Acrylic bathtubs are becoming increasingly in demand and popular. These are light and convenient designs, which are very quickly installed in bathrooms.
Acrylic coating has minimal interaction with environment, but nevertheless, a light gray-yellow coating gradually forms on it, and dirt gets clogged into microcracks and small abrasions.
The bathtub loses its snow-white appearance, so a few tips on how to bleach an acrylic bathtub at home yourself and with what means will be useful to many housewives.
How to quickly whiten an acrylic bathtub
An acrylic bathtub gets dirty just as easily as cast iron and steel containers.
After 2-3 baths, a soap coating forms on it. It should be removed immediately so that it does not dry out and become embedded in the surface layer of the coating.
If the film of contaminants is thin and fresh, then you can wash it off simply hot water with washing powder. To do this, after 2 - 3 baths, you should walk over the surface of the bath with a thick kitchen sponge, carefully scrubbing the most problem areas and wash off the dirt with water.
In addition to the powder, you can use:
- laundry soap;
- dish soap;
- shower gel.
After the dirt has been removed, you need to wipe the surface of the bath with a piece of dry, soft, clean cloth or a microfiber cloth. Such manipulations are enough to make the acrylic container snow-white and shiny.
Special products for whitening acrylic bathtubs
If it so happens that the dirt on the surface of the acrylic bathtub was not removed for a long time and had time to dry, then in such cases you cannot do without household chemicals, designed specifically for cleaning bathroom surfaces and whitening acrylic.
The following domestic and foreign products are available for sale for these purposes:
- Acrilan;
- Mr. Chister;
- Rawak;
- Bass, etc.
These are sprays, creams or liquids that are classified as medium-impact products. They allow you to quickly remove even clearly visible dirt.
To do this, it is enough to spend 1 time in 2 weeks general cleaning your bath. You need to wet the container with hot water, apply 1 tablespoon of a creamy or liquid product to a large sponge, or spray a spray on the walls of the bathroom.
Leave them for 10 - 15 minutes, then use a brush to vigorously scrub away all accumulated dirt and rinse with plenty of water. This is quite enough to give the bath a snow-white look.
Folk remedies for whitening an acrylic bathtub
You can also find bleaching agents for acrylic in the kitchen. The simplest of them is an aqueous solution citric acid. The liquid successfully fights not only soap, but also limescale and rust stains.
To make bleach, dilute in 1 liter hot water 1 - 2 packs of citric acid (the concentration of the solution must be selected depending on the degree of contamination).
To remove dirt, wet the entire surface of the bathtub with liquid and wait 1 tsp, then remove the soaked plaque with a circular motion of the sponge and rinse it with water.
Individual small stains of dirt can be rubbed with lemon juice - the result will be no worse. You can also prepare the following product to whiten an acrylic bathtub:
- 1 liter of water;
- 200 ml vinegar;
- 4 tbsp soda;
- 1 lemon.
All components should be mixed well, close the drain in the bath and spray the liquid along the walls of the container. Leave for 0.5 tsp, and then, as usual, brush along the walls and bottom of the bathtub being treated, rinse off the deposits with hot water and wipe the surface dry with a clean, dry cloth.
What not to use
Acrylic is a durable plastic, but it is easily scratched and is afraid sharp blows. Therefore, when cleaning the bathtub, it is prohibited to use cleaning powders containing abrasive insoluble particles.
You should also not use hard metal brushes for dishes, as this may cause a network of microcracks to appear on the surface and the acrylic coating will no longer be perfectly smooth and even. Therefore, it is best to clean the surface with a washcloth or foam sponge.
The use of aggressive liquid bleaches, which include:
- acids;
- chlorine;
- alkalis.
Therefore, it is better to keep such popular products as “Belizna” and “Domestos” away from acrylic bathtubs. But you can clean them with any oxygen-containing bleaches.
The bathroom is a place where cleaning procedures are carried out. Therefore, not only the body, but also all surfaces in the room should sparkle clean. While the bathtub bowl is new, it is beautiful and snow-white. Over time, plaque, traces of rust, soap stains and other contaminants appear in it. And it becomes unpleasant to wash in it.
You can call professionals and they will paint the bathtub and return it to its original whiteness. But you can deal with the problem yourself, using household chemicals or improvised means. In this case, it is imperative to take into account the material of the surface of the bathroom so as not to damage it even more.
