Removing Soap Scum from a Plastic Tub

Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Calgon Takes It Away! The easiest way to remove soap scum in a tub or shower: Purchase a box of Calgon water softener powder (in the detergent section of most supermarkets). Apply a small amount to a wet cloth. Rub on, rinse off. Scum is gone. Works so well and is so mild you can do this while taking a shower without hurting your skin at all. By Kathy
Feedback:
Wipe Down the Walls	11/15/2004
After years of scrubbing, it dawned on me one day that it didn't make sense that a shower/tub, where I spent time to get clean, would get "dirty". I finally got everyone in the house to agree to use their towel to wipe down the walls and tub after use. I have not cleaned the shower/tub yet.
By Sandy
Car Wax	01/12/2005
When the tub/shower is new, wax it with car wax. Then once a year after that the tub/shower will be easy to keep clean. The layer of wax will keep it shiny too! Be careful not to wax the bottom of the tub. You'll slip!
By connie
Brillo	03/28/2005
To remove soap scum and mildew from shower doors, I tried everything, even Kaboom. Nothing worked until I used this, spray door with any advertised cleaner, clean with a piece of Brillo pad, wipe with a damp cloth or paper towel and eureka - it's clean and shining. It makes it an easy job.
By Frances Merrill
Baby Oil	03/29/2005
I've heard that after you clean the shower door and get it to your specifications, if baby oil was lightly applied to the glass, soap scum would just come right off the very next time you cleaned it. Has any one tried this?!
By Melissa W.
Don't Use Soap	05/05/2005
The best way to avoid soap scum is not to use soap! I recently switched to those liquid body wash products, which I believe are detergent rather than soap, and now there's no soap scum anywhere and my shower is almost self-cleaning. These products come in great scents and make lots of rich suds. I'll never go back....
By Claudia
Fabric Softener Sheets	06/27/2005
I found a cheap and easy way the clean shower doors. You get a used fabric softener and wet it, wipe the shower doors and the soap and grim come off with ease. I do it all the time and it works great
By stephanie
I will try it...	01/17/2006
I will try this, my tub looks awful. i am not able to get down and scrub the tub anymore so I am looking for a way to remove the soap scum without all the scrubbing.
By Tina

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Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

To remove soap scum from the bathtub, I get a washcloth and rub it with a bar of soap and scrub the tub. I do this after someone has gotten a bath and it really seems to work for my family of six.

By Jill from Shavertown, PA

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RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I just tried Fantastic Total Bathroom Orange Action on my acrylic bathtub. I sprayed it on, waited a few moments and tried wiping. My heart sank; it didn't work at all. I sprayed again and then let it sit while I watched a tv program. I came back in the first commercial, wiped with a soft cloth, and the soap scum was gone. Clearly the key is giving the product time to work. (07/30/2006)

By Pam

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Calgon does indeed take it away. I had been looking for a product that would remove the soap scum from my son's shower for years. I had tried various products with no success, even the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser which I happen to love. Then I read about using Calgon. The funny thing is that I use Calgon in my bath water all the time and my tub still looks like new. Yet it never dawned on me that it would work wonders on shower soap scum. Thanks Calgon and Kathy. (10/22/2006)

By Kawanna

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

A lot of advice about soap scum is about preventing it from forming in the first place. We moved into a house which was in immaculate, move-in condition except for the fiberglass shower stall. The build up of scum was impressive, giving meaning to "sticky shower scum." The previous owners were elderly and probably unable to clean it properly.

We tried all the tricks and products mentioned above with little success. Then I read about the fabric softner sheets and they work! I wrapped one around a sponge to make it easier to handle and scrubbed away.

The floor is another issue. There is a slip-resistant surface glued on it and the little grooves are full of soap scum. I saturated a towel in vinegar, spread it out and left it to soak. The jury is still out on this one. (10/30/2006)

By Elizabeth

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Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I said in my last request it took all day to clean part of the bathroom. Well, I still have soap scum on the tub. I have scrubbed it 3 times. One time after soaking it in hot water with white vinegar. After a bit I then added baking soda. It fizzed lots but the scum will not budge. Any ideas other than ammonia.

