Troubleshooting
If you are on this page you probably missed something in the product instructions. We instruct to always test our cleaners first in a small area.
Many questions that we receive are about granite, marble, terrazo and other stone surfaces that are etched or hazed. These are to be cleaned with special products, not our Shower Stall & Tile Cleaner or Cling N Clean Toilet Bowl cleaner. If our cleaner is not well rinsed off dark tile before drying it can leave a haze. Clean again with a scouring pad and rinse well.
Stone surfaces are made of of minerals that are sensitive to many things, acid based cleaners, vinegar, wine, soda, or even hard water.
Metal surfaces can also be stained if cleaners are allowed to remain on the surface for a long time.
If you are reading this, it is probably too late. Someone did not follow the directions or one of the many other harmful agents have attacked the surface.
The first and most safe step is to contact the manufacturer or installer of the surface for their expert opinion. There are quite a few variables involved, such as product type and sealers. You need to diagnose what the problem really is. AFTER you have done that, or if you are bold and want to strike out on your own you might try the following.
You can do a web search on granite or marble etching or “efflorescence”. Just carefully consider the source as there are many ineffective home remedies. The internet is full of information, some of it great and some just plain dangerous!
One etched granite link is here: http://www.ehow.com/how_5603548_fix-etched-granite.html
Stone surfaces can be re-polished. There are do it yourself products and services that provide this as well.
Sometimes repeated cleaning and rinsing will do the trick. On rough surfaces a stiff brush may help. If you are going to try a repeat cleaning with our product for hazing test in a small area first.
We will update this page with more information soon.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The Shower Stall & Tile Cleaner should do a good job at removing mineral buildup in a fiberglass tube drain area, which sounds like what you have going there.
What do you suggest for removing green stains from well water that is on fiberglass tubs around the drain?
Susan,
Ace Hardware does not have it in the particular warehouse that serves your local Ace, so your local Ace can purchase directly from us until then.
This is how we were brought into Texas Ace Hardware stores. A customer convinced the store of how well our bath cleaners work, they ordered from us for a year and then requested that Ace corporate office bring it into the warehouse for that area.
But for now your best bet is to buy from our online store. When you buy a six or twelve pack (can “mix and match”) the discount is so high that it should cover the freight and come out less than a retail store price.
Glad to see that EDFRED works so well for you. It is THE best tile, grout and shower cleaner for removing lime, hard water scum and rust.
I don’t know what type of tile that you have, check the label instructions. Ceramic tiles are fine. Probably it was left on a bit too long and need rinsing sooner. Most of our customer contact is from leaving it on too long. Elbow grease should remove that cloudy film that can be avoided. Our instructions are carefully worded and are “required reading”.
Note that when removing toilet rust and hard water ring with the Cling N Clean Toilet Bowl Cleaner – porcelain toilet bowls don’t mind a long contact time. The product dwell time will dissolve the calcium buildup without scrubbing with pumice stone. You should try that product too. It almost makes toilet bowl cleaning fun – the victory over scrubbing is indeed sweet!
Did you see the pictures Marti Morrison from Texas posted of her toilet on this blog? We almost fell off our chairs, thinking “What the $#@* is that!”. Then we realized they are photos of a toilet with severe rust stains.
Where may I buy EDFRED in the NW Chicago area –zip 60010?
I checked ACE and no product found.
Just a wipe of this stuff cleaned 20 years of lime from inside my dishwasher. I was ruining my newer stainless sink with Comet. Well water is a killer.
The glass shower door–1962 vintage– is actually clear. Messed up my tiles. it made them chalky for a while . Maybe I used too much. Susan