Causes of bathroom contamination
In most cases, daily bath care involves rinsing it with running water after bathing. It is tap water that most often becomes a factor in bath contamination. It contains a lot of salts, which settle on the surface, forming plaque. If there is a leak in the shower, then the constant accumulation of water at the bottom causes rust and yellow stains to appear.
According to standards, water is disinfected before being supplied to consumers; its composition becomes more aggressive than plain water. After traveling many kilometers through a water pipeline, which can hardly be called perfectly clean inside, the water collects various debris from it. As a result, we get water from the tap that can ruin the original whiteness of the bathroom.
Thus, the main reasons for bath contamination are:
- hard water;
- rust in the plumbing system;
- exposure to aggressive chemicals.
How to whiten a bathtub: effective ways
Before you start whitening your bathtub yourself, you need to find out what material it is made of.
Baths are made from:
- cast iron,
- become,
- acrylic
Important! The enamel coating can withstand the action of various chemical compounds, but you should not be too zealous. Acrylic is easy to scratch, so abrasive substances are absolutely contraindicated for it. Any cast iron bowls are suitable chemical compositions containing acids or alkalis.
Household chemicals
Today it is not a problem to purchase special products in the store that will help whiten the bathtub. Unfortunately, not all of them can do this without damaging the surface.
The metal bowl can be cleaned with almost all chemicals:
- Domestos;
- Silit Beng;
- Comet;
When working with chemicals, you must adhere to certain rules:
- Apply to the surface according to the instructions.
- Do not hold for more than the specified time.
- Do not resort to using them often.
- Rinse off only with cool or warm water, but not hot.
- Wear rubber gloves and a face mask.
For an enamel surface, you can use a powder with a slight abrasive effect (for example, Sarma). The bowl must first be moistened with water, sprinkled with powder, and spread over the surface with a sponge. After half an hour, clean the bath mechanically and rinse off any remaining product with water.
To clean acrylic bathtubs, use products that are marked accordingly:
- San Klin;
- Triton;
- RAVAK.
Folk remedies
Even if you clean the bathtub chemicals very carefully, they still act quite aggressively on plumbing fixtures. If possible, it is better to resort to more gentle folk remedies for whitening.
Advantages of folk remedies:
- availability;
- safety for skin and respiratory organs;
- gentle surface cleaning.
Soda
Mix baking soda and soda in equal proportions. Wet the surface of the bathtub. Distribute the composition on it. After half an hour, moisten a sponge with vinegar and wipe the bath. After another half hour, rinse off the product with warm water. This cleaning method is suitable for heavy soiling and traces of rust. If the plaque is not significant, using only baking soda is sufficient.
Vinegar
Moisten a large number of paper napkins with table vinegar. Distribute them over the inner surface of the bowl for several hours. Remove the napkins and rinse the bath well with warm water. Limescale deposits can be removed from an acrylic bathtub by adding enough water to cover the stain. Then pour in vinegar (1:10). After 10 hours, drain the solution and rinse the surface with water.
On the page, read about how to remove chocolate stains from white, black and colored clothes.
Lemon acid
Dissolve 2 sachets of acid in ½ liter of water. Moisten a soft sponge with the solution and treat the surface of the bathroom. After 20 minutes, gently wipe it. Rinse off any remaining product with water. Even acrylic bathtubs that are sensitive to damage can be bleached with citric acid.
Turpentine and salt
An effective way to clean cast iron bathtubs. Prepare a paste from 50 ml of turpentine and 100 g of salt. Apply to contaminated areas using a sponge.
- First, resort to the help of soft, gentle means. If they are ineffective, stronger ones can be used.
- use very carefully. It can leave scratches and damage the protective enamel.
- The door to the room when working with chemicals must be open and skin and eyes protected.
- Do not use several whitening products at the same time. Reaction upon interaction different substances may be unpredictable.
- Do not apply the product to the entire surface at once. First test its effect on a small, inconspicuous area. If after a few hours the surface is fine, you can treat the entire bathtub.
You can restore the whiteness of the bathtub surface yourself. There are several simple and effective ways do it. In order not to damage the bathtub with the chosen cleaning agent, you need to consider what material it is made of and what contaminants are present on it.
More in the next video useful tips on how to clean and bleach a bathtub at home:
Every housewife is faced with the problem of how to whiten a bathtub at home and how to clean it so that the bathing tank is snow-white.
