I'm in the process of moving into an old historic home and boy, does it need work! The porcelain bathtub was disgusting, years worth of stains. For three days, I tried every "soap scum, mildew remover, etc." you could think of. Nothing worked (cue freak out) until I came across two lifesaving products.
So, including some scrub brushes from Dollar Tree, I spent around $16 and it looks like I bought a new tub! (The pink bottle in corner is just a cleaner I already had to wipe down tile.) I was so thrilled with outcome, I wanted to share with everyone! Hope this helps!
P.S. I forgot to take a legit "before pic". This before pic is right after I had started using the pumice stick. You can tell where it's been used on the right of pic.
This page contains the following solutions.
I don't like to use chemicals that have an odor. I found using a laundry soap powder works great! Fill the tub with hot water. Leave it in for about 10-15 minutes. Then drain.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What are the best home remedies to clean a dirty, water stained, rusty tub?
Make a thick paste with Baking Soda and water, apply and clean with this solution and no harmful fumes or chemicals!
Be sure you try a spot test area before doing any of these suggestions.
The must recommended solution is to use Baking soda and white vinegar and then scrubbing with a cloth.
Some people report good results using Barkeepers Friend.
Here are some links that have full instructions for several methods.
www.youtube.com/
I've had great luck cleaning deposits with a pumice stone
I have several blue streaks in my bathtub that suddenly appeared. Any suggestions on how to get rid of them and the cause?
I dont know what caused them. Try the Magic Eraser or Barkeepers Friend.
jo-Petersen,
I thought how odd that was too to see those blue streaks in your tub, so I googled it, and this might be your problem.
Low pH
Copied from article:
Hard water, use CLR to clean
You might have success with Soft Scrub or make a paste with baking soda and blue dawn.
Everything has to left on a few minutes before scrubbing to remove.
This is embarrassing to admit, but when this happened in our house, someone who shall remain nameless (me), dropped a bottle of blue nail polish in the tub and it splattered a bit and someone who shall remain nameless (also me) tried to carefully remove it with a bit of nail polish remover. Sadly that left splotches on my tub which is some composite material.
If you decide it is nail polish, don't use remover, but use a fingernail or those plastic scrubby things to carefully scrape at it to remove. Hopefully you won't cause damage like I did. UGH!
Note: I'd be careful using anything too abrasive on a plastic bathtub.
What can I use to get rid of those horrible dark (I guess mildew and soap scum) stains in my tub?
By Ronnie S.
Wet down the tub well and use scouring powder such as Comet, a plastic mesh scouring pad and some elbow grease.
A cleaner like Mr. Clean and an abrasive sponge like the ones made by Vileda should also work. Wet the tub, put in the stopper. Pour in about 1/2 cup of Mr Clean (you would need less if the tub wasn't so dirty), Sponge it around all over the tub, let sit for about 5-10 mins, then scrub with your abrasive sponge.
You want to avoid anything with bleach if your stains are from mold, even the purpose made products that claim to be specific for cleaning mold from tile. Bleach and mold react to form a gas that over time can cause serious health problems:
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Vinegar is much safer, and works every bit as well removing mold. Works not only on bathroom tiles but everywhere you have mold-kitchen, garage, porch and patio.
But those stains could also be from hard/mineral-laden water. Try the vinegar (mix at one-to-one parts). If that doesn't remove the staining, you might have stains from the water. There are products to address that (CLR, etc) but if the staining is from the water in the first place, you will always have to use those products to keep the tub stain free.
I feel the need to add something else here. Frugalsunnie has a very, very good point and I NEVER use anything that contains chlorine bleach anymore because I am one of those who have lung damage because of having used it. In saying that, it was my mistake to not mention to you that you should not use comet with bleach. The company does sell it without the bleach. Also, Frugalsunnie is referring to chlorinated bleach. Non chlorine bleach is safe and is usually on the same store shelf right next to chlorine bleach :-)
I always have consoled myself that the ring was not from me, but from the soaking of basket weave reeds in the tub. Whether that is true or not I have no idea. Is that a possibility? I would not mind getting rid of it if anyone has a suggestion. It has been there for years and I have scrubbed it as though it were a regular ring, but to no avail.
