I just put new tiles in three bedrooms and did the grouting and all. Lots of work but no special difficulty. My real problem is getting rid of that whitish film which keeps on re-appearing despite several scrubs (water only). It does look better with each scrub. But is there some cleanser that will make the job easier. I read that TSP could be used but it could stain the tiles if one is not careful with quick rinsing. Thanks.
You should have gotten rid of the grout haze when it was fresh and unset...grout, clean, let sit until it hazes, scrub off with a bath towel.
Now that the grout has set completely, you will have to remove it either physically (scraping) or chemically (acid). Scraping probably isn't a viable option so that leaves acid. A very weak solution of hydrochloric acid is commonly used but unless you know what you are doing you can screw up the tile - and/or yourself - so my advise is to hire a tile man to do it.
Have you tried Scotchbrite
Lewis.
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What kind of tile do you have? We have porcellain tile, installed by a contractor. They cleaned it very well after grouting - plain water, changed often. They advised we sponge it again with vinegar in water after a certain length of time ... two days? I don't remember. When we shopped for tile, there was another customer in the store asking what could be done with their new tile job they had just ruined by trying to remove grout haze with muriatic acid.
If you have unglazed tile, it is probably permanent or a job for an expert. Unglazed should be sealed before it is grouted and then cleaned right away.
I don't know how one might become an expert at removing set grout haze from unglazed tile, I think the first job would kill you.
This is a part of setting tile with which I have no experience.
I'd have to guess if anybody knows how to do it it would be a brick mason or tuck pointer, and one might not want to be too picky about what happens to the tile.
If, as a journeyman in training you let this happen, your body could probably be found deeply buried somewhere around the job site. -----
- gpsman
Not too picky? The whole point of the effort is to make it look good. The issue is a common one on ahr and one reason I am very glad we did not do our tile installation ourselves. We had a number of issues that were very skillfully handled by our contractor. Our tile installers, two young guys, moonlighted for Home Depot :o) We could not have asked for better quality work.
Your links to the best ahr resolutions seem to be missing...
Blow smoke up your own ass. -----
- gpsman
TSP is a very strong detergent and could damage tile (along with your skin). If the water rinsing is making a difference, keep rinsing.
Have you tried Scotchbrite
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I have had good success with 3m White scrubbing pads. The white ones have virtually no abrasiveness but clean the surface without any scratching. You could also try those white foam pads they advertise on TV, I cannot remember their name, but they seem to be very good in certain applications.
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Good idea......the green ones are too aggressive, as they can scratch glass (glaze on tile) and stainless steel. I have seen recommendations to use blue pads on floors, but the choice should be tested on a spot that isn't obvious. I would try dilute vinegar/water and proceed to stronger if it doesn't remove the haze and does not harm the tile. Take care to rinse thoroughly with clean water and try not to saturate the grout joints.
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---------------------------------------------------- Many thanks to all. My situation is not as dire as perceived by some. I did clean the grout while wet with a soggy sponge and that worked well. I was just left with this WHITISH haze and I assumed that in this day and age there must be an efficient way to clean tiles with some chemicals. Rest assured that my tiles now look fine after several moppings with pure water (and, BTW, no scraping was ever necessary). I will experiment with diluted vinegar in a hidden spot to see if that makes a difference. Thanks again.
Oxalic acid is somewhat stronger than acetic (vinegar) A component of Bartender's Friend and radiator flushes. Might be interesting to see if it might work. Being an organic acid, tile damage should not occur.
Joe
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