Folk remedies and factory products help solve this difficult problem. There are many methods that can restore the whiteness of plumbing fixtures. Whitening the bathroom may take some time, but it is absolutely necessary, because this part of the house is one of the signs of a good housewife.
Cast iron
Before choosing a bath cleaner, you need to decide on the coating of the vessel to be washed. Plumbing fixtures quickly deteriorate if the wrong surface cleaning method is chosen.
Few people buy cast iron washing vessels these days. Modern society prefers new acrylic coatings.
If you inherited such a bathing tank with your apartment, you shouldn’t throw it away right away. Dirt with cast iron bath can be withdrawn. This requires a little effort.
Before you clean an old, dirty bathtub until it’s snow-white, you need to remove rough edges and rust. Then use bleaching agents.
How to clean an old cast iron bathtub? If household chemicals are too expensive or you are allergic to them, you can use folk remedies that are time-tested and have not lost popularity.
How to clean a cast iron bathtub:
- with whitening particles. If the contamination is not serious, you can use it. Washing powder is distributed over wet plumbing. After 20 minutes, rinse with water. You can scrub the coating with a soft brush.
- Dissolve 50 g of citric acid in 200 ml of water. Wear gloves and use a sponge to liberally apply the solution to the surface of the plumbing fixtures. Leave the citric acid on it for 25 minutes. This method will quickly and effectively remove old stains.
- The most universal remedy - baking soda. After using it, the cast iron bathing tank becomes snow-white. How to clean a cast iron bathtub: dilute baking soda with water in a 1:1 ratio. The amount is determined based on the area of contamination. The mixture is left for 5 minutes, it needs to react with the dirt. Then make a solution of bleach and vinegar and fill the tank with it, leaving it to act for 2 hours. Then rinse with running water.
- Helps clean a cast iron tank ammonia. It removes stains and stains well. Ammonia is one of the the best means for cleaning the bathtub. A teaspoon of ammonia is mixed with 15 grams of soda. The entire bathing vessel is treated with this product. After 40 minutes, wash off. After this procedure, it becomes snow-white.
- To make it white: pour water into it to the very top, add 100 ml of white. Wait overnight and wash with warm water.
Now every housewife knows how to whiten a cast-iron bathtub at home.
Yellowness and rust
Such contaminants are more difficult to remove. Will need to apply aggressive methods to remove yellowness and rust.
How to clean a bathtub from yellow deposits:
- Table salt and turpentine will come to the rescue. Only rusty areas are treated with this mixture. Mix 6.5 tbsp. l. salt and 35 ml of turpentine. Apply the composition with a sponge and gloves. After 30–60 minutes, wash with water.
- If the contamination is more serious, use a solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. If it turns yellow, this mixture will help you clean it: 100 ml of ammonia and 50 ml of 3% peroxide. The solution is applied to problem areas, left for 15 minutes and washed off with running water.
- Wine vinegar is also used to clean yellow stains. In a volume of 100 ml it is mixed with 2 tbsp. l. table salt. Yellow plaque will begin to disappear after 20 minutes. The remaining product is washed off with water.
Once the rust and yellowing has been removed, you can begin bleaching the bathtub.
Acrylic
Modern plumbing fixtures are mostly coated with acrylic and require proper care. The products proposed to clean the tank from yellowness and rust for cast iron are not suitable for such a coating.
Acrylic bathing tanks retain heat well, do not grow mold, and also have big choice models.
The bath cleaner must be selected especially carefully. It is forbidden to treat such a coating with abrasives, metal brushes and hard sponges.
How to clean a bathtub at home? Effective ones will come to the rescue traditional methods without damaging the surface of the bathing tank.
Effective bath cleaning products depending on the contamination:
- How to whiten a bathtub from yellowness: Pemolux and Biolan powder will help make it snow-white. They are diluted with water to a paste-like consistency and applied to contaminated areas. These powders help clean even a very dirty bathtub, especially if it has been yellowed for a long time.
- How to clean a bathtub from rust? Household chemicals will help with this. What to wash with: a good factory product - Acrylan. Also suitable for this room are Cillit, Sarma, Acryl-Net, Star-Acrylat. After household chemicals it will be snow-white. Household chemicals will help remove yellowness. These products are applied to a napkin, and only then to the acrylic surface.
