I too have had problems cleaning, here in Hawaii, my porcelain tub. I have been researching it for a month now. I have come across some very good cleaning agents for your porcelain, old or new. It is Boraxo or Limeaway
I've tried Lime-A-Way and it works. Lately I've found different kinds of stains on my old porcelain sink and will try Boraxo next. The sites I've found say they work great. The taste of water in Hawaii has changed and there are green stains on my plumbing which suggests minerals in the water, thus the stains on the sink. Good luck and great cleaning! Thanks.
Source: http://limeaway.com/ and http://www.ehow.com/
By hawaiihibou from Honolulu, HI
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a very old, pitted porcelain bath tub that I can't afford to refinish or replace. It collects a lot dirt in the pits and I cannot get it clean. it no longer shines at all! It isn't stained, just has hard to remove dirt. I have done the bleach thing, Comet, various cleaners, even some from the janitorial supply house, throughout the years but nothing seems to work (scrubbing bubbles is the best) I have tendonitis in my arm and cannot scrub for long periods of time.
If I do get it clean is there an economical finish or wax that I can use on it so it stays cleaner longer? Thank You!!!Just read your problem. Have you ever tried Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? It sounds like just the thing for you. You can buy it in the laundry detergent isle of the supermarket. good luck!
Hello,
I had the same problem & talked to Home Depot & they recommended a "tub & tile" or swimming pool paint. You can't use water for 3 days--it's worth it-my tub looks new & it even shines!~
Datura
There is something new out by Clorox called Bathroom Cleaner withTeflon in a spray bottle. It repels dirt with invisible Teflon to keep dirt from sticking. It also cleans soap scum and leaves surface shiny and has a clean scent. You just spray surface to coat evenly and allow to set awhile to penetrate the dirt. Then wipe with a wet sponge and rinse with water. Use regularly to maintain the Teflon surface protection. There also is a toilet bowl cleaner with the Teflon too.
I can absolutely confirm the Mr. Clean Eraser. We bought our 1942 home a year ago and have dreaded refinishing the bathtub, it had 63 years of gunk and grime built up on it. We tried commercial cleaners, bleach, Oxi-clean, and many others, we even tried Oven Cleaner. All of them required heavy duty gloves and stank up the whole house and did little or no good.
I'm so glad to find your website. We live in a 1960 year old house. I don't think the lady who lived here before could get to cleaning the tub. So GREAT to find something that just may fix the problem.
Thanks
Thanks for your postings! I have the same problem, and will try your recommendations. I'me sure you've helped dozens who didn't post a reply too.
I've been suffering the same problem since I moved into my 1948 bungalow and just tried the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I think I'll buy stock in that company because my tub never looked so great!
Thanks!
A miracle was preformed at my daughters home with Mr Clean Magic Eraser. It was truly MAGIC. She rents and the tub in the house she is in now was just the worst and no amount of scrubbing with comet and a stiff brush would even begin to move the gunk. I read on here about Mr Clean Eraser and got one and even my 6 year old granddaughter was amazed. I hated putting her in that nasty looking tub when I was there and thank you Mr Clean Eraser. I don't have to now.
I tired that mr. clean eraser. doesn't work on my tub. What seems to work is to put Epsom salt in the tub and wash my hair in the tub and sit in the bath water for a while.
I have had the same issue and I tried the Mr. Clean pads but they just seemed to crumble any thing else?
I clean mine with liquid Barkeepers Friend then wax it with Holloway House Quick Shine it looks amazing. I do this every 3 months and always looks great!
Mark, what type of Holloway House Quick Shine did you use?
I have an old, big, solid tub with blue and green stains where the water pours out. It is not rust and I do not know how or what to use to clean it. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle one half with salt. Use it as a scrubber on the stains. The lemon bleaches the stains safely while the salt scrubs the stains off.
The blue and green stains are likely copper from your pipes dissolved in lime from hard water. Vinegar may remove the stains, or any product advertised for cleaning up lime residue, such as CLR or the CLR Tub and Tile cleaner.
I have a stain in a porcelain tub, which I can't remove. The stain appears to be in the tub itself. Please help.
Thank you.
By Janet Bollman from Albany, NY
I had one in my kitchen sink. When my sister-in-law saw it, she suggested that I put the sink stopper in, pour 3-4 cups of Chlorox in it (enough to cover the bottom), add a couple inches of water and let it sit over night.
It worked. The sink was sparkling white when I drained it out the next morning. I've done the same thing every few months when I notice it getting stains in it. Chlorox definitely pulls the stains cleanser doesn't.
If you don't want to pour a whole container of Chlorox in your tub, possibly soaking an old rag in it and put the rag dripping wet (do not wring it out) on your stain and leaving it overnight might work.
However bleach is terrible for septic systems - don't do this if you have a well. If on city water, I'd ask the city if it's OK to put bleach into the wastewater system.
Dont ever pour bleach first and then add water. Changes are you will get an unpleasant explosion. Sorry, I knew the answer as to why this happens but over the years I have forgotten it. Add water first, at least 1 to 1. (BTW, I speak from experience).
What is the best way to clean an old bathtub? I tried many cleaners, but the tub is still dirty. Also what cleans unsealed grout? Should I paint or color?
Use a Mr Clean magic eraser for the grout. Clean the tub with lemon and cream of tartar
Use the Clean King, it's for scrubbing copper pans. It got my bathtub so white.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
How would I remove hard water and rust stains from my old porcelain bath tub? It's from the 1920s, so I don't want to replace it.
How do you clean lime and hard water stain build up on a porcelain tub?
