skip to main content

Flooring Bathrooms

Issues with Cleaning Porcelain Tile Shower Floor

4 years ago

Hello, hoping someone can shed some light about what's going on with my bathroom shower floor. When we renovated our bathroom last year, the tile was bright and white. Now, it constantly looks dirty. Some part of the grout is white while others are dark grey (we started out as a light grey color, (Tec Power Grout Sterling-Sanded)). The tile is starting to chip and it appears the grout is smearing off the edges around the tile. While I feel like soap scum is some of the cause, my gut is telling me it's more than that. Can anyone offer any recommendations to safely clean the tile and grout? And based on what you see, do you think I should be concerned about the grout? Any advice would be appreciated!

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

4 years ago

Dawn soap doesn't remove soap residue+human skin cells. To get rid of soap residue you have to use something other than soap.

Have you tried a soap scum remover? Like Tilex? The one's with a higher concentration of ammonia work the best. I like to spray down the tiles (soak them) and then close the door and walk away for 30 minutes or more.

Go back in (be aware it will have a HEAVY odour...if you have asthma you may want someone else to do this) and then lightly mist the tiles again (with the Tilex, or whatever). Now you grab your green scrubby (gloves are HIGHLY recommended...ammonia is corrosive) and get to work.

Rinse with hot water. Keep scrubbing until you find the stains have been removed.

Once you get the tiles successfully cleaned, you will want to to a strong clean every month or else you will be destined to have to repeat this HEAVY cleaning like this.

Hard water can cause scaling (the whitish stuff). Moving to softer water won't correct something that is already there.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
Please list your cleaning methods/materials.

Soap scum is made up of soap (often white, etc) and human skin cells (brown, beige or gray). The gray looks like soap and skin being left to create a less-than-white surface. The chipping of the tiles is more to the form of tile. Porcelain or ceramic or stone?
dblmnt1x
Original Author
4 years ago
Tile is porcelain. I use Dawn soap to clean the tile.I recently tried using aqua kleen (tile
Shop recommended it) but it didn’t make a difference.
Related Discussions
Cleaning porcelain tile floor after mop n glo mishap
Q
Comments (11)
My Mother, bless her, wanted to impress the new son in law. LOL! She bought polish and did every floor in the house. Stone, laminate, tile and porcelain all were a mess. I grabbed my bottle of Hoover Steam Vac & FloorMAX bare floor cleaner plus the Mr. Clean spray mop, stopped at Target on my way, bought 10 extra microfiber refills and a bottle of wine for me because Mom was well... I was afraid of the Hoover being to abrasive with its brushes plus the Mr. Clean solid blue microfiber is impressive. I used 1.25 ounces diluted in a quart of water. It was amazing. I sprayed it heavier than I normally would have. OMG it saved the day without breaking my back. I noticed after a few days, almost a week, in the high traffic areas a few darkening sticky spots. It was dirt sticking to the degrading polish buildup that had been left behind. So I broke out my mop and through one of the microfiber refills on moms spray mop, I mopped with the Hoover mixture, Spraying heavier and had Mom dry with hers behind me. The second mopping with dry mopping it dry behind took all the polish off. We had the whole five bed three bath house done in 45 minutes. She has no carpet Just rugs you can roll up. All of her floors looked better than they had in years. My husband, because mom is freakishly immaculate, has always said, "I would actually eat something off your moms floor." My new brother in law calls mom's house "The Museum". You can't make men understand she waited till all five kids were gone before redecorating. :D
...See More
Cleaning Porcelain Tile Floors
Q
Comments (3)
There are hard-surface floor cleaners available that have brushes, and can wash/brush the tile (and grout, to some degree), then rinse, then vacuum up the dirty rinse water. One of the main reasons that grout gets dirty, other than dropping messy stuff on it *smile*, is that the floor gets mopped, and the dirty mop water is left on the grout. You can clean in similar ways by hand, but the floor cleaning machines make it easier. Can't say too much about using dark colored grout as well, of course *smile*. -Roger
...See More
How to clean unglazed porcelain floor tile?
Q
Comments (4)
A white vinegar 50/50 solution should work, but might bleach out the grout colour. I would use a neutral PH cleaner. Just check the label...
...See More
Easy to clean Shower Floor Tiles? Also, exhaust fan questions
Q
Comments (11)
avalon, my point was that a vault will have two flat wall ends. In our case, one flat wall abutted the attic, allowing us to mount the fan on that wall to vent throught the attic and out the roof. In your case, how about running a vent through the water closet and into the bathroom itself? If there is attic nearby, there is a way to get to it. If both flat wallls are exterior, there are horizinal mount fan units.
...See More
dblmnt1x
Original Author
4 years ago
Also, I can easily scratch the grout with my finger nail. Not sure if this is normal. I thought grout should be hard as a rock. Last, when I purchased the tile, the form of it was very straight.
T
4 years ago
@SJ McCarthy what do you recommend for cleaning marble tiles?
live_wire_oak
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
TEC has a well known issue in the industry with some batches of its improperly mixed PowerGrout not hardening. Call Fuller’s help line, and they will send you a hardener to apply. Who knows if they’ll be there during this pandemic, but an email might reach someone if the phone doesn’t work.

