Lately, I have seen several beautiful showers with stone tile floors that have been accidentally ruined by well meaning homeowners trying to clean the glass shower door. Vinegar is a popular and widely used way to clean all types of glass, especially shower doors with hard water deposits. The problem is that vinegar is an acid based product and will easily etch the surface of the natural stones. So, they spray a vinegar/water solution on the glass and let the solution just run down the drain. That might be fine for the glass, but the smooth surface of the stone tiles now looks like a mountain range. The shine and color has been eaten away by the acid in the vinegar. As a natural stone specialist, sometimes I can repair the damage by polishing the stones with a series of diamond pads and bringing back their natural beauty. If the contractor has used sanded grout on the floor, usually it's a different story. Since the sand particles in the grout are typically twice as hard as the stones themselves, grinding or polishing them is not possible. The sand simply scratches the surface during the process and the floor is no better off. So please, do not use vinegar or any other acid based cleaner in your shower if you have any natural stone tiles in there.
Patricia Colwell Consulting
Interior Affairs -- Vickie Daeley
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