How do I get the yucky stuck-on grime and scum out of our fiberglass bathtub?

Question

It seems that someone took quite a few baths in the bathtub in our apartment before we moved in and left a nice ring of icky dirt/grime/scum behind. It is the worst in the corners (dirty feet perhaps?) It is a fiberglass shower/tub combo. I have tried Kaboom which is supposed to be the strongest stuff out there, but it doesn't do anything but make me cough over the fumes. This is some heavy duty grossness that the landlords should have cleaned before we moved in. Any tricks or secrets you can share to obtain a sparkling clean bathtub?

Answer 1

Use my all time favorite cleaner! The Mr Clean magic eraser! You will be so amazed at how well it works. I used to live in a town house and when I moved in the bathtub was black. I used the Mr Clean magic eraser and it was sparkling white again in a few minutes. It was great, it even works to get stuck on old urine off the edge of the toilet, where most cleaners don't get and where it's hard to reach with the toilet brush. I like the two cleaning pads in one box, I use one sponge solely for my bathrooms and one for the rest of the house. Go to your local Walmart or drug store, they are only a couple of dollars, and should cost more for what they do! I even got permanent black marker off of wood trim with them!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Don't use acetone! It's not good for you and could harm the finish on your tub. Acetone is not a cleaner, it's a solvent. If it appears to work at all, it would be because it has removed the surface of the tub. Once that happens, you'll never be able to keep it clean.

Try wetting the surface and using baking soda. Baking soda is a very cheap, safe (to humans as well as to fixtures), and effective product to use. It's a very mild abrasive, but it won't harm the tub surface. It does take a little elbow grease, but it works on all kinds of cleaning problems. You can buy it now in a plastic container, which is more convenient than the standard cardboard box around wet areas. (BTW, the plastic containers are refillable, even though they don't say so.)

If baking soda doesn't work, try an enzyme-based laundry detergent or pre-soak (like Shout). A gel would work best because it woujld adhere to the sides of the tub..

Sometimes people recommend using chlorine bleach to clean tubs, but that could backfire. It doesn't work on all problems (such as mineral deposits) and it's extremely toxic if mixed with products containing ammonia.

If you resort to a commercial tub cleaner, be sure to look for one that specifically mentions fiberglass on the label.

Answer 4

It's a multi-step process.
Use one of the other cleaners for soap scum & water spots.
Best if it's in a bottle with a foaming sprayer.
The harder the water in your area the bigger the job.
Keeping the suds up, scrub with a small scrub brush.
Vim on a gentle scrubbie or scrub brush can help in tough
corners.
Especially good for hard water spots is a Mr Clean eraser.
The trick with this product is to use as little water as possible.
Works on fibreglass & glass.
Once your tub is as clean as possible, you can save yourself
future labour by applying a polish for fibreglass available in plumbing or boating departments or at a janitorial store.
After that, a quick wipe down with a microfibre cloth after bathing will keep the work to a minimum.

Answer 5

Have you tried white vinegar? If you haven't, pour some on a towel, or straight on the stain while the tub is dry. Allow it to sit a few minutes and wipe clean and rinse till the vinegar odor is gone. Usually, that works best for my daughter's tub-ring, and believe me, she gets some dirty feet! LOL

Answer 6

S.O.S. Pads!!!!!!! Not Brillo or other steel wool type!! Soft scrub is good after SOS!! smells better too
Also very carefully you can use a straight edged blade and scrape off all! unless you have hard water spots etched in.( that's impossible so far for me) add lemon oil only to walls to make it shine & temp remove visual look Never in tub slippery!!
I would make owner do it and or take photos and bill him cleaning

Answer 7

Simple,,, fill the tub up with hot water,, let it set 10 minutes,,, drain,,, then grab your pine sol and a utility brush,, plug the drain,, pour in some to dip in and start dipping and brushing,, it rips soap right out this way, keep the brush rinsed regularly as you go and if the pinesol gets really icky drain it out and pour in some more,, be sure to do this while the tub is still wet from the fill up and drain.

Answer 8

Well if you know anyone who does drywalling. You can use drywall dust on a damp cloth and a little elbow grease.
This cleans even silver,and glass stove tops It cleans everything pots and pans, ink off the wall, crayon off the wall ect,safely and without scratches. I been useing it for many years. You can make it your self or email me and I will sell you some.

Answer 9

I used to clean student apartments here for a local collage. Let me tell you about scum build -up. I used oven cleaner on them. I sparayed it on and wiped it off almost immediately. It works like a charm. But try a small spot first just in case.

Answer 10

Try your cleaner ('Kaboom,' in your case) with the 'Mr. Clean Magic Eraser." Unfortunately, you have to do this once every week to keep up the cleanliness. Good luck.