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Cleaning My Bathtub

Woman's hand holding blue cloth cleaning the tub spout.
From difficult rings from soap and hard water to rust around the drain, cleaning the bathtub is one of the more difficult household chores. Sometimes more specialized cleaning solutions may be needed to get the desired result. This guide features tips and solutions for cleaning your bathtub.
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Solutions

This page contains the following solutions.

November 5, 2010

When your bathtub really gets grimy looking and the bathroom cleaners don't seem to be working, try a scrubby sponge and a bit of powder dish washer soap. It doesn't scratch, but it will get things super clean.

By Lynn from WV

 
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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 204 Posts
March 24, 2010

To quickly and easily clean your bathtub area or shower stall, fill a bucket with cleaner and hot water. Place the bucket into the tub or at the bottom of the stall. Use a mop with the water-cleaner mixture to wash down entire area.

Rinse out bucket and mop and repeat the same procedure with water to rinse, or if you have a hand-held shower head, you can rinse everything with that. Works like a charm!

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By Marie from West Dundee, IL

 
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December 4, 2011

Use liquid toilet bowl cleaner in your bathtub or shower to remove hard water stains, minerals, mildew, and soap residue. It's stronger than bathtub cleaners and does the job in no time.

The thicker formula makes it cling to the sides of the tub while it dissolves the offending grime. If you use a product with a color added (the one I use is blue) it can stain white grout, so be careful not to put it directly on the walls. Rinse thoroughly and do not mix with other cleaners.

Source: Heard it from a friend who restores old houses.

By Diane from Wonder Lake, IL

 

Comments

December 6, 20110 found this helpful
Top Comment

This might be ok for one time, but keep in mind that its extra strength can pit the surface of the tub, and you will end up having to replace the whole tub.

 
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August 17, 2009

You can use salt scrub that you use on your skin also to clean your shower or tub. I take a scrub brush and put a heaping tablespoon across the bottom. Then I spray water around the tub with the showerhead to make the tub damp. Then I scrub the tub with the salt mixture and the tub comes clean of dirt and mildew with not much effort at all. It is safer for the environment compared to Comet, which doesn't always get the stubborn stains out. Also this is cheaper since you can make it at home from a recipe you find on this site.

By Yard_sale_annie from MI

 
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April 27, 2012

When we moved into our "new" apartment, it needed a good cleaning! The worst of it was in the bathtub/shower. I used cleaner after cleaner, until I talked to the apartment manager one day.

 
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March 13, 2006

Fill tub or sink with the hottest water you can. Add at least 1 cup dishwasher powder. Stir to mix well. Let sit until water is cold. Let out water as it is draining wipe sides with a rag...

 
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20 Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

March 2, 2009

How do you clean soap out of a bathtub (not porcelain)? I also need to clean the fabric liner for the bathtub. It has some rust stains on the bottom.

Answers

March 2, 20090 found this helpful

Try baking soda on a sponge to clean the tub. Also try baking soda on the curtain, wet curtain area that needs stains removed and sprinkle on baking sode. Rub baking soda in, scrubbing back and forth. Launder as usual.

 
March 2, 20090 found this helpful

Try Comet or AJAX or get that shower cleaner that is on the commercial that sprays every 10 minutes or so. I can't recall the name of the product though.

 
March 2, 20090 found this helpful

Try an old credit card to scrape the gunk off. If it's really built up: if you're REALLY VERY CAREFUL you can use a single blade razor held as parallel to the surface as possible to scrape the accumulation off. Needless to say, I wouldn't do this to a new tub, ours is 40 years old.

 
March 3, 20090 found this helpful

I'm assuming the bottom of the shower curtain actually has orange mildew on it. If it really is rust, ignore this suggestion. If your shower curtain is vinyl, wash it in warm water with a warm rinse (so it doesn't get cold and tear) with a couple of towels and a healthy dose of liquid bleach along with the normal detergent. Then just hang it back up on its hooks to dry.

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If you have a fabric liner as I do, you can wash it in any temperature the same way and it will kill the mildew. I have to do mine about once a month to keep it looking decent, but it's easy to do and a lot cheaper than buying a new liner.

P.S. Oops, I see you stated you have a fabric liner. If anyone else has a vinyl one, be sure to use warm water.

 
May 19, 20110 found this helpful

Never use Comet or AJAX to clean unless you want to scour the surface away, this junk is nothing more than powdered 'sandpaper'.

Now get in the habit of wiping down the tub/shower enclosure each day... Purchase the following:
1) Squeege
2) Microfibre cloths
Squeege the surfaces first, then finish with a microfibre cloth wipe down, this will take about 3 minutes and your bath enclosure will be clean every day.

