Borax is an abrasive scouring powder that can get rid of mold and mildew and remove soap scum. However, using this cleaning agent – even when diluted with water – can harm the surface of your tub, eating away at it over time.
To really clean a fiberglass tub, Wakeford recommends a paste of baking soda, dish soap and water, which you can then apply all over the surface. “Let the paste sit for at least thirty minutes prior to scrubbing the surface to remove the dirt, and then rinse with cold water,” he says.
You may want to stay away from vinegar as its acidity will corrode your bathtub that much quicker. You can easily solve this however by diluting your vinegar solution with water.
To start, grab that bottle of Dawn (or any other dish soap) from your kitchen sink and the broom stowed away in your closet. Dish soap is designed to cut through tough grease and food stains on our delicate dishware, but it will also disintegrate the dirty marks and soap scum lining your tub.
How do I get my bathtub white again? By cleaning your bath with a mixture of white vinegar, water and baking soda, you should be able to rid your bath of most common stains and maintain its white finish.
Clean your bathtub with dish soap and vinegar
All you need is some grease-fighting dish soap, like Dawn, some white vinegar, and a fresh broom. Don't use a dirty one that you have laying around, since the last thing you want is to bathe in some stubborn dust after your day of cleaning.
The combination of dish soap and vinegar is highly effective for a few different reasons. They're both excellent at breaking down tough grease and grime, but vinegar alone will simply run off of most surfaces, and dish soap is too thick to use on its own.
Like magic, the Magic Eraser will start powering through tough grime in just a few swipes. Before you know it, your clean bathtub with shine like the top of Mr. Clean's head! And remember, you can also use Magic Eraser to clean other surfaces too.
Bathtubs. Bathtubs, showers, and toilets are other areas you'll want to scrub down and disinfect, so hands off the original Windex. “The best cleaning product for the bathroom are any products that are bleach or peroxide-based, like Lysol with Bleach or Comet,” says Monica Bowman of Two Maids & A Mop.
(Although if your tub is seriously grimy, I'd recommend adding some vinegar to the dish soap to make my two-ingredient tub and shower cleaner!) But dish soap alone will work just fine for most tubs. I like to use Dawn, because nothing works better at cutting through tough grease and grime in my opinion!
The floor and bathtub should be cleaned every two weeks or so. It is also important to invest in a deep clean every month or so.
First, you want to mix a quarter cup of white vinegar with a litre of hot water and douse the surface of the tub. Grab a handful of baking soda and toss it over the surface of the bathtub. Let it sit for about 30 minutes before scrubbing and rinse your tub clean. Baking soda should help to whiten your tub.
The bleach active reacts with the iron and changes it to the chemical form as rust. This new yellow/red discoloration then deposits on clothes, causing discoloration. Installing a water treatment system may be your best long-term solution.
Cleaning Bathtub and Shower Walls
Use your white vinegar cleaning solution to break down soap scum, mold, and dirt in your bathtub. Spray it liberally around your bathtub and shower walls, let it sit for several minutes, and wipe it down with a sponge or soft cloth.
Because dish soap is meant to break up oils and lift grease and grime from your flatware and utensils, there's no reason why it shouldn't work on the oily soap and human grease build-up accumulating in your tub or shower!
TUB AND SHOWER CLEANER
Spray on your tub and shower walls, allowing it to sit for a few minutes before rinsing away. This will even take care of the bathtub ring. Let it sit on your shower floor overnight and scrub the gunk away in the morning.
When cleaning especially dirty tubs or stains, sprinkle baking soda directly onto the sponge or brush after dipping it in your bucket solution, and scrub hard. Once you're satisfied and the tub looks clean, use the bathtub hand sprayer or the bucket to rinse the tub.
While vinegar is generally safe, using too much of it can cause dryness and irritation. It can also strip your skin of its natural oils, leaving it feeling dry and itchy. To avoid this, always dilute the vinegar with water before adding it to your bath.