How To Clean Grout Residue Off Tile

QUESTION

My tiler installed blackness tiles along with blackness grout sometime s in late Mar / early April. Due to all the delays in my renovation, I finally had a handover washed.

I was scrubbing my floor tiles and noticed that it'southward very dark along the grout lines in the shower area. I don't know if that'southward grout haze or grout stain on the black ceramic tiles. I've scrubbed the tiles 2-3x now and I still can't seem to become rid of the black patches around the tiles.

Can someone suggest me?

I'1000 hesitant to acid wash since all my bathroom accessories have been installed.

ANSWER

ANSWER - There are many variables to consider. Showtime you have to know what type of tile was installed. Whether it is a glazed tile (impervious glass-like surface) or unglazed tile (same dirt fabric grade top to bottom). If information technology is an unglazed tile is it porous?

It is possible it can be a grout haze. Cementitious black grout is very difficult to clean upwardly because it is so heavily pigmented. It tin stain porous tiles or glazed tiles with micro cracking in its surface called crazing.

If it is a cement haze, and then a balmy acid can be used to remove it such as sulphamic acid or a diluted phosphoric acid. Yous tin can utilize diluted vinegar since it is acidic to see if it does any expert. Yes, you do demand to protect adjacent materials.

Some latex modified grouts can leave a latex haze, which acrid will non remove. Yous demand to get to a tile store and get a latex brume remover.

If the pigment has embedded into the surface of the tile, you might take to use a poultice to dry to draw it out.

You have to become through a trial and error procedure to decide what will work the best. Always test your method in a small out of the fashion spot to encounter if it works. There are cleaners available for cleaning tile that you tin visit those manufacturers' website. You can find some of them listed on our website on the resource folio. Go to www.CTaSC.com to notice that resource folio for tile cleaners.

Donato Pompo, CTC CMR CSI CDT MBA, is the leading tile and stone forensic expert and consultant in N America, and he is a National Tile Contractors Association Recognized Consultant. Donato is the founder of CTaSC.