Bath Tub Stains

Maybe Refinish it?

Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level

>Have you considered refinishing your tub? There are places around that do that or you can Google "Bathtub Refinishing" and see a bunch of DIY kits.

Tom

Re: Bath Tub Stains

Al Stokka - Cambridge, Iowa

>Ronald,

You failed to mention what that tub is made of. Enameled cast iron? Enameled steel?

If it's steel or cast iron, could the stain be rust? If it's rust you can remove it with either Iron-Out (powder) or Wink (liquid). Both do an excellent job with rust. I have used Iron-Out and Wink on a plactic shower floor and enclosure. Work there too, without damaging the finish. Fiberglass? Dunno 'bout that.

If the stain is organic (you mentioned wine) try good ol' chlorine bleach (Clorox).

Al

Re: Maybe Refinish it?

J. Robison

>I had a tub refinished by a pro once and it was not good. Lasted maybe 6 months. Obviously, there's lot of variables but my experience wasn't good.

You could try wet sanding with 600-grit sandpaper.

Re: Bath Tub Stains

Gary Ratajczak

>Try making a wet paste with some Oxy-Clean. You can get a small container at Walmart. That stuff is very good on "organic" type stains. Let it sit for a while - might need a few applications.

Re: Bath Tub Stains

Barry Irby

>The refinishing I have seen did not last well. Pealed off after a few months. But, that might be long enough for you to sell it.

If I were bleaching or what ever, I would apply the stuff and leave a day or two if you can and perhaps over and over. Easy if the unit is not occupied of there is a separate bathroom.

As an Aside, do not mix Chlorine bleach and ammonia. It reacts and releases the chlorine. Better to be alive with a stained bathtub, than dead from inhaling chlorine.

extreme treatment

GolfSteve in Calgary

>Let me tell you a story...

My 10 year old nephew came over to my place after playing baseball. His grandpa reamed him out for walking around my place with socks covered in red shale dust, so my nephew "washed" his feet in my tub. However he didn't rinse out the tub afterwards and, as a matter of fact, he didn't really wash his feet very well because he left red muddy prints all over the bathroom. Thanks a lot, Grandpa!

At the end of the day he left several red shale footprints in my tub that were "etched" into the enamel. I could feel the ridges left by his fingerprints etched into the enamel. The entire bottom of the tub also had a grey film on it that was indestrucable.

I tried everything...

Soap,

Dish soap

Elbow grease,

Simple Green

CLR (and several variations on that theme)

Rust Remover (and several variations on that theme)

Stainless steel polish

Sodium hydroxide (lye)

Acetone

Varsol

Laquer Thinner

I made one trip to Home Depot and walked through the cashier loaded down with every chemical that I thought might work.

Nothing worked.

Finally I reached into the back of my arsenal and pulled out some concrete floor etcher (Muriatic Acid) that I had on-hand because I had never got around to painting my garage floor.

I poured the acid full strength into the tub and let it sit about 15 minutes while I scrubbed the tub with a hard bristle brush. I finally made some progress.

I alternated this treatment with a Behr Driveway Cleaner (meant to remove oil stains). This was also an acid based product.

After about 1 cummulative hour of scrubbing the tub looks presentable again, but the bottom is still mottled with some grey marks.

I was worried the acid might eat the enamel or damage the chromed drain fittings, but I can't see any signs of damage. Your mileage may vary.

Be careful if you try this, and take great care not to allow any of these chemicals to mix in the tub or in the drain (flush well with water).

Good luck,

Steven

ps. the tub still looks sub-standard. The next thing I'm going to try is some automobile rubbing compound.

Oxalic acid, maybe

Clint Searl, at the base of Haycock Mtn

>

Re: Bath Tub Stains

Ronald Walls East Liberty,Ohio

>Sorry, the tub is fiberglass. I will try all the suggestions. Thanks for the help.

Try this

Dan Donaldson

>If it is a porcelain tub, you might want to give the Pfaltzgraff porcelain/stoneware cleaner a try. I use it for cleaning pot marks and stains from the kitchen sink. Works much better than regular sink cleaners and doesn't dull the finish at all. It is made by the people that make Pfaltzgraff china. It has and acid and a very mild abrasive in it, and works well. That might do what you need. I get it at stores that sell the china.

First try

DB

>First thing I would try is bleach. If that did not work I would go to the local boat repair supply store and get some fiberglass cleaner.

Re: First try

Barry Irby

>You did not mention it was fiberglass.

There are tub repair companies around that can repair it. I had one that was cracked and they fixed it. It cracked again because of abuse by the tenant. They cut the bottom out of the tub and rebuilt it. Not cheap, but cheaper than a new tub. Check around. Dealers that sell tubs may be able to connect you with repair specialists.