Any good products for scrubbing a bathtub?

[gimmethesimplelife]

Rob - how often do you do this?

I do this with my kitchen sink every couple of months to sanitize it and the drain, garbage disposal, etc. But I only let it sit for maybe 10 minutes as I find pure bleach a bit too strong. It irritates my throat and nose. But I do like the Comet an Lysol products that contain bleach. I use the Comet with bleach on my sinks and tub every time I clean. They look beautiful but it does take a bit of work.

I do this every six weeks or so, Geila. I scrub the tub down every ten days or so - depending on how busy I am - working banquets means I don't have set days off so sometimes this gets done sooner and sometimes later. And the bleach water every six weeks or so and I've got one nice, clean and happy tub. I do agree with you that bleach is really strong, though, and I air out the bathroom before using it after I drain the bleach water. The bleach smell lingers but after a few hours is not as strong. Rob

[SteveinMN]

The best tool I've found for cleaning soap scum is (forgive me) melamine-foam sponges ("Easy Eraser", "Magic Eraser", etc.). They are way faster than my predecessor treatment, Bon Ami and water, and use far less elbow grease. Yes, they're a "chemical" product. Yes, they are consumable. Yes, they're considerably more expensive than Bon Ami and water. But the Bon Ami treatment required at least a rag/sponge, too, and I don't keep them forever either. I'll get 4-5 tub uses out of each "eraser" and they're destined to scrub the toilet before they're tossed out. It makes short work out of a less-than-favorite task. They're also useful on wall marks, dirty athletic shoes, and marks on hard floors.

[Mary B.]

I wonder about the hardness of the water where you are?

For whatever reason, where we are the only thing that really works is lemon juice. Something in the water (I think it's manganese and/or iron) precipitates out when the water hits air and leaves a really nasty darkness on tubs, inside dishwashers, etc. Another family member who lives close to us had resorted to using something chemical enough that she had to wear a mask to clean it and still didn't like the results.

Someone suggested she try lemon juice, which she did, and wow does it ever work. We both found that half a cup of lemon juice in the dishwasher cleaned it with essentially no scrubbing, and it was similarly successful on the bathtub.

Might be worth a try? Certainly cheaper than a new shower, and you could likely do something with the rest of the lemon juice if it didn't work!

[ToomuchStuff]

I have a friend who uses quite a few of those "magic erasers" and highly recommends them. I used a power scrubber once, when my parents bought a different house years ago, as the woman who had it before was older and the grout shown it. (it worked well on that)
Years ago, I obtained a old claw foot tub and I used a smelly chemical cleaner that was obtained from a hardware store (wish I could remember its name). Not a regular thing but good for a start. From there I know I like to use Blue Dawn quite a bit, as a grease/krud cutter, and a former poster here, got me started on Bleach tablets.
I have thought about trying some pool chlorine cleaner with those bleach tablets to make chlorine bleach (chlorine is the disinfectant).

[libby]

Google the Dawn dishsoap/vinegar cleaner. This is all I use for cleaning my bathtub now. Works very well!

[pinkytoe]

When we remodeled the bathroom in our last house, I swore I would never let it get gross again. After every shower, we wiped down the tile walls and tub with a towel and it all looked new when we sold the house three years later. On older tubs and sinks, we have had pretty good results using Barkeeper's Friend.

[Tradd]

Those magic eraser things are the best thing since sliced bread, IMO, for cleaning a tub. You do have to scrub, but they work wonders.

[Gardnr]

I've been a hotel maid. I think the big difference is the tub gets cleaned daily. What did we use? A sprinkle of cleaning powders and a wet washcloth. That's it. It didn't take much effort.

[lmerullo]

What Libby said....a spray bottle half filled with white vinegar, two generous squirts of blue original dawn detergent and filled with warm water. Spritz on generously, close the door and go have a cup of tea, and when you return just wipe off all the gunk. Works amazingly!

[early morning]

I'm not a fan of hard labor or smelly chemicals. Dh's bar soap leaves a nasty scum and our tub used to need a lot of scrubbing. I was getting really sick of it, and decided to try another tack. Our water is neither soft nor hard, so YMMV - but I keep a flat scrubber (like a scotch-brite scouring pad, only I get them at the dollar store) hanging in the tub. At the end of my shower I just run it around with my foot - around the bottom, up the sides, etc. Takes off whatever DH left, even if it's dried overnight. I use a long handled brush on the bottom of the vinyl shower curtain, and it - the curtain - goes into the washer a few times a year, as needed. I've not actually scrubbed the tub, other than wiping around the top, in years, and it looks great.