Still looking for suggested solutions... Anybody?

I've heard that methylethylketone (MEK), although harsh, may help. Advice would be most welcome.

It's been 2 years, it's permanent. The grout haze has to be removed when the grout is fresh. No more than hours old. Not years. You need to redo the job completely if you want something different. MEK is way too dangerous for an amateur to even tink about using in an enclosed room like a bathroom.

Thanks. How about hiring a pro? Any chance they could improve the situation? A complete redo is not an option for us.

If you had insisted that the tiler fix the issue satisfactorily when it first happened, then you could have had it redone then at his expense. At this time, your options are live with it, or demolish it and redo it.

A few weeks ago we had our bathroom floors and shower retiled, using Bostik Neverseal grout. We have not yet used the shower, waiting to have the shower doors installed, but have noticed a sheen mentioned above. Are you saying that we are now not going to be able to get that off? I have tried cleaning with 1/4 part vinegar to water and it is not removing it.. We love the looks of the remodel, but disappointed when light shines on the tiles and shows the sheen...

Try a razor blade if it's smooth tile

We had same problem and also have Pental Porcelain 12x24 tiles. Haze and sheen been there for 2years. Tried several cleaners, razor blade, etc no luck. Last weekend I tried a pumace stone - tested it on an extra tile first - and it worked like a dream. Didn't even have to use much elbow grease. Just a regular stone that you can get at the grocery store or hardware store for removing calcium rings on toilets. Just dip in water and medium scrub. I would definitely test a spare tile first. Hope that helps.

Wow, that is awesome! Will be doing a new tiling job soon, and will keep this in mind. Thanks!!

I double checked with my husband and he said he got the pumice stone at bed bath and beyond and that it's made from recycled glass.

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. We had two bathrooms remodeled this spring, and there are grout haze problems in both of them. The floor tile in one bathroom has a lot of sheen on what is supposed to be a matte finish tile. This tile has subtle gold flecks (kind of like glitter), and the sheen ruins the appearance of the tile because the sparkle is diminished by the sheen. The shower walls in the other bathroom have random streaks of grout haze on all three sides. The floor tile in the second bathroom also has streaks of grout haze, but they are less obvious due to the pattern in the tile. The contractor tried haze remover products with white nylon scrub pads, but he was unable to get the haze off. For a $90,000 project, I'm feeling very disappointed. I'll give the pumice a try. It would be wonderful if it works!

go to JohnBridgeTile forum. They have a huge thread on what works to get rid of the haze. Hot water w/white vinegar was one of them. but just search the forum and it should be a 25 page thread!

Thank you, Beth.

Also look for a product by the name of Legsolv-it and Texspar Plus. We use these cleaners on jobs that the installer didn't follow my simple instructions and left urethane haze on the tile. It's kind of pricey, but works very well, even on old haze.

I too have this problem my bathroom was finished about 5month ago and it has a dull look from the left over urethane after reading all the comments about pomice stone I tried fine steel wool dry and scrubbed one area and it seems to work. It will take me forever to clean all the shower walls and floors but it works.

I had the same issue on 800 sq feet of matte porcelain tile. It takes a long time, but Bostik Blaze and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers by hand will remove the haze.

I didn't try acetone, so I'm not sure. My installer used Bostick Blaze with an orbital buffer for hours, it helped but I still had haze and shiny spots where the urethane was really thick. I tried everything and almost gave up. Finally stumbled across the magic erasers. If I'd ever use quartz lock again, I'd insist the installer clean the tile immediately or I'd do it myself. A year later I still notice small haze spots that need to be removed depending on the light.

yes I did Bostik Blaze and it worked beautifully it pricy though :(

Our tiler is about to use the urethane grout on our bathroom tile tomorrow! He's going to pretreat the tile with VanHearron Grout Release which is supposed to reduce the problem. We'll see how it goes but I'm definitely going to keep all these great ideas handy if that doesn't work well enough. Thank you!

Hi Everyone, I have enjoyed reading this blog as I've learned a lot! I have a question regarding the grout on my bathroom shower walls. The building I recently moved into is 2 years old. The shower walls are white subway tiles with white grout from floor to ceiling. (forgive me, but I do not know what grout brand was used). My problem is that the grout is leaving a white powder residue on the tiles and on the shower basin. As I swipe my fingers along the grout, I can easily see the powder rubbing off. I am certain this is the grout crumbling into fine dust and not soap scum or water deposits. The grout has not been sealed. It has not yet begun to crack, but there are some dark stains forming at the bottom end of the shower. My ultimate concern is if my family and have been inhaling the "grout powder dust" and spreading it all over our bathroom after each shower we take? This is an ongoing problem and I worry for our health! I do not want to be inhaling any grout dust to discover I'll have some lung disease down the road! I have a newborn baby and I am not keen on sealing the grout just yet due to the VOC fumes emitted from the sealer. Even the low VOC brands as there still are some toxic chemicals in the sealer that are unsafe for a newborn (and adult!). However, I also don't want to leave it unsealed due to the dusty film that occurs. PLEASE help me! I need someone to explain if my fears are sound or if the "grout powder dust" is not a concern. what is the safest thing to do. Thank you!!! I appreciate any guidance and advice.

maddyparker,,,are you saying the shower was grouted 2 years ago or was it recently redone?

if you rake your nail across the grout line, does it crumble or is it hard?