Sandy from Baltimore

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RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I have been scrubbing all morning, but I have finally finished. I used Goo Gone and an old toothbrush to get all the black soap scum and mineral build up off of the bottom of my shower. (The stuff that is in the groves of the slip resistant showers) It took a while, but I am going to try using lemon oil to keep it clean. It took all morning, but it is clean. I'm happy! (03/05/2007)

By Kim

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I have tried every kind of product, you can name, for soap scum in my bathtub. None of them worked. Of course, the last thing, and probably the least expensive thing, I used on my fiberglass tub, was Comet Bath Spray. I had the WORST soap scum build up. It looked black and dirty. After using the Comet Bath Spray.. it looked like a brand new tub! Easy and not expensive. Hope this helps everyone out there!!! (03/06/2007)

By Lyn

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Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Have you ever had trouble cleaning scum off of your bathroom tiles or shower doors? Well, I've got a great tip that's sure to help. Use your leftover fabric softener sheets to rub them off. You barely have to scrub at all. I think the secret to it is the quilted design. Anyway, now you can enjoy cleaning soap/bathroom scum with ease.

By Jessamyn from Honolulu, HI

Editor's Note: Read more ideas below.

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RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Comet powder with a drop or two of Dawn liquid dishwashing soap works, so does the spray Comet cleaner. Let it sit, but don't let it dry and scrub with the rough side of a two sided sponge. Here is the trick, after you get it clean, wax the walls not the floor with automotive wax. My favorite is RainX wet wax. As well as using RainX windshield treatment on any glass. (09/02/2007)

By Brandi

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I just moved in with a room mate. There was a room mate before me, who never cleaned. The walls of the bath tub were black and thick (plastic tub). I tried cleaning it several times before this, but I put half a bottle of Lime Away all over the tub, with the drain closed. And every 5 minutes I would go and smear the stuff in the tub around. Let it set, did this like three times. Then I took a green non-scratch 3mm pad and scrubbed while I had the hot water running and it all smeared off. I went in the bathroom the next morning and it was blinding. This also works very well for the grooves at the bottom of the tub. A must try. (11/23/2007)

By Crystal

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Use Lime Away first and scrub with a sponge. Let it sit wet. Rinse then use a wet sponge with a fresh fabric softener sheet wrapped around it. Scrub a bit lightly to spread the softener. Soak a few minutes, then get a "plastic" putty knife (any hardware store has them) and gently scrape and it comes right off. Wax tub sides after its spotless or apply Rain-X. (11/24/2007)

By Chris

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I use SOS pads on the side of the tubs where the soap scum ring is and it works wonderfully, I usually spray it with Comet first and immediately use the SOS pads and it comes off great. The bottom of my tub has the no slip finish with the little grooves and I am having a really hard time finding something to clean that. (01/02/2008)

By Amy

WD-40 Works better than anything on this Site

I have had a horrible time keeping my tub clean. After trying many things on this site I found that many of them work great, but I read somewhere to use WD-40. This works better than anything I have tried before. Simply spray it on and wipe it off. No scrubbing. Give it a try. I would advise using something else for the bottom though as WD-40 is slippery. (02/02/2008)

By James

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

After scrubbing our shower walls on and off for most of the day, my husband walked in with a drywall finishing knife. He sprayed Grease Lighting on the shower walls and then scraped the walls with the finishing knife. It worked great. The whole job was finished in about 10 minutes. Then we applied wax to the walls to prevent the problem. Just be careful to hold the finishing knife flat against the walls to prevent scratching. (03/16/2008)

By Belinda

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I moved into a house with years of soap scum buildup, and, after trying dozens of tips from this site and others plus trying every commercial cleaner I could find, nothing worked. The only way I finally solved the problem was to get a putty knife and scrape off the soap scum. (04/11/2008)

By Fred

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

That worked. Thanks. The baking soda paste and Magic Eraser did the trick with very little scrubbing. The Eraser alone did not do it, only the combo. (07/07/2008)

By Cleaning Challenged

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Hair conditioner (can you believe it) left on for hours will clean the bottom of really grubby fiberglass shower perfectly. Found this out by accident when a plastic bottle of pink hair conditioner broke and spilled all over the base of my shower. Hours later I wiped it away and the fiberglass shower base was spotless, shiny clean, and not the least bit slippery. (08/31/2008)

By Suz

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Okay, guess what works. Easy off Fume Free Max. It also says Lemon scent. I read it some where, went out and got some, tried it and it worked great. Spray it on and let it set, depending on how bad the scum is. Mine was pretty bad, so I left it on for about 20 minutes and took a sponge to it with the scrubby side and it came right off. Try it. (10/03/2008)

By Renee M.

