Home |  Index |  Submit Request |  Share Photos |  Share Tips |  Active Topics |  New Feedback  |  Contact Us  |  Search
 User Login:  Username:    Password:      Forgot It?  | Join ThriftyFun!

 Popular Topics
 - Beauty
 - Budget and Finance
 - Christmas *
 - Cleaning
 - Consumer Advice
 - Craft Projects
 - Craft Tips
 - Food Tips
 - Garage Sales
 - Gardening
 - Gifts
 - Green Living
 - Home Improvement
 - Organizing
 - Parenting
 - Parties
 - Pest Control
 - Pets
 - Product Reviews
 - Recipes
 - Repair
 - Thanksgiving
 - Weddings for Less

More Topics

Google Search:

Web thriftyfun.com

About:
RSS Feed
About Us
Media
Advertising
Contact Us
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

The Best Cleaner for Soap Scum

1x1
Date: 07/30/2006 Topics: Cleaning > Products | Product Reviews > House and Home  
1x1
1x1
Post Feedback! | Email a Friend | Print | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate: Thumbs Up Thumbs Down
Does anyone have a GREAT cleaner they swear by for really bad soap scum and hard water stains on bathtubs? I've used Comet, Kaboom (the new one), bleach and some others, I even tried my Scunchi steamer but nothing can cut through this gunk. Help? Thanks!

Peggy from San Antonio, TX
Related Links:
Previous: Recipes Using Frozen Fruit ThriftyFun Next: Breakfast Cookies
1x1
 Feedback
1x1
1x1
1x1
1x1
 Sponsors
1x1
1x1

Post By Janel (Guest Post) (10/03/2008)
I just used baking soda and water. I made it into a paste and rubbed on with a paper towel. Then I poured about a cup of white vinegar down the tub drain. It worked great!!!!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Judy G. from Va. (Guest Post) (09/03/2008)
Bounce Dryer Sheets and Mr. Clean eraser pads worked great at removing soap scum. Best advice is to wipe down shower/tub after use with damp cloth. Only takes little time and prevents soap scum build up.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By GetCalhoun.com (Guest Post) (08/22/2008)
Arm and Hammer Scrub Free actually works as advertised. I have used em all...and used and used. Scrub Free is the only one that works the first time with minimal scrubbing!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By MJ Cleveland (Guest Post) (07/22/2008)
There is a product called Soap Scum Remover Magic. I think the company also makes Goo Gone. We had a new white tile shower put into our home and with 3 kids and me and my husband...well, it was pretty disgusting after a very short period, despite using regular cleaning products. I bought some of this stuff at either linens-n-things or Bed, bath and beyond as a last resort. It is fantastic! The white hextile on the floor, and the white subway tile on the walls and grout looks like new! A little pricey (12.00), but you don't need to use much and compared to tilex, lysol, comet, ajax...so much more effective! So, I can justify the price by using less when I clean.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By MAGIC - J's Baby Shampoo &Stay in place Curler (Guest Post) (06/23/2008)
If you don't believe it, try it. Thanks to these posts, I tried half of them and found a cleaner that was better than all the products in my bathroom. I couldn't find the kind of shampoo I wanted, so I tried baby shampoo. I rubbed it around with a prickly stay in place plastic round curler (I bought a pack at the grocery store years ago) and it was the best bathroom cleaner I have ever used for the tile in my shower. WHO KNEW?

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Jen (Guest Post) (05/27/2008)
I just got done cleaning out the bottom of my vinyl shower with Goo Gone. Worked great. I got tar out that had been tracked in after a roofing job. Just ate it away like magic. I had used Awesome, Spic and Span good ol' fashioned scrubbing, first my teen son's, then mine. Tilex, bleach, toilet bowel cleaner, nothing worked!!! But Goo Gone got it out great. Now looking for a great calcium residue cleaner for the glass shower doors.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post by Goldm00n (5) | (12/14/2007)
Profile |Contact
If you have ventilation in your bathroom, I use bowl cleaner on my tub every once in a while when its really bad or I just moved to a new place. Cleans it quickly with no scrubbing.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Tanya F. (Guest Post) (11/23/2007)
I used a washer cleaner from smellywasher.com to clean a terrible fungus smell from our washer after trying unsuccessfully to remove it with bleach, baking soda, a cleaner called "affresh" and even salt! It's been several weeks and not even a hint of the odor. It also removes odor from towels and shirts!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Lorelei (Guest Post) (09/17/2007)
I use a degreaser spray called AWESOME diluted with water and one of the net back scrubbers with a long plastic handle to match the bathroom and swipe around the tub walls easily and it holds enough water to aid in rinsing the cleaner/grime off in a few sweeps and dries quickly.
AWESOME is safe for plumbing and septic system too.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Lynda (Guest Post) (08/13/2006)
IF and ONLY if you have a bathroom ceiling exhaust
fan, Easy Off Oven Cleaner is the ONLY thing some
remodelers say they use for the hardest scum in tubs. Turn on the fan, apply fast and leave quickly, shutting the door for about 6 hours. When you return
the odor should be gone and you can wipe tub first with paper towels, then rinse off with the shower nozzle. Secret: Don't let it accumulate to avoid using
such harsh chemicals. Also, don't dare breathe it!!!
You could get chemical pneumonia! It's as potent as
pure bleach to the lungs!
It worked for us.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By carla bledsoe (Guest Post) (08/01/2006)
first off are you sure it is hard water and soap scum? if you have an old tub the finish may be worn and it looks bad. minerals and soap do get in the "grain" of the tub and it is almost impossible to get out. you can get stuff at the hardware store to restore the finish if that is what the problem is.
if it really is soap and minerals i'd hit it with lime away first and do the upkeep with straight vinegar. good luck.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post by fab4mom (39) | (08/01/2006)
Contact
Once I spilled a bottle of shampoo that is a shampoo/conoditioner combo in the tub. Completely by accident, I discovered that it just ate away any soap scum that I had. I think the shampoo was Pert. Not the cheapest way to go, but an option, just the same.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post by buffalogal95 (11) | (08/01/2006)
Profile |Contact
I agree with Mary... Used Dryer Sheets. I wasn't a believer until I tried it. I like to spray with vinegar and let sit for about 5 minutes or so, then clean with my used dryer sheet. My 9 year old daughter has started cleaning the tub and it works GREAT!! No chemicals to breathe and you are saving money at the same time!!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post by slw1299 (49) | (08/01/2006)
Contact
Try this: soak pure white paper towels in straight white vinegar, then stick to the sides of your tub/shower. Leave them there for a few hours or overnight.

