How To Remove EFFLORESCENCE Staining | Using An Acid Wash

In this video, we discuss what efflorescence is, how it presents itself and how you can go about removal. We show a time-lapse of the removal of efflorescence on this small retaining wall.
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[@tragicblush]

Really need some of your expertise. Where I live, the water is considered "soft water" so im not really sure if the white stain on my bathroom tiles are hard water stains or something else. Im also not sure of my tile material, but they're matte black, somewhat textured to the touch. White stains seem to be embedded in the tile. It doesnt sit on top of the tile. Help!!

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

Sorry to hear about your tile issue. If this is not a hard water stain, perhaps it is simply soap scum that is being stubborn and has penetrated your tile. Whatever it is, if you can get it cleaned with over the counter products, we would recommend sealing your tile with a hydrophobic sealer like TRS (Thermo-Reactive-Sealer). It works great on all kinds of surfaces and will make cleaning easier down the road. If cleaners do not work due to the porosity, we would recommend seeking out someone who offers steam cleaning on tile. That may draw whatever it is out of the pores better than a spray on cleaner. Good luck, hope this helps!

[@heba2176]

what type of acid did you use what the name of the acid cleaner that removed your effluorescence?

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

We like to use the suite of F9 products. They have an F9 Efflo that works great.

[@Tiburnn]

Can someone help me with my probleme!!!! Just did a concrete driveway with a buch of acorn stain ( black spot) that dosent go off with just the pressure washer so I put a 3% sh solution bamm everything was gone Perfect driveway !!! A few days later the guy put a scealer on the concrete and now when the concrete is wet all the black spot that were gone reappear Someone got an explication off what could cause that ??? Did the sealer reacted with the SH or i dont know Imo i killed all the organic on the concrete how could they reapear after applying a scealer...???

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

Hi There! Sorry to hear that you are having this issue. It sounds like with the information you provided that you may be looking at tannin staining. Depending on how porous the concrete is and how long the staining has been occurring, you may want to consider the following approach - 1. Strip the sealer (unfortunately, once the sealer is applied, it traps all that is under it still) 2. Clean with an oxalic acid. This will help neutralize tannin stains. 3. Wait for a while to verify that no more bleeding occurs. 4. Reapply your sealer when the conditions are right according to the sealer manufacturer's recommendations. Tannin bleeding happens when the stain travels through a material with the flow of water. Even when sealed, concrete can have water flowing through it from beneath the sealer. So, you could have cleaned, then sealed, then if there was still moisture flow it could have brought some more tannins to the surface. Especially if it is a sealer that allows moisture to escape from it. Also keep in mind that oxalic acid is used as a brightener. We have used it with success on wood and concrete before but it may lighten the area so you may want to apply it on the entire surface, for uniformity sake, prior to reapplying sealer. Of course this is a 30,000 foot view take of ours and there are many variables I am sure we cannot know about or help you with. It is a tough situation you are dealing with (been there, done that!). We wish you success on remedying this issue. Hope any of this information helps!

[@Tiburnn]

@@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087 Yess thank you much appreciated🙏 So was my wash not good enough then? Is it my fault in some way ? What should ive done better? should i recommand to the client next time to wait a couple raindays before putting the sealer ?? Cause that slab legit dosent have 1 year..its brand new and theres 1000 threes around so with the winter here in canada when everything melted the guy realised all the black stain from the threes on is concrete Thats why i came cause he tried with his pressure washer and it wasnt coming off so i knew a soft wash with SH will do the job.. and it did like i said everything was perfect when i leaved the client was so happy....but the he put sealer and now the stain is "back"

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

It probably would have been best to caution your client against sealing it for a while to make sure the stain wouldn't reappear (even though you didn't know he was going to seal it). This may have required another quick wash prior to sealing, but at least you could rule out that the stain wasn't going to quickly return. Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20.

[@Tiburnn]

I have the same problème on a black brick....will the acid damage the brick???will the black brick gonna be kinda withish after the acid??

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

We haven't used it on a black "brick" before. Is it concrete? Most of the black stone we use is a sandstone so we really have to be careful with what is use on it. There are cleaners specifically made for sandstone. Not sure about your application there...

[@Tiburnn]

@@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087 its cause buy the oxydation of a white aluminium window theres white drip on the black brick and yesh was wondering what kind of stuf to put there without damaging the brick Thanks 🙏

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

That sounds like oxidation from the painted metal. Look into using a product for oxidation removal that is safe for your kind of substrate. Check out One Restore from Eaco Chem...

[@Tiburnn]

@@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087 thank you much appreciated

[@10cobra03]

I just had this issue today on a clients house with minimal success, what acid did you end up using, if you don’t mind me asking.

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

I like using the F-9 products. Pricey, but safe and effective. Start with a mild mix and adjust accordingly.

[@elenataylor4611]

Can you remove it with sandblasting?

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

Yes, you can remove it via media blasting but it can get messy. It also can change the appearance of the block as well if you are not careful. That said, chemicals can do that too.

[@rossek3897]

What ratio acid to water was used?

[@elegantestatesofthefingerl2087]

I do not recall. As with all cleaners, start with a mild mix and increase as needed to get the results desired.