Identification

• If you walk into your bathroom and look at your tiles and see some discoloration or residue, that is most likely grout haze. The discoloration is caused by the grout's porous nature. The combination of sand, cement and flooring causes small holes to develop in the tiles. The holes begin to fill with grime, dirt and other unappealing things. This happens when grout isn't sealed up during the drying process.
  
  

Warning

• Normally, cleaning your tiles is going to do nothing to help reduce your grout haze problem. So if you merely try to wipe your tiles with a cloth and some standard cleaner, nothing is going to change at all and the residue and discoloration is going to firmly remain on your tiles. In fact, cleaning your tiles with a mop or cloth might fill the holes with even more dirt.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• One excellent way to get rid of grout haze is by concocting a cleaner out of ingredients that you can find in your kitchen. You will need 1/3 cup ammonia, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup baking soda and 7 cups water. Put all of those ingredients inside of a spray bottle and spray it onto a sponge or rag. Firmly wipe the grout down with the rag or sponge. Leave the cleaner on the grout for a while without rinsing. This mixture should be potent enough to remove the grout from your tiles.
  
  

Considerations

• If your grout haze situation is mild, you might be able to clean it off by using water and a scouring pad, then using a poultice or pad and scouring cleanser. If this does not work, you can then attempt the homemade cleaner or the sulfamic acid remover from stores.
  
  

Expert Insight

• If you don't want to have to mix your own, at-home grout haze remover, you can go to any home improvement store and pick up a cleaner that contains sulfamic acid. This might be labeled a grout haze remover. Be sure to read the cleaner's instructions very carefully before using.