Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

I bought a new tub surround and now the existing tub looks very discolored. What can I use to clean a discolored tub?

By Andie from Cleveland, OH

Answers: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

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By 03/28/2013

Well, we bought a brand new double wide 18 years ago, and we have re-done every single room in our house. No more strips....all drywall....wainscott, chair rail, baseboards, quarterr round arounnnnd the fireplace and just finished putting bead board up in our room and painted it a deep red color. Bought new comforter set and new curtains. Just finished putting down wood floors in our bedroom also, and got new throw rugs for each side of the bed. Can't wait til I am done with it all. Really looking forward to seeing it all done. :-)

But the garden tub in master bath has skylight above it and it has the most terrible stain in it. First just discolored a little, now big black ring from bottom of tub to about 4 inches above bottom. I have tried CLR, didn't work....comet, didn't work....bleach, didn't work. It's like the discoloration in all the way through the fiberglass round garden tub. I give up. Anyone have any suggestions? or even something that has been proven to work? I can not stand this.. It looks horrible. Looks like it hasn't been cleaned in months.....and it has. lol....Anyone?

By 01/16/2011

My husband and I are moving into a new rental house and in the hall bathroom the tub was awful! It had years of some kind of black grime on it, looked like it had never been cleaned and the landlord thought he'd have to get it rebathed. I told him I could get that stuff off with a little elbow grease. I used full strentgh Purple Power and a sponge. Poured it on the sponge and wiped it down, it looks brand new! I also used it to clean the carpet, which was also very dirty and had some heavy duty dirty spots. I put Purple Power, about a 1/4 cup and the rest water in the shampooer, spots are gone and the carpet is clean!

By 01/05/2011

I'd suggest trying GooGone. Our fiberglass tub had done the same thing and one day, while I was recaulking the tub, I accidentally knocked over a bottle of GooGone. I wiped it up right away and was surprised to see that the tub was white where the liquid had spilled.

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Discoloration on the Sides of a Fiberglass Bathtub

When I built my home 15 years ago I thought I would save myself a lot of cleaning by installing a one-piece, white fiberglass surround bathtub and shower combination. But now there is a discoloration around the sides about 4 inches above the floor of the tub. It makes my bathtub always look like it has a scummy "bathtub ring" around it and I rarely even bathe. I usually take showers and when I bathe I fill the tub completely full. I hate the way it looks. I have tried removing it with bleach, soft scrub and 409. The "ring" is still there. Anyone else have this problem and have you found a solution?

Emma from Eastern Oklahoma

RE: Discoloration on the Sides of a Fiberglass Bathtub

I don't have that problem, but I have found the product called Barkeeper's Friend to remove lots of "stuff" from bathroom fixtures. Quite inexpensive. You might want to give it a try. (11/08/2005)

By Mary A

RE: Discoloration on the Sides of a Fiberglass Bathtub

Try Krud Kutter [at Lowe's or Home Depot] at $5.79 a spray bottle. My tub now looks new, as does the siding on my home [removed mold/mildew] my s/s kitchen sink, tile floor etc. It is non toxic and has very little odor to it. One of the best cleaners on the market! JoanDogs (11/08/2005)

By Joandogsxxx

RE: Discoloration on the Sides of a Fiberglass Bathtub

There is a great product on the market called "Bar Keeper's Friend." I highly recommend it! We had hard water stains on the bottom of our tub and it is the only thing that would remove them. Good luck! (11/08/2005)

By Robin

RE: Discoloration on the Sides of a Fiberglass Bathtub

Have you tried Magic Eraser yet? Works great on bath tub rings. (11/09/2005)

By kelly

RE: Discoloration on the Sides of a Fiberglass Bathtub

If the other more gentle remedies don't work, try Goof Off. It is sold in small cans around 8 oz. up to gallons. Check the home center stores. (11/09/2005)

By kidsNclutter

Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

I have yellow discoloration in my fiberglass tub. How do I remove it?

