Who doesn’t enjoy a nice relaxing bath in a bathtub? But tough and ugly stains can ruin your entire experience. It could be stains due to regular use or thanks to some bleach or a drain cleaner, read the following article to get rid of them all. After all, everybody deserves a good clean bath in a shiny fresh bathtub. When cleaning a bathtub, its vitally important to know what your bathtub is made of. The most popular types of bathtubs are enamel, acrylic and porcelain. Acrylic is a plastic like material and knocking on the bathtub should tell you if its made of acrylic or not. Enamel is popular in older bathtubs. Porcelain is the strongest and most durable material used for bathtubs and feels like a stone.
Instructions for Enamel type bathtubs:
- Never use drain cleaners or bleach on enamel type bath tubs as this will surely leave stains. Bleach and enamel react instantly and leave behind unsightly and ugly rust colored brown stains. Mildew removers usually contain bleach which can also lead to ugly stains if let to rest for too long. Make sure you promptly wipe away any mildew remover sprayed on the bathtub.
- Use mildew/ mold removers which do not contain any bleach (even 2% bleach will mess your tubs!). If you already made some stains dont worry, even if they wont come out by simply scrubbing there are some other easy methods to get rid of them. Remember drain cleaners also leave stains on enamel bathtubs.
- If you already have mold/mildew remover or bleach stains use hydrogen peroxide, readily available at your local store, to help get rid of these stains. Pour some hydrogen peroxide in a bowl and use a paint brush to apply it exactly over the brown stains. Bleach stains will take longer to go away than the ones made by drain cleaners or by mildew or mold removers. Lime/rust removers will not remove bleach stains present on your bathtub.
- If the stain is persistent and wont go away, try mixing about 2 parts of baking soda with about one part of hydrogen peroxide and mix it well. Now apply this paste over the stain and let it rest for an hour or so. Once done, wash it up with some plain water. You can use this same solution to make your bathtub sparkle. Apply the paste to the entire bathtub and then let it rest for about half hour, wash with plain water.
Instructions for Porcelain type bathtubs:
- Abrasive powders such as Ajax or Comet along with a scouring pad and some elbow grease will clean and sparkle your bathtub. The dirt and grime that builds under the porcelain tub are effectively taken care of by this method.
- First pour some Ajax or Comet on any stains if present. Add a few drops of water but not enough to make the abrasive not stick. Scrub this away to get rid of the stain.
- Use pumice stone to scrub with for stubborn stains. Never use the stone or acrylic or enamel bathtubs as it will scratch them and destroy their finish.
- You can make a solution of water with ajax or comet and apply it all over the tub. Let this rest for about half hour and then scrub away for a clean and sparky bathtub.
- Alternatively you can use oven cleaners to clean your bath tub. This method can fade your porcelain tub so be extra careful and only use as a last resort.
Related Tags: how to tell porcelain from enamel, how to clean enamel bathtub, how to clean enamel bath stains, clean bathtub ajax, cleaning enamel bathtub, how to tell if your tub is porcelain or enamel, bleach on enamel bath, bleach enamel bath
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I’m not sure if my bathtub is Enamel or Porcelin. I do know the hosue is old as I’m sure the bathtub is…a light colored Blue Tub, from “the 60’s!)
Anyway, HELP PLEASE!!!! I poured some bleach on the sides of the bathtub to clean the grout on the sides. I also saw how the bleach was pouring right “into” the tub, as well. Because I did NOT know what Bleach can do, I “thought” the longer I left it there, without Rinsing right away, “better” it would be. So I left it alone for an hour or so. When I went back, I didn’t know what I was seeing! I thought, “maybe that’s built up Soap Scum Around the entire Tub?” Although I didn’t understand how that could be, I didn’t know what else it could have been. So I rinsed with HOT water and cleaned the SAME tub for the past 2 days. And, NOTHING! Others have written in saying that their tubs turned yellow, or an orange in color, etc… But my tub, a light Blue in color, is NOW- Blue and WHITE!!!! It wasn’t until tonight that I finally thought that, that’s Bleach Stains! PLEASE, PLEASE HELP!! I RENT and I would appreciate it if anyone out there can tell me how to get all of these WHITE Stains Out, and “back to” the All Blue Shiny tub!!! OMG! I had no idea that Bleach can literally destroy the color of your tub! PLEASE HELP and REPLY AS SOON AS YOU CAN!? I’m trying sooo hard to fix this up ASAP and don’t know what to do or what to use anymore, if anything! Thank you for listening and for any answers you may have for me. And… for having to pay my landlord tons of money to get this professionally done.. sincerely and so so preoccupied with this —- tub lately that I can’t think of much else… “T.Y.”