My first attempt at this did not remove ALL of the scum, but it DID make a difference - it became "gummy" and I was able to wipe it off w/a damp sponge. I should have tried reapplying another vinegar soaked paper towel (don't use prints as the dye may transfer to your tub surround). And since vinegar and baking soda makes such a powerful cleaner, try soaking the paper towels in vinegar and sprinkling w/baking soda before applying...it won't hurt anything, and may just be the answer!

Good luck

slw

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Claudia-MD (Guest Post) (08/01/2006)
I have tried all of the fixes above with varying amounts of success. Also tried Calgon Bouquet. For me, the best fix has been to not use soap at all and change to a liquid body wash (which isn't soap- I believe it's a form of detergent.) It comes in lots of yummy fragrances and at all price ranges. Use it instead of soap and ....No Soapscum to worry about!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post by trbrown22 (115) | (07/31/2006)
Profile |Blog! |Contact
I found that Lemon Oil works perfectly. It will remove the scum in one swipe. It even states it on the bottle. So the great thing for wood is also a soap scum remover. One draw back, it is slippery, so a quick pass of another cleaner will make it perfect.

Hope this helps!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post by coreenhart (239) | (07/31/2006)
Profile |Blog! |Contact
I really liked using a mixture of equal parts of water and baking soda. Lots of gunk, and that took it off with only a quick wipe of the cloth!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Robin (Guest Post) (07/31/2006)
I have two that I have used with great results. One is Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser and the other is Bar Keeper's Friend. With the Bar Keeper's Friend, you do have to use a scrub brush, but it doesn't take much scrubbing at all. Good luck!

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Doggy (Guest Post) (07/31/2006)
Hi Debby. I'm in S. A. also, and my company deals with water and water issues. My guess is that you are dealing with calcium residue, and not soap scum. You might try CLR as a "quick-fix", but the real answer lies in individual water treatment. If You'd like to contact me at Doggypaddler (at) AOL, I'd be happy to try to guide you through the maze.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Donn (Guest Post) (07/31/2006)
I use a product called "the works" found by all the household cleaners in the grocery store. It works really great on my tub.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post by hedera (76) | (07/31/2006)
Contact
I use liquid dishwasher detergent (Electrosol) with a Scotch Pad type cleaning pad > rub on, leave for few minutes, and rinse well > leaves a nice shine and "eats" thru scum like magic.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By jodigirl25 (Guest Post) (07/31/2006)
Scrub Free with a BLUE 3M scratch pad. They will NOT scratch the surfaces.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Mary M. (Guest Post) (07/31/2006)
Scrub Free, Lemon scent. It works AWESOME!! And it won't hurt your metal shower fixtures.
It's under 2 bucks at Walmart, for really really bad build-up you still have to scrub a little. I use a green dish scrubbie, like the same material on the other side of a sponge. Rinse it out as you go.
Scrub Free doesn't take your breath away like other cleaners, and it's cheap!!
Also make sure your tub is draining properly, try unscrewing the drain cover and cleaning any hair and gunk out, now that my tub drains faster we have much less of a problem.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By Mary (Guest Post) (07/31/2006)
My favorite way to clean soap scum is with used dryer sheets. I kid you not, it works great! It works best and with least effort if the surface is dry.

Report Spam or Abuse


Post By nicedevil (Guest Post) (07/30/2006)
have you tried gumption? great stuff, cheap, best cleaner I've found for the bathroom. Try using it with a scourer or old toothbrush...

Report Spam or Abuse


1x1

Post Feedback:
Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback if you have registered with ThriftyFun. If you have not yet registered, click here. It's FREE!. If you are not registered you can post feedback as a guest below. Please don't use your email address for your name because spam robots can dredge it from our site. Please do not post your feedback more than ONCE. We need to approve all guest feedback and it may take from minutes to hours for that to happen.
(1x1 graphic )
Your Name

Subject

Feedback

text tool text tool text tool text tool

Image Upload: Add an image to your post! Click the "Browse" button below and select an image from your hard drive. Please only select gifs or jpegs. If you have any problems, just email the image to images@thriftyfun.com

  

If you want to post your email address for responses from readers, obscure it in some way like put spaces between the name and @ sign and service address with (remove spaces) behind it or name (at) server (dot) com . This is for your protection from those creepy Robots.

(1x1 graphic )

© 1997-2008ThriftyFun.com - Design by Cumuli Design
Disclaimer: ThriftyFun.com cannot accept any responsibility for any injury or damage that you may cause to yourself, others, or property when following any advice given on this site. Read the full disclaimer. If you find any information on ThriftyFun.com or in our newsletters that is either erroneous and/or potentially harmful to others, please Contact Us, immediately.