 
May 19, 20110 found this helpful

Fabric liner:
Purchase a large, nylon net clothes bag [the sort that is used for collecting dirty clothes]. Place Liner and shower curtain inside, tie shut, then wash in the washing machine...the bag will protect the liner & curtain from abuse and you'll have sparkling clean items...available from your K-mart and Wal-marts ......

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www.laundrybagstoreonline.com/form2834-yel.htm

 
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April 8, 2005

I just moved into an apt that had a rubber bathmat in the tub. Now there's about 30 large, round circles of buildup in the tub. How do I remove them economically, or at all. I can't find anything that helps. Jigger


Answers

By julia (Guest Post)
April 10, 20050 found this helpful

I don't know if this will help, but I used to have those non-slip stickers on bottom of tub and I filled tub with about a half-inch of HOT water and added ammonia and let it soak overnight, then used a cleaner called greased lightning after I drained the tub and used a 'scratchy' pad (the green pads on a sponge). Hope this helps you.

 
By Adele (Guest Post)
April 11, 20050 found this helpful

I wash my bathroom and tub every week but I find even with my weekly cleaning the dirt and soap scum builds up in my tub so once a month I get down and dirty and with a single edge razer I scrap all the soap from the sides and from the bottom of the tub. Then I spray with the new TILEX Mildrew root penetrator and scrub and when I am done my tub looks great and ready for my weekly cleaning until the following month. Try it I"m sure you can save your tub "good luck"

 
By bron (Guest Post)
April 11, 20050 found this helpful

Go natural first - I like to sprinkle bi-carb on crud, then pour vinegar on it. It will fizz and bubble for a while. When this has settled down I use pieces of polar fleece to clean, so I just wipe down with this and warm water.

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It may take a little bit of elbow grease at first, but much better than inhaling chemicals in a confined space. I use this method for cleaning everything - success so far.

 
April 12, 20050 found this helpful

Greased Lightning works fabulous but make sure you ventalate the room VERY well and use gloves. If anyone takes a bath make you you rinse the tub well too.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 104 Feedbacks
April 12, 20050 found this helpful

Try the 'green pad' scourer and scouring powder first - if that doesn't work try fine grade sand paper - BUT only if you have a ceramic bath! Don't use abrasive cleaners on 'plastic' baths or you will damage/dull the surface.

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Regards

Jo

 
April 29, 20050 found this helpful

I used the Mr. Clean Eraser on some of the spots in my tub. The previous owner took the decals up and there were brown spots where they were. They are not completely gone but they have lightened.

 
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May 3, 2012

I just moved into a new apartment and everything was new looking and clean. Until my son took his first bath. There are dirty little footprints in the bottom of the tub that won't go away. I've tried every household cleaner I can think of. The tub is not porcelain. I don't know what to use. Please help.

By Nikki F

Answers

May 4, 20120 found this helpful

Soft Scrub works wonders, it's like magic. A little goes a long way. Make sure you use it alone, then rinse with water. Hope this helps.

 
May 4, 20120 found this helpful

Yeah, Soft Scrub is what I've been using for years. But I would try bleach and comet.

 
May 5, 20120 found this helpful

Use a Mr, Clean Magic Sponge - it works wonders!

 
Anonymous
October 17, 20150 found this helpful

mr clean sponges don't work and fall apart after a few minutes. waste of money
\

 
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December 12, 2018

I've read somewhere about a bathtub cleaning tip that said to fill it up with hot water and Clorox and liquid soap, but Im not sure which specific ingredients. Has anyone heard about this cleaning tip? Can you help figure out the correct instructions?


Answers


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
December 12, 20180 found this helpful

I much easier way to clean the tub is with a Magic Eraser. The knock-offs work very well. It cleans the tub well and in very little time.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 196 Feedbacks
December 12, 20180 found this helpful

I used to do this when I lived in an apartment and water was included. Now I pay for water, and realized how wasteful it is to do, so the tub just gets scrubbed by hand. It is cheaper.

It did work. Depending on how dirty the tub was, I would use 1 or 2 cups of bleach, filled the tub up as far as the little drain thingy and add a few squirts of plain blue Dawn (although if I was out of Dawn, I would use plain Tide).

I usually did it at night, swished it around good with a mop (I don't like bleach on my skin so I would never use my hands), and drained it in the morning.

It always came clean. Hope this helps!

 

Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
December 16, 20180 found this helpful

Since this question was asked several days ago, you have probably already tried cleaning your tub.

I really hesitate recommending using bleach because it can react differently on bathtubs that are not porcelain. Most are fiberglass and I have seen bleach cause "yellow" spots and actually harm the surface.

Bleach is also very difficult to remove from the surface (takes lots of water) and it can be very slippery if even a small amount is left on the surface.

