How to Fix Efflorescence on Porcelain Tile

If you frequently struggle to remove a white, cloudy haze from your porcelain tiles, you may have a problem with efflorescence. Moisture moves through a variety of household substances, carrying with it salts and mineral deposits. When the moisture evaporates, the minerals it carried remain on the surface of your tile as efflorescence. Because efflorescence is the result of a combination of factors, such as how your floor was installed and the minerals in the soil where you live, you cannot prevent efflorescence from recurring. You can, however, remove it with the proper cleaning agents.

Protective goggles
Gloves
Sealant stripper
Mop
pH neutral cleaner
Acidic cleaner
Sponge

Instructions

- 1
  Ventilate your work area. Put on protective goggles and gloves.
- 2
  Apply sealant stripper to the floor if your tile and grout is sealed. Let the sealant stripper sit on the floor for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. Efflorescence collects beneath the sealant. Thus, if your tiles are sealed, you must remove the sealant before you can clean away the efflorescence.
- 3
  Rinse the floor well and let it dry completely.
- 4
  Mop the floor with a pH neutral cleaner. Rinse the floor and let it dry. The salts and minerals in efflorescence bond with the latex in your tile floor's grout. A pH neutral cleaner breaks these bonds, making it possible for you to clean away the efflorescence.
- 5
  Spray the floor with an acidic cleaner. Work in sections, spraying the tile with the cleaner and scrubbing away the efflorescence with a sponge. The acid dissolves the efflorescence, removing the cloudy haze from your porcelain tile.

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