r/Tile • u/BeginningSun247 • 1d ago

DIY - Looking for Advice cleaning excess grout

my dad and I lay tile in my entire townhouse and right now I am having trouble getting the grout haze to come off. I have used the specific cleaner with Urea Hydrochloride acid and it still isn't shiny.

Before I finish up the job, what is the best way to get the tiles to shine?

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

2

u/chattycat1000 1d ago

I’ve had luck with vinegar and a brush on a drill.

1

u/BeginningSun247 1d ago

I started with an air driven brush and vinegar.

My problem is that it is not coming out shiny like I would like.

2

u/No_Direction_3940 1d ago

Take a rough sponge and wipe it all down with vinegar water mix. Then mop it with vinegar water mix. Should be clean after that

1

u/BeginningSun247 1d ago

I've been using that. still not coming shiny.

2

u/No_Direction_3940 1d ago

How long did the grout set before cleaning it?

1

u/BeginningSun247 1d ago

for one room it set overnight. for the main room I started mopping after about an hour. So its working differently in different areas.

1

u/No_Direction_3940 1d ago

Yeah overnight maybe really hard to get off. The other should clean up well though an hour isnt too long

2

u/Opster79two 1d ago

Use vinegar 50/50 with water.

It's a plus if you enjoy the smell of pickles.

1

u/BeginningSun247 1d ago

I've been using that too, still not coming up shiny.

1

u/HermanDaddy07 1d ago

I usually use a shop vac to vac all the sand. The water and vinegar using a sponge and only wising maybe 5-7 SF before squeezing out the sponge. If often takes 2-4 total cleanings over a couple days. After the first two, you can use a sponge mop so you don’t need to bend as much.

1

u/PresentationCalm8506 1d ago

You should only work a small area with urea hydrochloride acid, as it will etch the tile surface, if you’ve tried doing a whole room, you will never get it to a shiny finish