How do you know it hasn't been sealed?

Is there anyway to find out what brand was used? Regular cement type, urethane, acrylic?

Is it just the walls where the grout is powdery?

when you say 'dark stains' is that from water absorption?

I really need some photos here. have no idea what you are dealing with.

don't worry about the sealers. once they're absorbed and dried, it's fine. They also have a water based sealer with hardly any smell.

Thank you, Beth H., for your quick reply, I greatly appreciate it. Here are the answers to your questions:

"maddyparker,,,are you saying the shower was grouted 2 years ago or was it recently redone?

--The shower was grouted 2 years ago. We just moved in 2 months ago.

if you rake your nail across the grout line, does it crumble or is it hard?

-It is hard but leaves a white powder residue on my finger and nail.

How do you know it hasn't been sealed?

--When we moved into our condo unit, I asked the previous tenant if the grout was sealed and their response was no. However, I'm not 100% sure if they actually knew whether it was sealed or not prior to when they moved in.

Is there anyway to find out what brand was used? Regular cement type, urethane, acrylic?

-- I can contact our building management to try and get the info from them.

Is it just the walls where the grout is powdery?

--Since the tiles and grout are both stark white, the powder residue is not apparent until you swipe your fingers along the tiles. It is also present on the plastic basin of the shower. I observed that when the water is hitting the tiles, the grout appears to 'soften and degrade', and once the water evaporates and the shower is fully dry, that's when the white filmy residue becomes apparent when you slide your fingers against the tiles and basin. I observed that it's most powdery half way down the walls and all around the basin, as that is where the water is reaching the tiles when we take a shower. The upper half of the tiled walls have much less powder residue as water is not hitting those tiles directly while we take a shower. However, if you scrape your finger along the grout higher up, it will deposit on your finger and nail as well.

when you say 'dark stains' is that from water absorption?

--The stains appear to be due from water absorption. They were not there before we moved in, and now after each shower, we are noticing more and more stains, possibly mold growing, which forces me to clean after each shower to maintain clean walls.

I really need some photos here. have no idea what you are dealing with.

--I will prepare some and send them too you asap.

don't worry about the sealers. once they're absorbed and dried, it's fine. They also have a water based sealer with hardly any smell.

--Thank you so much again for your quick reply and reassurance.

a few things may have happened. mineral deposits in the water used to mix the grout. efflorescence. water also can be absorbed by the grout (when not sealed properly) absorbed, then dries, leaving behind the mineral deposits that turn powdery.

http://www.johnbridge.com/how-to/how-to-remove-efflorescence/

This person used baby oil. Can't comment on the validity of this.

http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=77324

I can't comment on the tile absorbing water until I see it. plus, I have no idea how the shower was constructed or what was used for waterproofing.

After moving into our new home in Dec, we had our kitchen backsplash tiled this past week with glass tile and urethane grout was used. I believe that it was the first time that he used this product and he did comment on it being soupy (it comes pre-mixed-however mustn't be overmixed). He was washing off haze but told me that I should wait two days until the grout cured and then wash the rest of haze off. Now I have what appears like water marks stains on my glass tile and also on my stainless steel cooktop. I was cleaning my cooktop after dinner and was stunned that I also had it on my cooktop! How can it be removed from stainless steel? I couldn't get it to come off. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Gisele,

There is a concentrated product called LegSolv-It that will remove the haze from the glass and stainless without scratching it. Spray it on, let it sit for about 5 minutes and scrub it down with a Microfiber towel. Search for it and purchase a quart bottle of it. I have found it will remove even 2 year old haze. Be sure to rinse it thoroughly with water after you are done or it will continue to dissolve your grout lines. If installers would read the instructions and not treat it like "bag" grout this forum would cease to exist. Tile installers seem to struggle with using the urethane grout the most because they don't want to admit they don't know how to use it. Bostik has implemented my personal cleaning instructions into their literature and will soon have them on the pails.

Thank you so much. My installer was here this morning trying to remove it. I will suggest this to him.

I used it today for the first time on my backsplash. It's so different from bag grout. I immediately cleaned my lines, but no matter how often I went over the tile with my sponge, little grains of sand were left. So I would move on to another section then go back and only about an hour or two later noticed the glossy spots. Now I'm scrubbing and trying out the Windex per the instructions. It's working kind of alright. Oh it's frustrating. I'm getting the dehazer tomorrow, but I sure wish I knew what I was doing wrong. Because right now, I'm never using it again. I know exactly how to use the bag grout and should have stuck with that! Plus, I like my grout lines filled a little more than I could get with the quartz lock.

Klean strip brand makes a brush cleaner solution that will remove this haze. Apply liberally to a clean cloth, wipe on and immediately wipe off with a dray cloth. Works well on marble where other suggestions would result in scratched tile. Takes about 1 minuet psf.

I used the Bostik Blaze and Mr. Clean erasers: this is the most efficient method!!! Still a lot of effort, but you make steady progress and can tell what has been cleaned. When I used Blaze with a Scotchbrite green scrubbing pad, it seemed like the grout would redeposit back onto another area, and that does not happen with the Mr. Clean eraser pads.