Everywhere or just in a few locations?

It's turning yellow everywhere. We've rarely cleaned the backsplash, except around the sink, and when we have, we've used water or 7th Generation spray cleaner (3-4 times max). The backsplash was not sealed: both GC and tileman said sealing was unnecessary. I'm 95% certain that the grout used was Mapei white (00), which was recommended by the tiler.

I don't know that the cleaner would have done it, but I think the grout probably should have been sealed. I hope your tiler has a good solution for you.

My white grout WAS sealed, and it's also turning slightly yellow on the stove wall. I suspect the cleaners (I also use regular dish soap and water, and sometimes a "natural" kitchen cleaner like 7th gen or other brands.) Mine is regular cementitious grout, not epoxy grout.

Epoxy grouts are prone to yellowing over time, I have heard...

OMG I couldn't believe it when I logged on and saw this post! I could have (and thought about it) posted this same thing! The monday before Thanksgiving I had my backsplash installed by a professional tiler - white subway, white grout. The past couple weeks I noticed it turning a yellowish orange. I had not sealed it yet, as the tiler said it really wasnt necessary especially since the grout lines were so small BUT I planning on doing it anyway. Anyhoo, yesterday I took bleach and a toothbrush and went over all the grout lines - presto!! instant white grout again! Now I don't know if it would have worked had the grout been sealed, but it worked for me. But it makes me feel better that it may have turned yellow in spite of sealing. I really felt like it might not have yellowed had I sealed it - apparently not.

Mine had turned more of an orangey/peachy color. Could it have been the grout? it was unsanded, not pre-mixed.

I've got the same issue. My tiler used the same grout - Mapei White and it looks yellow. What was the solution?

If the water used to mix and clean the grout contained minerals such as Iron the grout will turn a yellowish to orange color. Using a steel paddle on a drill to mix the grout can add small amounts of Iron as well.

We just got our subway tile with white grout installed a couple months and it is yellowish color in some areas too! Ugh! We did have ours sealed. Any suggestions would be great!!

Everyone please, i emplore you, SEAL ALL GROUT AND USE DISTILLED WATER WHEN MIXING.

We've had the same problem with our kitchen backsplash subway tile grout. I just came across another blog post which gives a good alternative, IF you are willing to change your tile grout from white to grey. I wanted to make this anyway, so I'll be giving this a try. http://www.thehappierhomemaker.com/2013/07/changing-grout-color-a-subway-tile-upda/

I am having the same issue. White subway tile/white grout, except mine is in the shower. My grout has been sealed. I cleaned it with bleach..then we sealed it. It is starting to turn yellow again. Help

Mine too! I have a new bathroom as of Sept 2015 by late December my grout in shower , on the floor and behind my sink is yellow brown! I scrubbed it last year with bleach and sealed and it was as good! Like clockwork right after Xmas this year it had turned again! Help!

We are running into the same problem. Bathroom professionally tiled in November and yellow in December. Do any of you know what type of thinset or mortar was used to set the tiles? Also can you confirm the brand and color of the grout? Hopefully someone will get to the bottom of this.

My bath was tiled 30 years ago. I periodically use 409 (and amonia for stubborn stains). After the last time I did this the grout turned brilliant yellow, and it runs down and stains the tub. It lightens some with 409, but the same thing happens the nest time I take a shower. Help!

Has everyone used ceramic tiles?? We have come across this problem before and we believe it is the biscuit (internal part of the tile) leaking/seeping into the grout.

This is promoted by either the tiles getting wet or using to much water during the grout process. Once grouted you have locked the moisture in the biscuit and the grout sucks the moisture out of the tile unfortunately bringing a orange/yellow staining colour as well. This theory also explains how sometimes the staining is in patches because only some tiles got wet and only some patches of tiles were washed with a full wet sponge and the grout was pushed in further when cleaning exposing the biscuit.

This will not happen with porcelain tiles. I only have this problem with Cheaper ceramic tiles.

