Bathtub crisis...

[LisaBoyer]

Hello everyone,

I hope your Holiday Season is being good to you!

Question about bathtubs...the prev owners had hard water and our tub has a large stain (see pic)
The tub also is textured, never seen this before, the floor is cushioned with a textured surface. I have tried Bleach, soaking for days, scrubbing with Comet, using both steel wool and a brush, Oxyclean, Kaboom.....nothing has dented it. I bought LimeAway, but sort of afraid to use it, with the texture and surface.....anyone have a suggestion? Other then replacing the entire tub.

bathtub.jpg

[bobfather99]

Try CLR or Vinegar. Let it soak for awhile.

[UmpJJ]

Fiberglass tub, I assume? Vinegar is your best bet - it works much better than Limeaway. We have very hard well water and I do the tub/shower about once every two weeks.

UmpJJ

[LisaBoyer]

Sorry for the delay, holiday stuff and all. Vinegar did nothing. I made a paste with Baking Soda after the Vinegar sat for hours, worked that in, then scrubbed with a nylon scrubber, nothing. I even tried steel wool...didn't dent it. I am afraid of CLR, only because this is a textured tub and I have no idea how the harsh chemical will react. Has anyone tried CLR on a textured tub? It doesn't feel hard like a normal fiberglass tub, more squishy and sponge like...with a pebble texture. Sort of makes me glad we have a water purification system, if this is what our water does to the tub!

[UmpJJ]

1. Cozy up to your favorite grizzled old hometown hardware store guy and ask for suggestions (about the tub problem).
2. Call the Culligan man - water is what they do.
3. Check with a local university extension expert - they have opinions on everything.
4. Google FAQ from water heater manufacturers.
5. Keep the lights off in the bathroom.

UmpJJ

[Greg]

Since you have tried about everything else, I would bet that the stain is actually IN the fiberglass. You could look into some marine type cleaners or even a paint job other than that, a few more "Extreme" ideas

Sandblaster
Jack hammer
Dynamite

Greg

[LisaBoyer]

Best idea yet...a 5.00 bath mat to cover the stain.

I poured CLR on it, let soak for about 30 min, tried scrubbing..nothing. I did notice some scratch marks where the stain is the darkest, so I agree, the stain is inside the coating.

We added it to the list of projects, replacing the tub, after the roof. Thanks for all the suggestions, I tried them all!

[Greg]

Oh sure, just cover up the problem!!!

Greg