- How to remove limescale from your bathroom: fill it with water room temperature and add 2 liters of weak vinegar solution. After 12 hours, wash off the product. Finally, wipe the tank dry using a soft cloth. It is not recommended to deal with plaque in this way too often. Lime will not appear on the surface of the tank any time soon.
At home, using acrylic is also simple and easy. This can be done both with the help of folk remedies and household chemicals.
But in the case of acrylic, it is better to use the latter. Factory products are designed specifically for this type of coating. In the store, you can ask the seller how else you can clean a bathtub made of such material until white.
Acrylic hot tubs can be cleaned no more than once every 2 weeks, and disinfected - once every 7 days. For disinfection, use 72% laundry soap.
Steel
To make cleaning your bathtub at home a pleasure, you need to take proper care of it.
Steel baths cannot be filled with water whose temperature is over 70 degrees. If you need to clean the bathtub white, it is undesirable to use sand, hard and metal brushes, sharp objects for scraping off rust or limescale.
Cleaning products should not contain acid, as it destroys enamel. And in order not to look for how to remove limescale in the bathroom, it must be kept dry.
How to clean a bathtub and make it snow-white:
- Remove soap with a soft brush. Then rinse off the residue with warm water.
- Soap scum can be removed using Mr. Muscle. Cleaning products are applied with a soft sponge and washed off after 10–15 minutes.
- With old stains on steel coating Baking soda and citric acid will do the trick. The prepared solution is treated with a sponge. After 20 minutes, the remaining product is washed off. You can use a special household cleaning product.
- How to clean a bathtub from plaque: mix 100 grams of baking soda, 100 ml of dishwashing detergent and 50 ml of vinegar in a container. The mixture is applied to the steel, left for 15 minutes and washed off with water.
- A 10% ammonia solution or hydrogen peroxide can be used to clean a steel tank. They can be used either separately or together. To prepare the solution you will need 2 tbsp. l. ammonia and 1 tbsp. l. peroxide. A sponge is moistened in it and the contaminated areas are treated. This product will help both quickly wash the old tank and give it a snow-white appearance. It can also remove plaque.
Co steel tanks For swimming you need to be careful. It should be remembered that damaging the tank coating may spread rust, which is difficult to remove.
All cleaning products are applied with gloves. If the smell is pungent, it is better to wear a mask.
Enamel
This type of font is used most often. Enameled bath vessel withstands high temperatures and easy to maintain.
Knowing how to clean bathrooms with such a coating, you can get rid of rust, yellowness and limescale for a long time.
To avoid damaging the enamel, do not use a metal brush or abrasive substances. To clean enamel bathtubs, you must use mild detergents. Due to the use of rough brushes and powders, the surface of the tank becomes rough and not respectable.
Enameling will be much more difficult and expensive. Therefore, it is necessary to properly care for it.
How to clean an enamel bath:
- How to get rid of limescale? Vinegar will help remove deposits of mineral salts. Place a cloth soaked in it on the contaminated area. After a few hours, rinse with water.
- How to clean a bathtub from yellowness: add a few drops of ammonia to the dishwashing detergent. You can also grate 0.5 cups laundry soap, and mix it with 3-5 drops of ammonia. Rub the resulting mixture onto the font, wait 15 minutes and rinse with water.
- A paste mixture is prepared from mustard powder and water. It is applied to the contaminated areas with a sponge, left for some time and washed off with water.
- How to clean rust: buy Cif and Comet at a household chemical store. The product is applied to the enamel soft cloth, wearing gloves. After 15 minutes, rinse with water.
- How else to clean the bathtub? You can treat the surface of the font with a concentrated solution of citric acid or the juice of several lemons. After 20 minutes, the tank is rinsed clean water. After this procedure, the room will smell pleasantly of lemon.
Knowing how to whiten a bathtub at home, you can avoid replacing the tank.
Using cheap home remedies, you can save on expensive household chemicals and protect yourself and other apartment residents from harmful fumes.
You should also know that toilet bowl cleaning products should not be used in the bathroom, as they are very aggressive. It’s better to postpone washing the font than to ruin it.
When choosing the color of a future bathroom, many people choose white, despite the difficulty of maintaining the original snow-white color. Over time, any surface, even with careful care, begins to deteriorate: scratches, stains, yellowness, limescale and many other troubles appear.