Technical Services

For technical assistance with our products.

1-800-TEC-9023 (1-800-832-9023)
Mon-Fri 7:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. CST

Customer Service

1-800-TEC-9002 (1-800-832-9002)
Mon-Fri 7:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. CST
hbf-cp.customerservice@hbfuller.com

Headquarters

H.B. Fuller Construction Products Inc.
1105 S. Frontenac Road, Aurora, IL 60504
1-800-552-6225
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. CST
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
Marble can be as easy as soap and water (as in a marble counter top). Anything like a marble floor will have a bit more difficulty keeping a 'nice' look to them. So much depends on the colour of the marble, the sealing process, the grout, the hardness of the water, etc.
DCF-Z6A
4 years ago
What would be the best cleaning products for each (porcelain, ceramic and stone), or if curiosity?
DCF-Z6A
4 years ago
Ugh. Out of curiosity.

Related Stories

BATHROOM DESIGN What to Use for the Shower Floor

By Debbie Snider

Feeling Good Underfoot: Shower Tiles, Mosaics, Teak Slats and Pebbles

SHOWERS Your Guide to Shower Floor Materials

Discover the pros and cons of marble, travertine, porcelain and more

TILE Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile: A Five-Scenario Showdown

Explore where and why one of these popular tile choices makes more sense than the other

BATHROOM DESIGN Green and Clean: Ecofriendly Bath Floors

By Ivon Street Studio

Foot-massaging pebble tile, beautiful recycled glass and more can help make your bathroom beautiful and earth friendly

BATHROOM TILE Designers Share Their Favorite Bathroom Floor Tiles

By Bryan Anthony

Wood-look porcelain, encaustic cement and hexagon tiles are making a splash in recent projects by these design pros

REMODELING GUIDES Top 10 Tips for Choosing Shower Tile

By By Any Design Ltd.

Slip resistance, curves and even the mineral content of your water all affect which tile is best for your shower

BATHROOM DESIGN Floor Tile Options for a Stylish Bathroom

From the countless choices of bathroom tile available, we focus on some of the best looks for the floor

BATHROOM DESIGN 18 Knockout Ideas for Wooden Floor Showers

By Mitchell Parker

Look to an often-forgotten material choice for shower floors that radiate beauty in almost any style bathroom

BATHROOM DESIGN Floor-to-Ceiling Tile Takes Bathrooms Above and Beyond

By Becky Harris

Generous tile in a bathroom can bounce light, give the illusion of more space and provide a cohesive look

KITCHEN DESIGN Get Quartz and Porcelain Surfaces Super Clean

These cleaning tips for quartz, travertine, porcelain and engineered stone will help keep your countertops and sinks looking spotless

Sponsored

Kuhns Contracting, Inc.

26 Reviews

Central Ohio's Trusted Home Remodeler Specializing in Kitchens & Baths

More Discussions

HELP! Keep early 2000’s oak trim, replace flooring and countertops

12

stair nose installed on top of floor planks

1

Yellow & blue bathroom?

2

About to take the plunge on Showplace Maple Cashew! Reassurance please

5

California Classics Hardwood Floor - Mediterranean Sebastian - Photos?

0