How to clean tiles after renovation?

Cement

To remove drops of cement from the surface of the tile during repairs, remove them with a damp cloth. But the task is more difficult if the solution has already hardened. In this case, there are two options:

1. Soak with water. Pour or spray ordinary warm clean water onto the dried lumps, leave to act for 10-15 minutes. The softened composition can be easily removed with a spatula. The main thing is to work with the flat side, like a scraper, and do this very carefully so as not to damage the glazed top layer.
2. Use a solvent. If even soaked cement does not want to go away from the tile after repairs, purchase a special product. Cement solvent (for example, Nerta ATC 350) will help to quickly and without a trace remove residues even from a relief surface.

Important! When working with any chemical compounds, be sure to use gloves!

Grout

Like any other hardening substance, it is easier to clean grout off tiles immediately after finishing work. If the dirty tiles are above the bathtub, a shower and a rag will help you, if in another place, a generously dampened rag will do. You should rinse the surface with clean water several times until the white marks disappear.

For those who do not want to spend a long time cleaning the tiles after renovation, there are other options:

• Chemical. Dilute liquid bleach in water, wipe the tiles with this composition, then rinse with clean water. Other household chemicals (for glass, dishes) will do.
• Natural. Prepare water with vinegar or lemon juice, it will also help clean the tiles from grout.

All of the above applies to regular cement compositions, if your grout is epoxy – water will not help. Buy an alkali-based cleaning agent at a hardware store. For large surfaces and light dirt, dilute it, use pure on hard polymerized residues. Apply, leave to act, rinse or scrape off.

Advice! To avoid damaging the seams during washing, treat them with fugue gloss.

Primer

Primer only seems like ordinary water, but after hardening it turns into a tightly ingrained film. Washing off primer from tiles is a really difficult task. As with the first two contaminants, it is better not to let it dry – wash the tiles immediately after the end of the process and you will not have problems.

If time has already been lost, you will have to resort to heavy artillery. What detergents can help:

• alcohol;
• foam cleaner;
• cement solvent;
• acid-free washes;
• vinegar essence.

But first of all, try the primer itself: apply a fresh layer over the old one, wait 3-5 minutes, wipe with a damp cloth.

For unglazed matte ceramic tiles, try abrasives: the hardened primer can be cleaned with a stiff metal brush. Before this, it is better to soak the stains. Floor tiles can be simply covered with a wet cloth, wall tiles can be sprayed several times.

Silicone sealant

It is almost impossible to wash off even fresh sealant – so do not touch fresh drops so as not to smear the product on the surface. It is better to wait until it dries completely. After that, try one of the methods for cleaning tiles after renovation:

1. Mechanical. Using a sharp scraper, knife or spatula at an angle of 30-45 degrees to the surface, pick up and remove the sealant. More suitable for bulky contaminants.
2. Chemical. If you do end up smearing the composition on the tile, you will need a solvent, such as 646. Soak a rag in it and rub off the stains little by little.

Tile adhesive

Like grout, there are two types of adhesive, and they will need to be removed in different ways. Therefore, first of all, decide which type you are dealing with.

• Cement. Unlike pure cement, water will not help here, because the adhesive contains other components that complicate cleaning. An acidic solvent is considered the most effective and safe for cladding. It is applied to stains (pure or in a 1:5 solution with water), left for a while, then removed with a scraper or rag.
• Epoxy. Where water and acids are absolutely ineffective, alkali will come to the rescue. The older the stain, the more concentrated the composition should be. Undiluted alkali is applied pointwise to old drops. After removal, do not forget to thoroughly wash the entire surface.

Construction dust

This is one of the most harmless types of contamination – superficial, easy to wash off. Try cleaning the tiles after renovation using a sponge and dishwashing liquid. Lather, wipe the tile, rinse with a clean damp cloth.

If the dirty ceramic tile is glazed, glossy – use a weak vinegar solution for washing and rinsing – it will help to avoid soap stains.

Paint

How to clean tiles after renovation depends on the type of paint:

• water-based paints can be washed off with ordinary water;
• acrylic paints can be removed with solvent, nail polish remover;
• oil paints are afraid of alkaline compounds.

Advice! Before using any products, try them on an inconspicuous area – some caustic compounds can damage the glaze and make it cloudy.

Liquid nails

Are there any drops left on the tiles after the renovation? Let them harden and remove them with a scraper or knife. If the mechanical method does not help, use a solvent.

The usual inexpensive composition 646 will easily cope with stains from liquid nails on tiles.

Important! Sometimes fresh composition is removed with oil or greasy cream.

Whitewash

Everything you need to know, any whitewash is afraid of water! Therefore, even hardened stains should be generously sprayed with hot water, wait a bit and washed with a sponge or rag.

Plaster

Cleaning in this case is no different from cement or cement glue. Remove fresh stains with any napkin, hardened ones will have to be soaked first.

To speed up the soaking process, use hot water, adding vinegar or ammonia to it. Softened traces of construction work are easily removed with a trowel.

Mounting foam

If construction dust is the easiest contaminant, then foam is the most difficult.

1. Fresh contamination. Since the composition hardens quite quickly, you should also act with lightning speed. Immediately after completing the work, cut off the foam with a knife, spatula. And remove the remains with a gun cleaner.
2. Hardened stain. Good news – the process is not much more complicated and is almost no different. First, remove the volume and dissolve the remains with the same gun product, any suitable solvent, white spirit, acetone.

Available means for softening the foam:

• Dimexide;
• Hot vegetable oil;
• Gasoline.

It is always easier to clean tiles after renovation if the stains are fresh. Therefore, do not delay cleaning – spend a little time after laying or other work to save energy in the future.