Some people simply get rid of their “spoiled” bathtub by buying a new one. Well, those who cannot afford to update the bathtub every six months should try to return the original appearance of the bathtub on their own.
How to whiten a bathtub at home?
Modern household chemicals or folk remedies can help you whiten surfaces.
Household chemicals include cleaning powders and liquids. Due to their effectiveness and efficiency, they remove almost all types of dirt. The disadvantages of using powders are that over time they lead to the formation of scratches and dust, which can penetrate into the lungs.
Liquid products, unlike powders, do not have such disadvantages, but have a sharp bad smell and not always an affordable price.
Popular household products:
Liquids – Ultra White from Cif, Comet, Mister Muscle, Domestos, Cilit Bang, Santik, Santrigel, L.O.C., Milam, Santry, CillitBang, Stork Sanok
Powders – Sarma, Comet, Pemolux, Sorti.
Folk remedies that can clean the surface include: vinegar, baking soda, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, citric acid, mustard powder and solvent.
Different materials for baths
It is worth remembering that not every bathtub material will tolerate the effects of a particular product. Bathtubs are made of cast iron, acrylic and steel.
How to whiten an acrylic bathtub?
The acrylic surface is more delicate than cast iron or steel. It will not withstand excessively nuclear substances, which will not only remove dirt, but also damage it itself. When using household chemicals to clean an acrylic bathtub, choose products only in the form of gels and liquids; do not use powders or gels with solid particles.
Special products for acrylic are suitable - Sun Clean, Triton, or Mister Chister. You should also not use hard metal brushes or products containing chlorine.
Hard brushes will damage the delicate acrylic surface, and chlorine will make it uneven, rough and yellow over time; it is better to choose soft sponges and products containing acid.
There are few ways to whiten an acrylic surface using folk remedies, but they still exist: vinegar, citric acid, borax, baking soda, table vinegar, salt and turpentine.
How to whiten cast iron and steel bathtubs?
The bleaching methods for these materials are completely unlimited, as in the case of acrylic, steel and cast iron can withstand chemical and mechanical processing, radical methods can also be used. For enamel baths, it is better to choose products without acid, but with alkali. All drugs that are listed in “popular household products” are suitable for use as chemicals.
If you don't want to use household products, folk ones will cope with cleansing no worse; for whitening you can use:
Soda ash, vinegar, bleach, citric acid, turpentine and salt, peroxide and ammonia, melamine sponge and bleach.
To bleach a bathtub with baking soda and vinegar, you need to soak a damp sponge in 9% vinegar and add a small amount of baking soda to it. Then, using circular movements, evenly distribute the resulting mixture onto all problem areas of the plumbing. After 30 minutes, rinse with warm water.
How to whiten a bathtub: step-by-step instructions
For bleaching, you will need rubber gloves to protect the skin of your hands, a sponge or soft brush, and detergent.
Close the drain hole with a stopper, add or pour in the selected detergent. Rub the detergent over the entire surface of the bathtub, starting from the bottom to the edges, using gloves.
For a better effect on contaminated layers, leave the treated bath for thirty minutes. Then apply the detergent a second time over the entire area of the bathtub.
Fill a full bath with warm water and leave for ten minutes. After ten minutes, drain the water, rinse well and dry the surface of the bath.
How to whiten tiles in the bathroom?
If rust, plaque, yellowing and other dirt have affected not only the bathtub, but also everything that is next to it, then it is worth doing a comprehensive cleaning. During distribution detergent over the surface of the bathtub, it is worth spreading it on the walls and floor, following the same instructions.
To prevent deterioration in the appearance of the bathtub surface, you need to rinse it after each shower. Tap water destroys upper layer coating, so simply rinsing with warm water is not enough.
Use regular soap, dishwashing liquid and glass cleaner, as well as a weak solution of bleach or bleach once a week. And then you won’t face any emergency bathroom whitening.
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White bath- the most common option, despite the presence of other shades in stores. This is the color that many people associate with the ideal bathroom.
Over time, even with careful care, the surface turns yellow, becomes covered with scratches and stains, which are very difficult to get rid of. Many solve the problem radically - replace the bathtub with a new one. For those for whom this option is unacceptable, you can try bleaching the bathtub at home. This will take a little time and simple tools.
Bathtubs are made from 3 materials:
- cast iron;
- steel;
- acrylic.
