About 2 years worth of soap scum in apartment shower from tenant...it was new when he moved it. What products and methods can I use and should I hire someone to re-seal it all? Also, the grout is affected as well. Thanks, Perry

 

Dear Perry:

IF it is soap scum, then a good-quality heavy-duty alkaline cleaner with chelates in its formula rated “for natural stone” like MB-3 will do the job for you. As for the sealing, unless it's a very porous stone (which shouldn't be in a shower stall to begin with), it is never a good thing to apply an impregnator to stone in a wet environment. Besides, it will not help one bit with the routine upkeep.

That said, the reason why I started my reply with the ford IF, is because of you report that also the grout is affected. I really don't like the sound of it and it always pulls up a red flag for me.

If the grout is missing or cracked, or if the tiles were installed butt-joint (without any grout gap), then the perceived problem (soap scum) probably does not correspond to the real one: efflorescence. And if this is the cas e, after two years of neglect… It could be as bad as jack-hammer time!

I sure hope not, but I had to bring up the possibility. In my contracting days I witnessed all too many shower stall with “soap scum” not to consider the chance.

 

May I ask you now to please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm?

Ciao and good luck,

Mauri z io Bertoli

 

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