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

In my case, my bathtub was a perfect storm of grunge caused by living in an area with extremely hard water, and bathing in Ivory soap "every day". I had to use a combination technique to combat both the scum buildup and the calcium deposits:

1. First, scrubbed the area down quickly with the dryer sheet. This removed the top layer of soap-related buildup, but I was still left with a nasty ring around the tub, and thick solid crud around the area of the drain.
2. Second, coated the tub with a lemon, (especially the faucet, and other metallic elements) and left the juice on for 15 minutes. Lemon juice does a great job of dissolving calcium deposits, whether in the hot water heater, or in your tub.
3. Third, scraped off the (now softened) solid crud around the drain with the screwdriver, and wiped down the metallic parts. Gleaming.
4. Fourth, created a thick paste of baking soda and smeared it over the remaining tub ring, and left it to sit for another 15 minutes.
5. Fifth, wiped down the paste with a moistened dryer sheet, and Viola! Clean tub.

This took a lot more elbow grease and patience than the wipe-it-and-forget-it method promised, but it may be because of the poor water quality in my area. Oh, and the poster who suggested switching to liquid body soaps probably has a good point. (12/30/2008)

By Happier Housewife

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I would not touch dryer sheets. They are very toxic. (02/01/2009)

By Chip

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I use vinegar in a spray bottle. It works for most cleaning jobs around the house. Good luck. (02/01/2009)

By K W

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

Although it may be a hassle to do, I use a squeegee (just about) every time I finish showering, while I'm still in there, after the water is turned off. It really prevents a build up of mold and mildew, ever a challenge here in Florida. I find it prevents most build up, and makes it much easier to clean. I try to avoid toxic chemicals, when possible. Vinegar and baking soda work, when the buildup hasn't gotten out of hand. My challenge is the tracks for the sliding glass shower doors. (03/22/2009)

By Grayce

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Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

How do I clean soap scum from a tub, once and for all? Commercial products don't work.

By krs2009 from Fargo, ND

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RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I too use the Magic Eraser and it works wonders. I don't use soap or cleaner on the eraser, but just plain water. Once I get the sticky soap scum off, I use soap on the eraser to make the tub shine. I don't have to use muscle to clean either. I have looked for years for the best cleaner and solution, and this is the best so far. (09/08/2009)

By inabsentia

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

I keep a squeegee in a hanging basket in the shower. After every shower I squeegee the tub surround. This keeps me from having to scrub the surround. For the bathtub itself, a once a week cleaning with a non-abrasive cleanser works well. I also make sure that after my shower I close the curtain liner so it's spread out until it dries and that prevents mildew on the liner. (09/09/2009)

By chef4u

RE: Removing Soap Scum From Bath Tub or Shower

This sounds crazy, but it works. Before I started cleaning the tub, I took one of those gadgets that holds a straight edge razor blade and lightly scraped the "gump" off. This makes the job a whole lot easier. The stuff just falls in the tub and I vacuum it up with the vacuum attachment from the dry tub. I learned this online somewhere. Now we never use bar soap. It's more expensive, but it doesn't form the scum like the bars do. I buy inexpensive liquids. (09/09/2009)

By TXBetty

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Removing Soap Scum from a Bath Tub or Shower

I live in a rental and have never been able to properly clean off a residue from shower tiles and shower screen. It is a whitish colour and is either soap buildup or mineral deposits.

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Removing Soap Scum from a Bath Tub or Shower

How do you clean soap scum off of porcelain tub and fiberglass shower walls?