Have you tried Purple Power? It is a cleaner that can be bought through Walmart it is a really great cleaner, I used to clean apartment bathrooms for a living getting them ready for new tenants and I've come across some pretty dirty tubs but none that Purple Power would not clean.
Barkeepers Friend abs a magic eraser will work well
How do I remove stains left behind by drain cleaners such as Draino or Liquid Fire?
By Buck R. from Danville, IL
Use soft scrub if it is fiberglass. If porcelain, use comet.
Use Barkeeper's Friend or a Magic Eraser.
I was dyeing my hair with Kool Aid and when I washed it out it staned my bathtub. How do I get it out; it's dark red.
By geka atencio
Bleach. Kool Aid stains usually come out of sinks and tubs after normal daily use of soap and water in them after a week or so.
Try the Magic Eraser or Barkeeper's Friend.
How can I get stains out of an old bathroom tub? It may or may not be made out of porcelain.
By Alan from Ludlow, KY
Chances are, if it's stained badly, then more than likely it's porcelain and the glass finish has been scoured off. Never use an abrasive scouring powder to clean porcelain not even Bon Ami. Porcelain has a glass finish, would you use a scouring powder to clean your mirrors or windows? Of course not. Do a web search for 'Cleaning damaged porcelain', there are lots of recommendations, if your tub is an antique, you may have to seek professional services if it's worth it.
Our upstairs tub in a huge old porcelain tub. I had an ugly rust stain running down the front of it that was there when we purchased our home. One day I was cleaning the toilet with toilet cleaner liquid I purchased from the Dollar Tree store. I was amazed at how it cleaned up the rust stain in the bowl. I decided to try it on the tub, I figured it couldn't make it any worse. To my surprised it removed the stain instantly. You may want to try a tiny bit with a q-tip of something to make sure it won't damage it.
I live in a manufactured home. How do I clean it so it doesn't have yellow stains?
You can use a combination of cream of tartar and lemon.
I have a beige colored tub. I used Kaboom cleaner on it and unfortunately there are now purplish stains in the corners of my tub. I had those plastic shower caddies in those corners. Even though I rinsed the tub I am wondering if the cleaner caused these stains. Is there any way to get rid of the stains without ruining the tub?
By Ronnie from Lowell, IN
I don't know whether or not the cleaner caused the purple stain, but I do know some people say Pantene Pro-V can cause purple bathtub stains, so I guess other things could cause it, too.
What is the best way to remove bath tub stains?
By Melissa from Lake Charles, LA
www.greased-lightning.com/
Greased Lightening can be purchased from either Dollar General or Family Dollar. It's does a great job in removing mold, mildew, soap scum, stains, etc. A 40-oz. bottle cost $3.00. You can even print off a $1.00 coupon on the coupon websites.
Be sure to follow the instructions by wearing rubber gloves and having good ventilation.
My boyfriend and I are renovating a really old house. The lady who lived there before us was there for 7 years. She was a chain smoker, had arthritis, and had several baths a day! As far as we can tell the tub had never been cleaned. This residue has formed into a thick, hard yellow/green surface. I have tried several methods including CLR, Comet, and other cleaning products and no luck. Is there anything I can do?
By Rikia
How do I get white Jif cleaner stains out of my bath?
By Judi G
Rust stains can get on your tub either from old plumbing or from metal objects left sitting around the edge. These stains can be removed from your tub by using the proper cleaning products. This is a page about removing rust stains from a bathtub.
This is a page about cleaning well water stains from a bathtub. Minerals from well water can leave stains that are tough to remove. Removing them as they occur will help keep them from building up.
This is a page about removing hair dye stains from a bathtub. Newly dyed hair often has residual dye in it, which can stain your bathtub after washing your hair. Find ways to remove these stains by checking out these tips.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
My sewer backed-up into the bath tub. How do I clean and sanitize the black and dark brown stain from the tub?
