Random House Cleaning Question - RC-Monster Forums

hootie7159 · **Random House Cleaning Question -** 05.06.2009, 04:02 AM

Hey guys....i know that this is going to seen EXTREMELY random being a forum about brushless but i can't find any sound advice ANYWHERE on the internet and I figured that there are some people who have dealt with this or might have some advice...anyways, i was using some CLR to soak my shower head and I accidentally dripped some onto the bathroom tile floor....now there are dark stains on the tile and its looks/feels like the finish was stripped off the tile or the CLR is stuck on there...any ideas as to how to remove these stains or do I have to refinish the tiles (the stain is only on 2 tiles)....i'll post pictures tomorrow when I go to work on the house again... (BTW just bought my first house and its both awesome...(no more apt.'s!!!!) and sucky (i now will spend my four days working on the house and not RC'ing)....anyways, LMK any or all of your ideas..thanks!!!

JThiessen · 05.06.2009, 08:52 AM

Most likely it ate the finish off the tile. Not sure about the stain part though. There are tile "sealers" that you can put on the tile to get the finish back. Not sure about the stain though - might want to take your CLR and a picture to a local tile store (NOT Lowes or Homedepot) and see what they tell you. Could also buy a couple pieces of similar tiles to try things on first...they are fairly cheap.

Arct1k · 05.06.2009, 08:57 AM

Next time just use household vinegar to clean shower head...

pb4ugo · 05.06.2009, 09:19 AM

Sounds like non-sealed/glazed tile? I've used straight caustic soda (the basis for CLR) before to clean my grout and never had it discolor my glazed tile.

Anyways, there are two different trains of thought I'd use in your situation. The first is to use a little more CLR to re-activate what is sitting there in the material. After its wet with CLR, you'd wipe it all up with a plenty wet rinse. And rinse, and rinse, and rinse.

Even after all that rinsing, there is likely to be some discoloring residue. By now it should be all chemical residue since all the dirt has been rinsed away. Since CLR is a basic substance (lye/caustic soda/sodium hydroxide) you will need a little acid to neutralize. By now it should be weak enough in your tile to use something the likes of lemon juice to achieve neutralization.