Brick cleaner / mortar cleaner / remover

[joidevie]

Does anyone know of a product that will clean mortar splashes etc? I recently tiled a shower with a "cemi-joint rustique" (a gritty lime grout used with tavertine tiles), but splashes have dried on the ceramic shower tray. Scraping is taking forever and I'm worried about damaging the surface.. I beleive the above product is hydrochloric acid based ? Will this give me problems rinsing it down the plastic plumbing ?

Many thanks..

[Gyn_Paul]

Hydrochloric acid will be no problem on the plastic waste fittings. Copper - yes, don't use it, but plastic no.

I'm just about to clean some wooden window surrounds with it where the builder has been a bit 'enthusiastic' with the mortar render. I'm assured by him that it will,  'mange bien le ciment'.

If you end up having used a lot (say a whole litre bottle) I'd be tempted to follow it down the waste with some caustic soda to neuteralize it on route for the fosse septique, though.

Cheapest is the bottles of HCL in the supermarkets (still can't believe the range of chemicals available over-the-counter here in France).

p

[Richard & Tracy]

Don't get any of the acid on the tiles as travertine is acid sensitive and would be etched by any splashes.

[joidevie]

Great, thanks for the advice.. Spot on as ever..

[passepartout]

Gyn Paul, would this be any good at removing the cement mortar, and other stubborn stains from some old girondine tiles.

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="passepartout"]Gyn Paul, would this be any good at removing the cement mortar, and other stubborn stains from some old girondine tiles.[/quote]

Probably not as good as you would hope. My (faulting) translation of my little French builder leads me to suspect that it  (HCL) works quite well on fresh cement, but less and less effectively on cured, old, and ancient cement. However, - like they say on the fabric washing instruction - do a test on a piece which won't be noticed and see. At best, it will magically shift the cement mortar and leave the colour of the tiles untouched, and at worst you'll have to tread the entire tile surface to get it a uniform colour.

p

[Rob Roy]

[quote user="passepartout"]Gyn Paul, would this be any good at removing the cement mortar, and other stubborn stains from some old girondine tiles.[/quote]

HG Limex dissolvant ciment is what you need to get. We used it on old pamment tiles at our house in the UK. Here I have seen it for sale in Lapeyre, but it is no doubt for sale elsewhere. The whole range of HG produces are excellent cleaners, sealers and restorers for all types of surfaces (as long as you get the right one for the job [;-)])