Huge Cleaning Mess!

Posted: Sep 23, 2014

Hi all, I am hoping someone can help me, someone who has experience in this. I have very shiny white tile floors, I guess they're porcelain. I wanted to clean my kitchen grout, so I used a very highly-recommended grout cleaner on the grout, then went over the entire floor with a mild detergent with my wet/dry vac. When it was all dried, I noticed a horrible film, almost like a million little water spots over the entire floor. Some are actually swirls. I troubleshooted this over the phone with a co-worker of my husband's who is very good with tile, and she said that it sounds like the original sealant has kind of spread out, and she recommended trying vinegar, which did not help. She said if that doesn't help, try acid---I'm assuming she means muriatic acid. But I don't want to do muriatic acid. First, I have a pet parrot, and the fumes would probably kill him. Second, it sounds risky--I'd have to wear gloves and a mask, and I'd be on the floor for a long period of time. She didn't see this first hand, so I'm not even sure this is the correct/only advice. I have no clue as to what type of sealant was originally used. I have tried the vinegar, baking soda, vinegar and baking soda mixed together, ammonia-based window cleaner, rubbing alcohol, plain old Dawn dish detergent, and a couple of other things. I even tried a little bit of acetone (nail polish remover) in an inconspicuous spot, and even that didn't get it off, though it did smear it some, which means a little something happened. Anyone have any ideas on what I can do next? I just ordered beautiful new granite countertops, and now I have this horrible-looking floor. It's basically ruined. I cannot afford to have it replaced at this time, and anyway, I don't even know if they still make this tile. Even if I went with a different tile in the kitchen, it wouldn't be good--I have an open floor plan, so all the tile is the same in the kitchen, dining room and living room, and any change in that would not look good. I can't afford it anyway, even if there was a way to make it look okay with different tile. I've tried the Internet, but you know how that goes. I did try mild scrubbing with a nylon pad.;