What causes a whitish residue on grout?

Generally there are a few possible causes for white residue on colored grout. When there is a whitish mineral residue on the grout, commonly this is caused by efflorescence. Similar to the white powder left in a drinking glass when a glass of water is left to evaporate, efflorescence is caused by minerals that are soluble in water being dissolved and transported to the surface of the grout as the water evaporates. Typically, the minerals originate in the cement slab below the tile or in the

ground below the slab. Except in the rarest of cases, efflorescence does not occur from the small amount of minerals in water used to wash a floor. Nor when tile is installed with thin-set (tile cement) are there enough soluble salts in the thin-set to cause efflorescence. The next question must be where is the water coming from? Similar to the glass of water analogy, it takes a lot of water to dissolve enough minerals to be noticeable. As previously stated, typical cleaning does not provide enough water to cause efflorescence. Even saturating the grout joints with water during periodic cleaning generally does not cause efflorescence. Please feel free to call us at 918-260-3523 with any further questions or If you need a solution to the problem. If your having problems with your Ceramic Tile Installation or Tile Flooring, chances are it's due to Efflorescence

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