Marvelous! Thank you, dlbkelly_cfl_rr_com and the rest! I used Bostik Dimension diamond urethane grout which I’d used before with little issue, but I apparently waited too long to wipe AND since I had varying tile thicknesses this time -- I had the clever and time-consuming idea of combining 3 different styles/brands of tile sheets -- there was more residue to clean off. My glass -- regular, polished and frosted -- and stainless/polished steel mosaic tile looked horrid. Sadly, I used the manufacturer’s suggestion of Windex and that made the area’s grout I tested just a tiny shade of bluish white instead of brilliant white - only noticeable to me but still annoying. A half-vinegar/half-water concoction worked with the bulk of the thinner residue and I finished off the thicker bits with a razor blade/glass scraper (only on the glass); the glass scraper was necessary for the frosted glass tiles but I will go over it again with a pumice stone or magic eraser as was suggested elsewhere for matte tile. The brushed stainless tiles are giving me a hard time and the polished metal tiles did get scratched by the grout/ocelo no-scratch scrub and wipe sponges but a huge improvement! If this hadn’t worked, I’d have to run out and get the Bostik Blaze which is also good for urethane grout haze clean-up.

Concerning the tiles at the ceiling, the taping mud should clean off with water. As for the shower pan tile, go to Lowes or HD, and look for a NONacid grout haze cleaner. They may try and sell you sulfamic acid crystals. Don't use them-- not yet. Try the nonacid cleaner, first. If that doesn't work, the sulfamic acid is the next step.

This is really my second piece, my first one was a coaster in a kit:) Once again, thanks for all the wonderful comments. I went to Lowes and didnt find the TileLab, but I found something called AquaMix. It says it's penetrating sealer - non shiny, for indoor or outdoor use on natural stone, masonry, etc. I tried it on some spare tiles and it went on like water. after the recommended 24 hours to dry, it doesn't even seem to have darkened the colors. Tomorrow, I will seal the tiles, and hopefully on Tuesday I will grout! I think I'll try black in the dragon flies and a lighter color on the bg. Thanks for all the advice. The truly wonderful thing about ignorance, is that it lets you try things you'd probably never try if knew what you were getting into:)

There are two separate cleaning projects here: the fresh buff with recently applied grout, and maintenance cleaning. Haze doesn't get harder as it ages because haze is portland cement that's hyper thin and un-set, only dried. Freshly, the simplest approach is buff with a dry cloth. Vinegar will cut the haze but it will also leach from the grout a little, particularly if it's fresh, so vinegar is not appropriate at this stage. It's like rubbing off the old haze and reapplying fresh haze right behind. Glass will scratch, hence the non-abrasive cleaner for maintenance. If you're using chemicals that are so hazardous that you need extraordinary protection from them, some rethinking may be needed.