How To Remove Bathtub Stains With Household Products

Do you enjoy a nice warm soak in your bathtub at the end of a tiring day? But before you refresh yourself, you must ensure your bathtub isn’t full of mould, tannin or rust stains that could be dangerous for your health.

To help you clean your bathtub, professional bond cleaners Gold Coast recommends that you first note the material and then check the label for any specific cleaning instructions.

You should then use household products like baking soda, white vinegar and lemon juice to help you get rid of these stains in a natural and eco-friendly manner. This will help keep your bathtub clean and free of germs and bacteria.

Here are some effective tips to help you keep your bathtub clean and free of any stains and dirt:

Look At The Material

The first and foremost thing you must do before you start cleaning is to see what material your bathtub is made of to ensure you do not damage it. Here are different kinds of bathtubs and what cleaning products you can use for them:

1. Avoid Acetone Cleaners on Acrylic

Acrylic is one of the most popular bathtub materials as it is lightweight, soft, long-lasting, and suits all budgets. Bond cleaners on Gold Coast recommend avoiding using acetone-based cleaners on your acrylic bathtub, as it will damage the material.

Instead, it would be best if you opted for baking soda, and water to clear out those hard water and rusty stains. You can also use baking soda as an eco-friendly way of keeping your whole bathroom clean.

2. Use Non-toxic Cleaners For Enamel

You must take great precautions when cleaning the material if you have an enamel bathtub with a porcelain finish. This is because abrasive and corrosive cleaners like bleach can scratch and damage the enamel surface of your bathtubs. It is better to use non-toxic cleaners like dish soap, white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to bring back the finish on your enamel bathtub.

3. Clean Fiberglass With Natural Solutions

A fibreglass bathtub is prone to cracks and scratches, and it is a good idea to use gentle cleaning solutions on such surfaces. Using a commercial cleaner, you must read the ingredients and look for any abrasive chemicals.

You can also use natural solutions that you can find in your pantry easily, like vinegar, and lemon juice. These natural solutions are also useful at keeping other parts of your home clean and you can follow these green cleaning tips for your home to use these solutions effectively.

Once you have noted your bathtub material and found the right cleaning solutions, you must use the tips below to wipe and scrub away stains.

How To Remove Bathtub Stains

1. Wipe Away Soap Scum

Soap scum forms when soap molecules react with the calcium and magnesium chemicals in hard water and form a layer. This soap scum sticks to the surfaces of your bathtub and creates unruly stains. To remove this soap scum, bond cleaning services on Gold Coast suggest that you first:

Mix ½ cup of borax with one cup of lemon juice in a container.

If you have an enamel or acrylic bathtub, you can make this paste watery, so it does not scratch the surface.

Next, apply this paste to cover the soap scum stains completely.

Leave this for 10 minutes

Wipe with a clean microfiber cloth and then rinse the area.

2. Remove Mould Stains

You will find mould stains near the sealant and grout lines of your bathtub, and you must treat this mould immediately to keep your tub hygienic. Bond cleaners on Gold Coast recommend spraying baking soda on these areas and leaving it overnight. In the morning, you can wipe away the mould and solution with a clean cloth and rinse the area.

Tip 

Make sure you wear rubber gloves and a mask so you do not come in contact with mould spores.

3. Brighten Up Tannin Stains

It could be tannin if you find yellow stains all over your bathtub that emit a foul odour. Tannins are organic substances that rot and decay in your bathtub and cause yellow residue and emit bad odours. To clean tannin stains, you should:

Pour a solution of 35 per cent hydrogen peroxide and ammonia on the stains.

This oxidising solution will whiten the yellow tannin stain and remove the odour.

Let the solution bubble and lift the stains.

Once the bubbling stops, scrub the area with a microfiber cloth.

These microfiber cloths are the ultimate cleaning tools as they trap and remove the stains with ease.

Once you have scrubbed the stains, rinse and dry the area.

Tip 

Ensure you add only a few drops of ammonia to the hydrogen peroxide, as the combination can ignite.

4. Scrub Away Rust Stains

Rust stains form on your bathtubs due to high-iron content in your water or old iron plumbing. Bond cleaners on Gold Coast suggest using alkaline baking soda and acidic lemon juice to clean rust stains.

First, mix water and baking soda to create a thick paste. Apply this paste on the stains and leave it for 20 minutes so that the baking soda can break down the rust.

Next, rinse the tub and apply lemon juice on any remaining stains. Leave this for another 30 minutes, dip a sponge in baking soda, and wipe away the rust. Combining the citric acid in lemon and the alkaline base of baking soda will break down, remove rust stains, and refresh your bathtub.

You can also remove rust stains from your toilets and sinks using the following tips so that your home is neat and clean.

Conclusion

Along with the above steps, it is also necessary that you clean your bathtubs every week to prevent any build-up of germs and dirt. You can use a solution of white vinegar and water on your bathtub after every use to keep your tub clean and free of germs and bacteria.

Also, it is important to keep your tub dry to prevent mould build-up and to keep your bathtub ready for your next soak.