Here is a link that does explain how to use bleach in your tub.

www.clorox.com/.../

Here is an interesting alternative (from a web site):

"If you wish to avoid bleach products altogether, the green cleaning website Re-Nest recommends treating the tub with grapefruit and salt. The salt contains chloride, one of the ingredients in the bleach compound, and grapefruit contains citric acid, which also cleans and disinfects. Cut the grapefruit in half, sprinkle salt over it and scrub your entire tub to clean and disinfect. Rinse with water and call it a day."

www.hunker.com/.../does-bleach-hurt-a-bathtub

 
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March 1, 2010

I heard that you can use baking soda to clean out your bathtub. I was wondering how much baking soda would I need to use to clean it out? Thanks.

By Krystal from Kenora, Ontario

Answers


Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 147 Feedbacks
March 2, 20100 found this helpful

Moderate Instructions:

Step 1) You will first need baking soda, a cloth, toothbrush or a sponge.

Step 2) Make a paste in a small bowl. Use baking soda and water. You want this to be thick, but easy to spread.

Step 3) Take the sponge and dip it into the mixture. Clean your tub or shower as usual. For tough stains, spread a small amount of the mixture on it and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then clean with a towel that has been soaked in vinegar. The vinegar will activate the baking soda, and help remove the stain.

Step 4) Use the toothbrush for the grout. Just dip the toothbrush into the mixture and scrub. You may want to let it sit for a few minutes to help with the stains.

 
March 3, 20100 found this helpful

I keep a container of baking soda in my bathroom (in a cheese shaker) and I use the cheapest shampoo I can find (usually a gallon jug from Sally's Beauty Supply). I just sprinkle the soda (doesn't take much - your judgement) in the bottom of the tub and pour a dollop of shampoo and scrub with the wash cloth I just bathed/showered with - using my feet! I also use this "recipe" on my sinks!

If you don't want to use body parts to clean just get an old broom and use it to scrub all surfaces; rinse it and let it dry in the tub! Easy and clean and refreshing to your room!

 
March 19, 20100 found this helpful

Make a soft scrub paste of baking soda mixed with enough dish soap to form a good paste. Works wonders in the tub, toilet, sink and in the kitchen too. I've cleaned baked on grease from frying with this paste and some salt added.
Remember if the soda and soap paste isn't quite getting something clean - add some salt and continue scrubbing.

 
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March 23, 2012

I have some stains on my bathtub I would like to get rid off. They're the ones you get when something sits there for too long, like toilet brush holders and such.

By Mariewl from Waupaca, WI

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August 17, 2019

The color of the stain around your tub drain may give a hint as to the cause and thus to the best cleaner for the job. This page offers suggestions for cleaning stains around a bathtub drain.

A drain with a rusty stain around it.

June 29, 2017

The cleaner used for ceramic cooktops works very well for other cleaning jobs such as a dirty bathtub. This is a page about cooktop cleaner for bathtub stains.

A clean tub after stains have been removed.

June 27, 2017

Using a broom to clean your tub eliminates the bending and kneeling associated with more traditional methods. This is a page about use your broom to clean the bathtub.

A yellow broom with white handle being held by a hand wearing a rubber cleaning glove.

January 9, 2017

This is a page about cleaning your tub with vinegar and baking soda. Instead of using expensive and sometimes harsh chemicals try this method of cleaning your bathtub.

Glass bottle of Vinegar next to a jar of baking soda.

October 31, 2011

This is a page about cleaning bathtub rings. A well used tub will often develop rings over time. If they are allowed to build up it can be quite a chore to get rid of these unsightly rings.

Woman Cleaning Bathtub

Archives

ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.

March 25, 2010

I just moved into this house. My bathtub is the color brown and has white stains all over it. I have tried every bathroom and tub cleaner out there, and they are still there. Anyone have advice?


By Robin from Niagara Falls, NY

Answers:

Cleaning the Bathtub

I just removed some stubborn old stains from a shower with one of those magic sponges! Worked wonders, a little elbow grease was all that was needed! (11/30/2009)

By Linda

 

November 26, 2009

How do you clean bath tub with soil scum?

Saeed

Answers:

Cleaning the Bathtub

Try the new product from Scrubbing Bubbles. Mega Shower Foamer. It says to spray, wait 2 minutes then wipe. If you wait longer, it will just dry back in place, so be sure to do it within the allotted time period and if you live in a hot dry climate, maybe sooner than later.


I just bought it a few days ago and liked it so well, I even used it in the kitchen sink. (08/27/2008)

By Holly

Cleaning the Bathtub

The best trick I have ever learned to clean the bathtub of soap scum buildup is to clean it dry with steel wool. The most important thing to remember is not to get the scum wet. If you keep your tub dry, the steel wool turns the scum to dust and comes right up, vacuum the scum dust, then rinse with vinegar. (10/25/2008)

By Beth

 

August 25, 2008
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