They differ not only in price, but also in other characteristics: strength, thermal conductivity, aesthetic appearance, durability. Regardless of the type, the durability of the bathtub coating depends on the quality of manufacture and operating features:
- Using aggressive cleansers.
Acid, alkali and abrasive particles damage the surface: they form scratches and make it porous. Contaminants and microorganisms easily penetrate into such a coating.
- Water quality.
The plumbing system in most cities and towns was installed several decades ago, so the water contains mineral impurities and often rust that settle on the surface of the bathroom.
- Soap scum and organic particles get on enamel or acrylic every day.
Ideally, you should wash the bathtub well after each use and wipe it dry, which almost no one does. These contaminants eat into the surface, mixing with mineral deposits and turning the once snow-white bathtub yellowish or gray.
The color of the bathtub also depends on its age - the larger it is, the more damage and plaque there is on the surface and the more difficult it is to remove it.
The danger of yellowness in the bath
Plaque and dirt on the bathtub are not only an aesthetic problem, but also a possible health hazard. Warm and humid environment - ideal conditions for emergence and reproduction:
- bacteria;
- fungi;
- mold.
These microorganisms easily penetrate the human body, causing many diseases: lichen, allergies, dermatological pathologies. Prolonged inhalation of mold spores can cause the development of bronchial asthma. Using such a yellowish bath is especially dangerous for young children.
Methods for whitening baths
To clean the bathtub, you can use special household chemicals and folk remedies.
A brief overview of household chemicals: how to whiten a bathtub with your own hands
In stores you can buy a lot of bath cleaning products in the form of sprays, powders and creams that remove existing stains, prevent the appearance of new ones (for a short period of time) and destroy microorganisms.
Powders
Abrasive products are suitable for cleaning steel or cast iron bathtubs. Cleaning occurs not only due to the mechanical removal of plaque, but also thanks to other additives that brighten the surface and dissolve contaminants.
Using abrasives is very simple: apply to a damp surface, rub with a sponge and rinse.
Powders for cleaning bathtubs are produced by domestic and foreign manufacturers, the most popular are:
- Sarma;
- Comet;
- Pemolux;
- Sort.
Such powders easily remove almost all types of contaminants, but have disadvantages:
- the formation of dust that penetrates the lungs;
- lead to scratches.
Liquids
Unlike cleaning powders liquid products(gels, sprays) do not create scratches on surfaces. The principle of their operation is based on the reaction of their constituent alkalis or acids with contaminants.
Such products act not only on the surface, but also penetrate into the top layer.
Several are popular among housewives:
- "Clean bath" from Sanox.
A universal budget product in the form of a gel, suitable for the care of acrylic and cast iron baths, because it does not contain aggressive components. Disadvantages include slow action and strong odor.
- "Sanox Stork".
Inexpensive cleaning liquid designed for steel and cast iron products. The oxalic acid contained in the composition removes all contaminants, even stubborn rust and lime deposits.
- Ultra White by Cif.
Universal whitening cream medium price category. Contains optical brightener and soft granules that enhance the effect. Disadvantages: does not dissolve limescale, requires effort during application.
- Cilit Bang is one of the leaders in plumbing care products.
The spray is easy to apply and quickly removes even old plaque and rust. It contains oxalic acid, so use for acrylic products Not recommended. Disadvantages: high price and strong smell.
- Comet “7 days of cleanliness” in the form of a spray, easily dissolves plaque and rust, whitens the surface.
Contains acids (orthophosphoric and formic), suitable only for enameled and ceramic products. The disadvantage is the strong smell.
- Mister Muscle is a universal spray with a pleasant scent that gently removes plaque from all surfaces.
Can be used to care for acrylic. Disadvantage: does not dissolve old rust stains.
- Domestos is a popular gel that is often used for whitening bathtubs, including acrylic ones.
The product not only removes dirt, but also destroys any bacteria.
- Santik - accessible remedy in gel or spray form, suitable for steel and cast iron bathtubs.
Removes any dirt, rust, whitens and disinfects the surface.
- Milam Santri, Santri (gel) - affordable products for plumbing.
With its help you can remove rust and lime deposits from the surface of cast iron ( steel bath). Disadvantage - no sprayer.
- Bugs Akrilan is a product for quickly removing dirt from acrylic bathtubs.
Disadvantages: high price and strong smell.
How to bleach with soda, vinegar and other home remedies
You can bleach your bathtub in other ways:
- To remove limescale from enamel, you can use a mixture of soda ash and regular soda, or only baking soda if the plaque layer is thin.
