How to Remove Water Stains from Tile

Shower walls and tub surrounds collect soap film and hard-water residue, so the mild soap wash is still the first step. Rinse the walls completely afterward, because soap left on the tile dries back into a film.

If the spot survives the wash and rinse, use the professional-strength cleaner from the set-in section. Let the walls dry with the fan running so moisture doesn't sit on the tile.

Glazed ceramic and porcelain show a water ring most clearly, so buff the spot gently on a dry cloth after rinsing. Polished porcelain needs the most care: keep solvent-based and acid-based chemicals off it, even when they promise a faster result.

Stick with the mild soap and the non-abrasive tile cleaner from the steps. If you're unsure what a product contains, use only the steps above until you've checked its label.

White rings on tile are residue that the water left behind as it dried, so the same mild soap wash and tile cleaner work on them. Give the cleaner the full 3 to 5 minutes of dwell before you rinse, because a quick wipe leaves the film behind.

If the white mark is still there after the rinse, repeat the cleaner once and rinse again before you move on. Once it's gone, dry the tile so the ring doesn't reform in the same place.

On a floor, sweep or vacuum first, because grit left on the tile will drag across the surface when you wash it. Work the mild soap wash across the floor in sections, and keep the water shallow so it doesn't pool at the grout lines.

Rinse each section with clean water until no soap film is left, then dry it with a clean cloth. Walk on it only once it's dry.

Natural stone and specialty tile can react to cleaners differently from glazed tile, so the test on a hidden spot matters more here. Stay with the mild soap and warm water wash, and leave out the acid and solvent cleaners on these surfaces.

If the mark is still there after a gentle wash and a full rinse, repeat the wash once rather than moving to a stronger product. Check the spot again once it's fully dry.

Outdoor and pool tile takes standing water and dirt, so the mild soap wash and the test on a hidden spot apply here too. Let the tile dry fully and check the spot in daylight before you call it clear.

Don't work the cleaner in when the tile is hot from the sun, since it can dry before you rinse. Rinse well with clean water after the cleaner so nothing is left on the surface.

On black or dark tile, a water mark shows up as a pale, dull ring, so check it in good light before and after the wash. Use the same mild soap and warm water, then dry the tile fully so the ring doesn't look worse while it's wet.

If the ring is still there after the rinse, repeat the mild wash once rather than switching to a stronger product. Save the stronger treatments for the set-in section, and use them only if the mild wash fails.

Brown or rust-colored marks on tile are usually hard-water deposits, so the mild soap wash may only lift part of them. Run the tile cleaner step next, then check the mark, and go to the hard-water remover in the set-in section if it stays.

Rinse thoroughly after any remover so no residue dries on the tile. Don't let a remover sit longer than its package instructions say.

Streaks on matte tile usually come from a mop solution that dried before it was rinsed, so the fix is a clean rinse rather than more soap. Wipe the streaks with a cloth dampened in clean water, working in one direction and drying as you go.

Change to clean water whenever the mop water looks cloudy, so you aren't laying dirty film back down. Dry the floor section by section so nothing sits wet long enough to streak again.