How To Clean Up Thinset Mortar

Regardless of how meticulous a flooring installer you are, there are bound to be moments during a ceramic tile or natural stone installation when you get thinset mortar on the faces of your new tiles. In many cases, it'll be a while before you'll have time to clean it. Whether you are preparing to grout, cleaning up after grouting or removing thinset you've discovered well after the job is done, follow a few tips to quickly and easily remove thinset from the face of a tile installation.

Step 1

Wipe the areas down with a sponge and some clean water. This works best for light areas where there is just a thin film of thinset covering the tile, or along the edge of a joint. Dampen the thinset with the sponge, then wipe it gently to see if it will wipe up with only one pass. Repeat a few times to clean the lightest areas, and apply pressure if you need to remove a somewhat thicker patch.

Step 2

Substitute vinegar for water if you have a thicker layer of thinset on the face of the tile. Vinegar acts as a simple acid solution when it comes in contact with certain elements, such as cement. While vinegar is a weak acid solvent and won't damage dried concrete, it wukk help to loosen up the bonding elements of thinset cement, allowing you to wipe up limited dried residue with your sponge.

Step 3

Apply a straight solution of grout cleaner for the thickest areas of thinset mortar marring the surface of your installation, and scrub it with a scrub brush. If water and vinegar don't work or you are just worried that the mortar is on too thick, you can use a grout cleaner solution to remove the mortar. Grout cleaners are combinations of acids and cleaning solutions; you can use them to remove thinset as well as grout from tile.