the label and make sure it's safe to use on your floor.

The bottom line

Regardless of a dramatic grout color transformation or not, Zep is hands down the best grout cleaner I've used. I was impressed with how simple it was to use and how well it lifted the dirt from the grout. It took less than 10 minutes and I didn't even need to scrub very hard. While my grout didn't completely change colors, it looked considerably brighter and significantly cleaner.

I recommend Zep for anyone needing a good clean for their tile floors and for those who want to work smarter, not harder in their weekly chore routine.