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Hi could someone please suggest how to clean soap scum that seems to have cemented itself to tile grout. I have used white king gel which looked like it worked but then when it dried it seemed worse.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Sofia1. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about cleaning bathroom tiles.
Rather than soap scum, that looks like it could quite possibly be efflorescence. Efflorescence is calcium carbonate deposits that rise to the surface of the grout due to the mineral salts contained within it. It could be directly from the grout or the tile glue beneath. The water from your shower penetrates down into the grout and allows the deposit to be wicked up to the surface.
Since it is a mineral deposit migrating out of the grout, it's really quite hard to remove. Even if you can remove what's on the surface, it can come back just as fast as you can clean it. Any acid which can remove it effectively is too harsh to be used on your tiles. You could use a grout saw to abrade the surface and remove the deposits proud of the grout's surface. You could also consider cutting the grout back, refreshing it and then sealing the new grout. If you stop the water from penetrating the grout, then it could retard the efflorescence to some degree. You do need to maintain the sealer regularly, though.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
