How to clean newly installed tiles?

[goyal03]

Recently got the bathroom redone. 

just observing some weird line appearing on bottom 2 tiles. No residue on top of tile any ideas any one what it could be and what is the remedy? 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @goyal03,

How recently are we talking when you say it was recently redone? 

Have they been there since their installation or have they just appeared?

If you run your hand over them, what do they feel like?

To me, there is a pretty clear circular pattern to the lines. I reckon what you are seeing is the circular motion of a sponge that was used to clean up excess grout, with some grout haze remaining.

If you run your hand over it and it feels gritty, this would help confirm my suspicions.

If this is the case, the first thing I would try is warm, soapy water with a microfibre cloth and scrub it. It looks relatively thin, which means it will be weak, so this will likely remove a lot of the haze.

You could also try softening it by laying a damp towel over the area for 10–15 minutes and gently scraping it with a Plastic Scraper , then cleaning it again with warm soapy water.

If you are still seeing evidence of the grout haze, then try using Davco 1L Tile And Grout Cleaner.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[goyal03]

Hi 

this is just done and may be used 5-6 times. If i run my hand over on it there is nothing i can feel . It is smooth when i run my handover. So not sure where these streaks are coming from. 

just to clarify i am talking about the vertical lines and not the circular ones

[JacobZ]

Hi @goyal03,

If it has just been done, then there are 3 potential options I can think of.

The first, like I mentioned, is that it is grout haze, in which case you should try the methods mentioned above. Try this first, as it seems like the most likely, and the cleaning methods won't cause any issues elsewhere.

The second is that it is silicone that wasn't properly cleaned up. If this is the case, then use a small amount of Selleys Sealant Remover on a microfibre cloth and wipe the tiles, being cautious not to touch the seams between the floor and the wall and the corners of the walls, as it could weaken this silicone. Also, make sure to wear a mask, gloves and open the windows and turn the exhaust fan on as there will be fumes.

The third option, is that the tiles were scratched during installation. This seems unlikely to me, given the way the lines extend from one tile to the next. However, if this is the case, then I would have the tiler return to address this issue.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob