How to clean Travertine shower walls, especially grout.

9 years ago

I avoid using chemically aggressive materials like vinegar, breach. But, at grout lines, particularly where the travertine walls contact the fiberglass tray/floor, mold is difficult to remove.

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PRO

Grout Works of Central NJ

9 years ago

you can use bleach just be sure to rinse it well with an alkaline cleaner (most detergents and soaps) afterward. Usually if you are seeing mold it us by caulk not grout. Caulk is waterproof so if water gets trapped being it gets moldy as opposed to grout where it can still breathe. You cannot clean caulk you need to remove the bad caulk and any mold residue.

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Comments (8)

User
9 years ago
Elbow grease with a scrub brush.
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PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
9 years ago
If it is caulk, then I think removing it and replacing it is the best answer. If it is grout and mold reappears after cleaning, then there is water behind the surfaces. You would need to find the source and repair - which could mean tearing down the whole shower. Water behind the surface could come from use or it can come from condensation on the back side of the shower due to lack of proper insulation in the wall.
Dick Kuykendall
Original Author
9 years ago
My mold problem is not considered extensive, but it does need to be addressed by means other than elbow grease and commercial cleaning materials that likely would damage the stone.
Thanks to each of you for your input. I plan to remove and replace the mold on the caulk where the tile meets the PVC shower base and use a bleach/water mixture with a stiff grout brush on the grout where there is some mold. I do use DuPont StoneTech Professional Soap Scum Remover for Natural Stone on my shower Travertine tile. It does not appear to harm the stone or its sealer.
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
9 years ago
You may want to talk with a local tile shop and see if there are other products available other than bleach. Our experience is that bleach damages grout. I have never had a client use it on natural stone but I would guess that it is not good for the stone.
PRO
Grout Works of Central NJ
9 years ago
What we do when we get a call for this type of situation is put a moisture meter on the shower walls to get an idea the extent of the moisture buildup behind the walls and where it's located. Any restoration professional knows that you cannot resolve a mold issue by cleaning alone. You must dry out the area causing the mold. Depending on the extent of the problem would depend on how you would dry it. If it's mold by caulk as you said and not grout it's not just surface mold (as opposed to if grout gets some mold (which is not as common) or the tile surface then sometimes it's just surface mold and bleach will remove it without any other measures necessary) I do not promote bleaching grout as a cleanser because it will ruin it over time (and it is not a good grout cleaner anyway) but on a rare occasion to remove some mold from grout, it will generally not ruin it as long as it is rinsed well afterward.
Leanna Clawson
9 years ago
I use Stone Tech on my tumbled travertine, based on some internet research. I think it is also recommended for polished travertine and granite. I have a ceramic tile shower pan that I use 409 on. When I had my tile floors power cleaned by a professional, he also did the shower which did a great job of cleaning, although we had to redo the caulk afterwards.
PRO
GroutRhino
9 years ago
When cleaning travertine do not to use strong chemicals. For deep cleaning travertine, Grout Rhino recommends professional natural stone cleaner that is safe for marble and travertine. Part of travertine maintenance is keeping the travertine sealed. Grout Rhino’s Travertine grout cleaning Tampa will preserve the grout in your travertine tiles and help protect it from the dust and stains from everyday life! Check out our blog about Travertine cleaning at: http://www.groutrhino.com/tampa-grout-cleaning-blog/

How to clean Travertine shower walls, especially grout.

Grout Works of Central NJ

Comments (8)

User

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How to clean Travertine shower walls, especially grout.

Grout Works of Central NJ

Comments (8)

User

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