Our tile is a very expensive glazed porcelain tile. We also have a large section of marble mosaic which obviously does not have a bisque. The grout in both sections yellowed significantly. We have determined that problem is a result of not explicitly following manufacturers guidelines during mixing and installation. We have eliminated the choice of sealer as to having anything to do with this type of yellowing.

Hello,I realize this is an older subject, but I have the same problem but after 6 months of no problems. We installed the tile over the summer. I’ve noticed most people on other forums are claiming this is happening in their bathroom. Mine is in the kitchen on a north wall. We had a first cold night of the year last night and dropped to around 13 degrees over night. When I woke up this morning I noticed the north corner of my backsplash had turned a dark yellow. I used bleach on a small section and it did remove it with a little scrubbing. I researched online and found many others have had the same issue with white grout but in bathrooms. I got mine from Home Depot. I don’t remember the brand but the color was called Snow White unsanded. I use a unvented gas fireplace to warm my house that has been known to produce humidity being unvented. For some reason I feel that this definitely has to do with the atmosphere. My north wall where the tiled backsplash is, gets very cold. So I am thinking the heat from the fireplace in combination of the humidity and the cold wall turned my grout yellow. I don’t feel it has to do with minerals in the water used to mix up the grout in my case, otherwise why would all other areas in my kitchen not have this happen? It’s just the north wall area. I have not used any cleaners but mild dish soap and water to clean and there hasn’t been much of that but a few splatters here and there. And I did seal grout very well. The first photo is a close up of what it actually looks like all over that North area. The second photo is the same area but a distance away. The third shows the section I cleaned with bleach. Is it just a coincidence that every complaint I have seen happens to be in winter months ? Maybe the surface get cold and when it’s warm and humid that is what it does to the grout?

We also are having this problem and it is seriously annoying. Carrera chevron marble tiles on our kitchen backsplash, professionally installed (but unsealed) in December 2017. And YES, the grout used was Home Depot's Mapei unsanded white. About 6 weeks later, noticed the yellowing of the grout. Hadn't cleaned the backsplash with any products and while the yellowing occurred in every section of the backsplash, it was noticeably worse in some areas than others -- particularly on the top of two sections that extended to the ceiling - both of which are against interior walls so the theories that cold or cleaning product are the culprits doesn't seem to apply. I have applied bleach with a toothbrush twice and each time, it removed the stain with minimal scrubbing. (The second yellowing occurred within 3 weeks of bleaching.) Of particular interest, is that the yellowed grout areas closest to the ceiling started WHITENING EVEN BEFORE I started scrubbing them. It seems there is something acidic in the grout that even the just the alkaline of the bleach fumes were able to counteract. Going to try leaving out a small cup of bleach to see if this keeps the backsplash from yellowing again. If anyone has found a permanent solution, I hope you'll share cuz bleaching the backsplash every 2-3 weeks is a real drag!

We are having the very same problem in our new shower. White tile and white grout installed in December 2017. Now the grout is yellow, except for the part reached by shower water every morning. Any solutions to this yet?

Problem solved with Clorox mold and mildew remover with Tilex

I think you are Right Markmic

had my Bathroom tiled back in March last year and not long after the white grout turned yellow, i got the tiler back and he couldnt understand why as all the bathrooms/ensuite in my unit block had there units retiled by the same Tilerband there bathrooms/ensuites were fine only mine had turned yellow

so the tiler removed the grout and re grouted both my ensuite and Bathroom again

In march just gone. Everthing was fine nice white grout then 2weeks ago i bought a glade plug in and saturday i noticed my grout has turned yellow

i think you have solved everyones problem in there bathrooms

Does any one else have a glade plug in

Same issues as above. New shower white grout turning yellow where water did not reach. We tried the bleach and that took the yellow/gold tone away for now. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

White grout is always going to discolor, doesn’t matter the type of grout/sanded or unsanded. It will always discolor, it’s literally the worse color grout to use if your worried about discoloring. You don’t see them but there is minerals and particles all through the air and they can and will stick to the grout. You will constantly need to clean it. I get people don’t like it, but you can’t tell me every tiler all professional and From all over from what I read, are all doing it wrong.