Barbara

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

I am assuming your tub is old, this happens after many years of cleaning, hard water and age. You might consider having it re-glazed, it will look like new. (05/12/2007)

By Chip

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

Tried goof off, bleach, 409. soft scrub. Nothing works so far. It is not an old tub, (only 8 years old) and the discoloration is where the sun camethrough the skylight. (05/12/2007)

By shihtzulover

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

My mother in laws bath was like this. I filled with hot water and bleach and let it sit for several hours and than scrubbed using soft scrub it worked. (05/14/2007)

By Denise

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

Just for anyone reading... to remove mold, mildew on anything, especially siding... you do not need ANYTHING except bleach and water. Put it in a new garden sprayer or whatever, spray on and by the time you are around the area, hose it off...good as new. Protect your plants with plastic or something. (05/15/2007)

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

You could try putting 1 cup vinegar, 1 squirt Dawn dish soap, 1/4 cup Jet Dry in a large squirt bottle and add water slowly. Spray and wipe. (05/16/2007)

By Jacque

Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

The floor of my fiberglass tub has turned a yellowish color and I have tried almost everything. What will make it white again?

Nancy from Tallahassee

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

Water here is orange to black and for years I thought I'd be stuck with the discoloration. Out of desperation I tried 'The Works Disinfectant Toilet Bowl Cleaner' on the fiberglass tub. Its label states "Removes Rust, Lime Scale and Hard Water Stains". It was applied several times and even left on overnight. It does work; costs $1-1.50, depending on which store it's offered. Another thing that works is pumice stone even on a stain caused by oil of wintergreen. Amazingly, pumice does not scratch the surface. (08/29/2007)

By gator10tx

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

Don Aslett's Showers 'n Stuff. Takes all the film, discoloration, etc. off of fiberglass. It's the only thing that's ever worked for me. (08/30/2007)

By Marna

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

Spic & Span does work nicely & smells like soap. Pets won't go near it. Trisodium Phosphate is good too. I don't know if either would fix the tub but worth a try. (08/31/2007)

By Linne Dodds

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

I swear I read on here that hydrogen peroxide will do the trick. I have the same problem from a skylight. That's what I'm going to try. (08/31/2007)

By Sandy

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

I just found that Dawn Power Disolver, found in your dish soap aisle in a blue spray bottle, works great. You spray this on wait 10-15 minutes then just simply go wipe it off. Use a scrub brush if it has been discolored for a long period of time. We just moved into our home and the bathtub was almost an orange color, today it is back to it's original color and I have only worked on it for about 1/2 an hour with the Dawn Power Disolver! (01/16/2008)

By Roeshell

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

My fiberglass tub has the same discoloration. It is not like a stain that can be removed with any cleaning product. It is also not from the sun because I have no window in this bathroom. It is not soap scum, mold or mildew. It is not an old tub. It has simply changed color and unfortunately I would have to replace it to fix the problem. I believe it is the brand of bathtub that does this because the neighbors bathtubs are the same as ours. Homes were built by the same builder so he probably got a deal on buying several bathtubs. Too bad the bathtub doesn't have a brand name on it so I could avoid that brand in the future. (03/10/2008)

By Barb

Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

Sun filtered through blinds onto a plastic bathmat has left yellow discolored marks on the tub floor. There are circles, from the mats suction 'feet' which are an orange and then an overall yellow. How do I get these off?

Jane from Prosser, WA

RE: Discoloration in a Fiberglass Bathtub

I only recently noticed that my fiberglass tub changed colors under a skylight, too. It's now almost lemon yellow, though it was white when new. Even the trim around the tub has changed color, and the splash-guard area on the wall, as it's all the same kind of fiberglass, or plastic, or whatever. That particular tub has barely been used, as we prefer a walk-in shower. I think that the tub material just doesn't do well with sunlight. If it's not a stain that can scrub off, and one can't soak the 'wall' part or the top of the tub, I'm afraid some of us may be stuck with these funny colors, ick... (07/30/2008)

By CrafterMary