How to Clean this or do i need to re tile??

[shawninvancouver]

Not sure what this is? mould? stains? etc.. the tile is porous.. it was sealed.. there are no leaks...
its very strange, only on one wall of the shower... tile under the shower head that gets most of the water is fine.. its around 8 -9 years old..

i have tried to dry it out and re seal it.. they keep coming back when wet..
what can i do??
bleach? any ideas??
thanks

[shawninvancouver]

any help here???

[claycarson]

Shawn,

Manmade tile or natural stone?

Try 50/50 bleach and water spayed on so it has 10-15 minutes of soaking time.

If that reduces the marks dramatically, then it was mold stains. Pretty common in this setting.

Post afterwards so we can follow up.

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[claycarson]

By the way, bleach won't hurt stone or grout, we use it all the time

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[shawninvancouver]

Yes, natural stone and porous... but can bleach still get in to clean it if the tile was sealed??

[shawninvancouver]

Yessss.. natural stone and soaks water in it.. its not ceramic.. but im sure it was sealed when originally done.... willl the bleach get in there to whiten it??

[claycarson]

Shawn,

Not sure, worth a try. If it misses some spots, then you'll know.

The most common type of sealer, penetrating sealer Is not a thick topical film, it's absorbed inside the stone. It allows vapor transmission so it may allow bleach to get the mold stains.

Won't cost a lot of time or energy, so no reason not to try .

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[JohnnyPronto]

I would test different chemicals, one tile at a time.

[shawninvancouver]

looks like a dark blotchy pattern over the tile.. its a natural stone ( bad idea )
i have tried some basic cleaners but is there a trick to get it gone?? some cleaner i leave on or something??
any ideas??
thanks

[shawninvancouver]

any ideas here?

[cx]

Welcome back, Shawn.

Might need to be a bit more patient 'till the right people see this.

I combined you with your same question a couple years ago. Chances are good you'll get the same responses, but hang on, I been wrong before.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

Looks like moisture is getting behind the tiles based on the front ledge of the niche. If that’s the case, sealing it is making things worse because it can’t dry out. But before we go too far…

1) What method of waterproofing do you have with the shower?

2) Did the bleach do anything?

3) Has there been a cleaner that’s made any improvement?

4) Have you used any high-alkaline cleaners?

5) How are you applying the cleaners? Just spraying on and immediately wiping off? Or are you allowing it to dwell for a few minutes?

6) Are you using bar soap instead of liquid soap?

[shawninvancouver]

can this be cleaned or do i need to re tile?? it could be mold like.. it disapears when the shower dries.. will bleach or vinigar or some home depot stuff get rid of it??
help me!

[cx]

Shawn, starting new threads with duplicate questions is not helpful here. I've combined you with the original thread and invite you to view the recent response.

[jadnashua]

A couple of things you might try...no guarantees!

IN addition to what's already been suggested, you might try Moldex solution. I tend to order it from Home Depot, as they seem to have the best price on a concentrated gallon, which lasts me usually at least a couple of years. I use it to clean the walls in my shower, and let it soak in the air tub's passages to manage the mold that likes to grow in the dark, moist passages.

There's a mix your own solution whose recipe I read here years ago that some swear by. A search should find it, but if I remember, it contains the following, but don't remember the concentrations:
- hydrogen peroxide
- methanol alcohol
- borax
- water

Again, this is from memory, so may be off a little: the H2O2 acts like a bleach, the alcohol works as a solvent, the borax shreds the cellular walls of the mold spores, and the water helps it all to flush it away.

Natural stone in a shower can be risky for the reasons you're seeing. A much less porous ceramic look-alike is often the better choice.