White haze on pebble shower floor

[linagirl]

I have a white haze on my pebble shower floor. I've tried to clean it with vinegar, baking soda and clr for mold and mildew. Nothing is helping. It's 1 1/2 years old. It does hold a small amount of water in the middle if I don't wipe it out but that part isn't white. I'm at a loss as to what to do.

[jadnashua]

The outer section appears to me to be whiter because it is dry...the darker color is because, as you said, tends to hold water, and is saturated.

If you took a towel, soaked it, the laid it along one wall where it is whiter overnight, I think you'd see it turn the same color as that darker area.

Now, why that area holds water is the bigger issue. Pebbles, because they're not flat, generally should have a slightly steeper slope so that they drain well than if it were set with flat tile.

But, maybe as important is how the waterproofing was done. People think that the tile is the waterproofing, but it isn't. The waterproofing is the liner, and that MUST be sloped to the drain. The surface is sloped because the liner is sloped. Most of the moisture runs down the surface to the drain, but not all of it...some gets absorbed, and it's then the liner's job to get it into the drain.

Do you know how the shower was constructed, particularly the pan?

[linagirl]

I have completely dried it out and the middle stays the same color. I do not know how it was constructed. It was new when i purchased the house a year and a half ago. The house is currently for sale. I am trying to clean up the white which is a fairly new problem and correct the issue of posable. Any advice is appreciated.

[John Bridge]

Hi Nancy,

I think I'd try an alkaline cleaner. Vinegar and other mild acids won't touch it.