stephie2 wrote:I am on well water, I have a sky light overmy tub also but I have it covered since my husband sleeps during the day. The whole tub is discolored but mostly the floor of it . I wish I could refinish it.
Well, I think you have to clean more often than usual when dealing with well water. Usually well water has a lot higher iron content, among other high mineral contents. The water filtration system, a water softener, or other water cleaning system helps.
I found this article, but I'm not sure if our tubs our fiberglass, acrylic, plastic, or what type of material. Anyone know what the garden type tubs are usually made from? Anyway, onto the article for removing stains from fiberglass (might apply to whatever ours are made from also).
P.S. The bottom of my tub looks stained, but it's actually the color that's been scrubbed or worn off until it looks greyish (the color wears off down to the original color before being painted in the favtory). You can also ask at Lowes or Home Depot if they sell anything that you can repaint your bathtub with, but make sure you know what material your tub is made out of first.
ARTICLE
Fiberglass bathtubs
Hard water mineral deposits: (Well Water) Occasionally remove with products specifically designed to remove such deposits that state on label they are safe for fiberglass; these are usually mild acids such as "Lime-Away" which contains some phosphoric acid but is safe for consumer use; rubber gloves should be worn when applying, and label instructions followed exactly.
Tough stains such as tar, adhesives, oil paints, etc: Moisten clean cloth with a solvent such as acetone (nail polish remover) or paint thinner and rub stained area lightly until stain disappears.
Use the minimum amount of solvent needed. Do not let solvent go down drain or touch any plastic items. Wipe off with clean cloth dampened in water. Be very careful using solvents. Do not use around heat or flame, do not smoke, keep container capped, have plenty of ventilation!
NOTE: Some "stains" may in fact be a chemical reaction between oxidizing agents in cleaning chemicals, and oils from your skin and other products (e.g., suntan oil, lotion, etc.). The chemical reaction creates a polymer that chemically bonds to fiberglass, often filling up the spaces between the bumps that form the non-skid surface.
Solvents will exacerbate this problem, and abrasives will remove the non-skid surface. Thus, if you have this problem, and other products fail, try "Tub-Rite", available online at
www.tub-rite.com. It will not harm the fiberglass, is safe to handle, does not require ventilation, and is biodegradable.
Here are more tips from FAQ Farmers:
Try rubbing one of the cleaners recommended for regular cleaning on stained area; leave on about an hour; rinse.
For heavy soap scum buildup: Occasionally use a mild abrasive, such as "Bon Ami" or "Soft Scrub"; do not use them for regular cleaning.
Lysol Basin Tub & Tile spray. Just spray it on, wait about 2 or 3 minutes, wipe off, works GREAT on my fiberglass shower stall.
Just did this and it works!! Had a very old, very stained bathtub. Hadn't been really cleaned thoroughly in over 20 years. I had given up in getting it spotless until I tried 20 Mule Team Borax - let stains soak in warm water, then follow up with applications of one of the calcium, lime, rust stain removers.
I had to treat this tub several times with these potions, but the clincher was purchasing a
3M product called
contour surface stripping pad. It's like a plastic sandapaper. It will not scratch surface, but is much tougher than even your most abrasive sponge.
It can be purchased at any home improvement store in the paint department. With a lot of elbow grease and these techniques, this tub looks absolutely brand new. It's amazing!!
Yes,you can remove stains from an fiberglass bathtubs. I clean all kinds of bathrooms,and kinds of tubs all day long. I use Clorox-Clean-up and just a little Bon-Ami Cleaner. Spray clorox-clean-up, let it soak a little while and go back, put just alittle Bon-Ami on a scrubb-pad,a nd scrubb away, please remember turn air-vent on or open window while cleaning. Rinse very well.