How To Remove Dried Grout From Vinyl Tile

• How To's & Quick Tips

How To: Remove Grout Haze

Don't let leftover grout mar your bathroom renovation. Clear up the cloudiness that comes with newly regrouted tile in just four steps.

Photo: istockphoto.com

If you notice a cloudiness suddenly appear across your tiled surfaces simply days afterward a bathroom renovation, it'south probably not a thick layer of soap scum that has accumulated in the very curt time its been in use. More likely, this was left over from the day the tile was put in. Oh, you don't think planning this detail into your pattern scheme? Well, that's because it'south often an unintentional ane—and it won't announced until a few days after yous've installed your grout.

Grout haze is a byproduct of tile installation, during which the entire surface gets covered with grout. When the excess has non been properly cleared from the tile surface, what little that remains will eventually dry out, leaving backside a dull white film of merely minerals.

Dissimilar dirt and grime that coats your bathroom flooring from everyday apply, this discoloration is not quite and then simple to wipe up. Sure, some new grout brume can be removed with a damp towel; other instances, though, may exist stubborn enough to require special products. Your all-time means of cleanup depends on the blazon of grout and tile you've used. So, refresh yourself on your renovation materials, and so follow our guide on how to remove grout haze to articulate upward the cloudiness equally quickly as possible.

How to Remove Grout Haze

Yous have four main tools at your disposal to go the job done. The methods ahead outline how to remove grout haze using:

• water and cheesecloth,
• a rubber grout bladder,
• diluted vinegar (on porcelain or ceramic tile merely) and a nylon scrub pad,
• and a commercial grout haze remover.

Earlier you kickoff removing grout brume…

• Let grout to harden fully. Make sure your tile surface is completely dry before you attempt to remove any haze. This typically takes well-nigh 24 hours. Consult your installation professional—or, if you lot DIY-ed it, your grout'south packaging—for the verbal amount of time.
• But do not wait more than than ten days to remove grout haze. If yous exercise, harsher, total-forcefulness removers may be required.
• Make up one's mind if your grout is epoxy-based or not. This type of grout is designed for maximum force and stain-repellence, so the haze that forms volition exist harder to remove. You'll likely crave a commercial cleaning product (see Method 4). Contact the grout manufacturer if you lot accept any questions well-nigh what type of cleaner would be all-time.
• Determine the material of your tile. This will likewise influence what type of cleaner y'all can apply. Smooth ceramic and porcelain tiles can be exposed to acidic cleaners like vinegar, but porous rock and slate tiles should not. This makes haze removal a bit more difficult, but not impossible. You'll have the best luck using a special cleaner.

Photo: istockphoto.com

METHOD 1: Remove grout haze with water and cheesecloth.

Protect your hands with prophylactic gloves, and dip your cheesecloth (or terry cloth) in water. Wring thoroughly, as too much h2o can damage grout. And then, wipe tile surface with the clammy cheesecloth/towel. This method will assist "reactivate" the grout haze, lifting it off the surface.

METHOD two: If the damp cloth fails to lift the grout haze, break out the safety grout float.

Homeowners who installed grout themselves can attain into their toolbag once more: The rubber grout float used for pushing grout into cracks betwixt tile can come up in handy when wiping away brume, too. Similar a specialized squeegee (view on Amazon), it features a flat and more often than not-firm safe pad at the end of a paddle-shaped handle. Pull the edge of the float towards you across the tile surface, and its soft edge should elevate those stuck-on grout minerals without scratching the tile or gouging the fresh grout. Repeat until all the haze is removed.

Go over the surface again with a damp tiling sponge (a larger, denser version of what you'd usually use on dishes).

Buff entire area with cheesecloth or terry cloth. Finally, cheque your work: Smooth a flashlight on the tile surface to run across if whatsoever dull, streaky residual remains. If you lot have even so to remove all the grout haze, proceed to Method iii.

METHOD iii: In some cases, yous can enlist vinegar.

If your tile is porcelain or ceramic, try a vinegar solution to remove grout haze. (With slate or stone, this is a no-no! Its acerbity—which comes in handy when cutting through grease and mineral deposits—tin can impairment these porous surfaces. Skip to Method 4.) Mix one-part white vinegar to 4-parts h2o in a bucket or large spray bottle. Boosted vinegar can be added for extra strength.

Depending on the area you must embrace, use a mop or soft nylon pad. Clean the area with pure h2o following the vinegar-water solution.

If this doesn't remove all the haze, you can move on to a commercial cleaner.

Photograph: istockphoto.com

METHOD 4: Choose and use the right commercial production.

Start, keep these two things in listen earlier yous choose a product:

• If your grout is epoxy-based, pick upwardly a product designed to handle its more stubborn grout haze (view on Amazon). Heck, fifty-fifty if your grout wasnon epoxy-based, you may benefit from enlisting a commercial production to assist remove grout haze that won't budge.
• If your tile is slate or rock, e'er choose a production peculiarly formulated for those surfaces.

Whenever using a chemical cleaner, encompass your face with a protective mask and wear safety gloves. Read and follow the directions of your called product carefully. You may wish to dilute the production with water (l/fifty) before applying information technology to your tile surface: Spray the tile surface lightly with water, then apply your commercial cleaner. Leave for several minutes.

Use a nylon scrub pad to swirl the cleaner over the surface and loosen the grout brume. Elevator the backlog cleaner with a mop, then rinse the surface with clean water. Dry off with a soft towel or terry fabric and double-bank check your chore with a flashlight.

Source: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-remove-grout-haze/

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