I had the same issue and I agree with markmic. It was a plug in air freshener. Only section near that area turned yellow

Well, I'm experiencing this and I don't use air freshener. Formaldahyde is in those things!

So no answers? Just everybody having the same problem? No air fresheners, but grout turning yellow in many areas on very expensive mosaic shower/bathroom wall. Any answers?

I left my answer to my original post above. We identified the culprit as the air fresheners for our situation. The discoloration was pulled to the grout via air currents and humidity when people showered. Once the air fresheners were removed and the grout was cleaned it never happened again.

Same issue. Arctic White(the whitest) started to get an ivory tinge(bathroom remodeled 4 weeks ago, grout was sealed with non yellowing sealer)...culprit was the glade plug in! Thanks to this post,...I would have been stumped and irritated that it was turning color. Used the water and bleach tactic(color was only on the surface), it worked, grout is white again. Chucked the plug-ins. They are actually terrible for your health from what I just read.

Tub and tiles reglazed and SEALED and within 5 months, the grout on 1/4 of the walls, turns yellow every day.

I have 9 levels fused in my spine, so I physically cannot toothbrush this problem anymore.

I had it professionally reglazed so I would not have to use a toothbrush anymore.

I think its the towns awful water.

It ruined our toilet to the point we had to replace it. It looked like I NEVER cleaned it ever.

The plumber said he has "special talets" to get rid of it, but you have to leave the house for a full day, due to fumes.

Funny we get a water bill when we have to lug jugs to the spring, for drinking water in Manchester, CT.

The "reglazer" is coming back to re-seal but I do not see how that will be helpful. Grout has fallen off and he plans to just re-seal over it, without regrouting.

Guaranteed for 15 years and this is his "fix"?

Would a dark grey grout hide the yellow?

I had the same issue when using Mapei Keracolor #00 white. It was yellowish/orangeish immediately after drying. I cried knowing I spent thousands of dollars to remodel my bathroom just to be disappointed with the grout. All my contractor offered was " the bag said blanco and blanco means white." The contractor is another story for another day. I did some research and came across a product called Mapei Grout Refresher Ultra White. I figured I had nothing to lose. The result was fabulous. It changed the grout to the bright white I was looking for and also worked as a sealer. I am attaching a picture of the before and after. The left is before and right is after.

This same issue happened to me! Brand new kitchen, brand new backsplash with white grout was completely yellow. I tried spraying Chlorox cleaner directly on it and let it sit for 10 minutes. Wiped it clean with water on a towel (i did not scrub). As you can see in the picture, it conpletely took it away. So far Ive only done the lower half

It iron in the water,, im a professional lol

Happy to help , pro Tiler,,, ps im available Scotland

We have the same issue. We have small marble in herringbone pattern fir backsplash in our kitchen. New house 14 months later our grout turned yellow. Its consistent throughout. I called our tile guy and he had the rep come out saying it was the plug in air freshner that turned it yellow. Ours was sealed. Ive tried all kinds of cleaners to brighten it. Nothing works. The tile rep said to use a grout paint to cover it up. They cant guarentee it wont change again. No more bath and body plug ins. We stopped using 1 year living in the house. Any suggestions?

I would definitely say to bleach it to see if it comes back. In our case, we stopped using the plug in air fresheners and bleached it and it never came back. Also might be some additive or chemical reaction in the actual grout that once it is bleached, it does not come back. Someone else used the Mapei grout refresher with great results.

So thankful I found this thread! I read markmic comment and immediately went and removed the plugin and cleaned with grout. Our kitchen is only 2 year old and I just recently noticed how yellow the backsplash in one area...culprit - plugin! I loved the nightlight and smell by door entry, but no more!

See pics and notice before and how white behind stove compared to outlet area. Then new pic cleaned with bleach on left of outlet - to the right not yet cleaned.