Cleaning Ceramic Shower Tiles

These ceramic tiles were installed some thirty years ago in a retirement home in Maidenhead, and were well overdue for an overhaul. First of all there was noticeable grout haze left on the tiles where it wasn’t polished off properly during installation and the second issue was the amount dirt and scum that had built up over the years, exacerbated by the grout haze issue as it allowed the dirt to become trapped on the surface of the tile. 

A strong mix of a propritary high alkaline cleaner was applied to the tile and grout allowing it to dwell for a while before being scrubbed in with a stiff hand brush. This action worked to break down the years of dirt and grime that had built-up in the grout lines and on the surface of the ceramic tiles. The tiles were then rinsed down with water and repeated where required . 

 

The next step was to tackle the grout haze which refers to the smears of grout left on a tile by the tiller after installation; this should have been polished off as it can be difficult to remove once the grout has set. To remove a phosporic acid based cleaner was used and then scrubbed off with an abrasive black pad.  

 

The shower tile and grout was then given another rinse with water but the grout still looked stained in places, and after fresh grout was applied to the places where the original grout had crumbled away, a white grout colourant was applied to restore a uniform appearance.  

 

The shower was allowed to dry and a heat gun to ensure the grout was bone dry before applying the grout colourant using a small brush making sure to wipe off any excess from the ceramic tile. This process improves the look of a shower and the colourant provides a barrier over the grout making it much easier to clean in future. 

 

Last step was to strip out the old silicone sealant between the shower wall and tray and replace with a new mould resistant sealant in white and to give the tile a buff with a white pad fitted to a handheld buffer to remove any remaining residue. 

The shower cubicle was transformed and now looks as though it was recently installed. Certainly the customer was very pleased with the final result and left the following feedback. 

 

“Dennis was the ultimate professional, prompt, polite and a pleasure to deal with, the transformation to the tiles in the shower is amazing, would have no hesitation in recommending him. A first class job”