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Tile clean up- muriatic acid

Riggar | Posted in General Discussion on September 11, 2006 06:47am

Bathroom problems.. Have a 40 year old house. The shower stall has 4 1/4 by 1 3/4 inch tile and we have problems with water stain, mold and discoloration on floor ( from feet where we stand) . Have tried various off – shelf clearing products, but they do not work very well.  Have been told that muriatic acid wash will do the clean up job.  On reading the instructions for the product, am a bit concerned about using it.

Questions; (1) What will this stuff do to metal ? Should it be masked off?

                   (2) Can I get a more or less permanent fix ? ( Have recently fixed and up graded the fan , but mold keeps coming back)

Any other suggestions appreciated.  Thanks

 

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  1. woodway | Sep 11, 2006 07:53pm | #1

    Muriatic acid is old, out dated, name for hydrochloric acid. Using it full strength, or any strength really, will dissolve any metal if it's in your drain waste plumbing. It will also corrode the chrome, if any, on your shower drain. A bathroom cleaner called Lime Away also uses diluted hydrochloric acid, in a jell suspension, that will work nicely in your situation. They have a spay pump applicator that should make your cleanup a lot easier. Again, spray it on the surface to clean then rinse down with a lot of cold water. Don't let this stuff sit in your p-trap for any length of time either or you'll be replacing that too. That is assuming your p-trap is metal. Use gloves and it might be worth putting on some safety glasses too.

    Once you clean the tile, it would be worth your effort to get some grout sealer and reseal the grout on the tile after rinsing and air drying.

    1. Scooter1 | Sep 11, 2006 07:57pm | #2

      I'd start with various degrees of vinegar solutions, all the way to full strength before using anything stronger.Regards, Scooter"I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow." WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934

  2. sungod | Sep 12, 2006 02:33am | #3

    I have seen the shower - mold problem before. The mold on the shower floor is caused by the weep holes in the shower drain being plugged or non-existing. The weep holes drain the moisture from under the tile that is trapped in the mortar.
    Shine a flashlight down the sides of shower drain. Two inches down is usually three weep holes. Gouge out the holes to let moisture out. I have seen the 3 holes with tar plugging them up.
    No three hole?, then the drain is the wrong type. Other people who has this problem would spray the shower with straight bleach.

  3. User avater
    Mongo | Sep 12, 2006 05:41am | #4

    For cleaning, don;t use acid. It'll eat away at the grout by reacting with the lime in the grout. Creating a rough surface, which in turn will trap scum and make cleaning even more difficult.

    Vinegar and muriatic are aciridc. Both are uneccessary.

    Bleach won't harm the grout other than possibly discoloring it. Bleach is not a cleaning agent, but it will kill mold/mildew.

    Try using an oxygenating cleaner. Something like Oxyclean. A little more effective than regular hydrogen peroxide, worh thte few bucks they charge for it at Walmart, etc.

    As others have mentioned, if the secondary weep holes in the drain are plugged up and the pan is saturated, it's a demo job. Possibility that the pan isn't sloped, see that too much. Regular use will wet the deck mud beneath the tile and cause another bloom of mold/mildew. It'll never be right.

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