To do this, apply the powder to a damp surface and rub in a little. After half an hour, you need to wet the sponge with vinegar or spray it with a spray bottle and rub the bath again. After an hour, remove the composition with warm water.
- Soak a cloth or paper in vinegar or essence and place it on the bottom and smelt of the bath.
After a few hours, remove and wash the product. To clean acrylic baths, use vinegar diluted with water (1:5) or a solution of citric acid (50 grams per liter of water), and the exposure time is reduced to 30 minutes.
- Mix oxalic acid with water to a paste and rub it into contaminated areas; for a uniform effect, it is recommended to cover the entire surface of the bath.
Wash off no later than after 10 minutes. This method is only applicable to cast iron bathtubs.
- A mixture of vinegar, soda ash and powdered bleach.
This product, applied for half an hour, will remove even years of plaque. This product is very caustic, so you should not use it for steel and especially acrylic bathtubs.
- Grind a piece of any soap (100 grams) and dissolve it in a glass of warm water.
Add a tablespoon of soda and ammonia there. The resulting liquid can remove minor dirt from any surface.
- A mixture of coarse table salt and turpentine in a 2:1 ratio.
Removes rust stains. The product is applied to the stains and left for half an hour, then washed off. This method is not suitable for acrylic bathtubs.
- You can remove minor stains using carbonated drinks with phosphoric acid.
In the composition it is designated as additive E338. The drink is poured into the bath at night.
- An ordinary solvent will help remove plaque from any bathtubs, except acrylic ones, if you wipe the stain with it.
- Any washing powder will remove plaque from cast iron and steel baths, but this will require some effort: rub the product in for at least a quarter of an hour with a sponge, leave for 30 minutes and rinse.
- Whiteness or any other bleach is applied to the surface in pure form and wash off after 1-2 hours.
Another way is to fill the bathtub with hot water, add 2-3 bottles of bleach and leave it overnight.
- Mix ammonia and hydrogen peroxide in equal quantities and apply to the bath.
After half an hour, rinse with cool water. To remove old stains, the exposure time can be increased to several hours. The product is used for cast iron or steel baths.
At home, you can remove rust and other stains with a melamine sponge.
Folk remedies remove contaminants no worse than household chemicals and at the same time have several more advantages:
- save budget;
- safe for breathing and vision in most cases.
In the video, the woman clearly shows how she cleans the bathtub using her own method - water and citric acid.
Before you start fighting plaque on the surface of the bathtub, you need to decide on several points:
- material;
- age and degree of contamination.
Cast iron baths
Most often they are quite old; now, due to the high cost and heaviness of the material, they are difficult to find on sale. Such products maintain water temperature for a long time and muffle noise.
They are resistant to mechanical damage, so high concentration acids and alkalis, as well as coarse abrasives, including a metal brush, can be used to clean them.
Acrylic bathtubs
Differ in a variety of shapes and appearance, as well as cast iron, products from polymer material keep water warm for a long time and absorb sound.
Their only drawback is instability to mechanical and chemical influences.
For bleaching acrylic bathtubs and products with polymer coating or the insert can only be used soft remedies and fabric. Acetone, vinegar, soda, alkalis and acids are not used for bleaching this type of plumbing fixtures; they are cleaned by special means no more than once every 1.5-2 weeks.
Steel enameled bathtubs
They are similar in strength to cast iron, but the enamel layer is thinner. The same agents (in lower concentrations) are used for bleaching; their contact with the surface should not exceed 15 minutes.
Do not use hard sponges or metal brushes.
In any case, when cleaning the bathtub, be sure to wear strong rubber gloves and a gauze bandage. It is better to open the windows while working. Under no circumstances should you mix the 2 different means, as a result of unpredictable chemical reaction Possible damage to the coating.
What to do if the bathtub does not clean?
If it was not possible to bring the bathtub back to normal, there are several options for getting out of the situation:
- Buy a new one.
It would seem that buying a bathtub is the easiest thing to do, but this can hit the family budget. In addition, dismantling and installation of one bath often ends complete renovation bathroom.
- Order an acrylic liner.
An alternative is to order an acrylic liner according to the size of the bathtub. It is manufactured within a few days and quickly installed. At a minimum cost, in comparison with the previous method, you can get a new modern bath. But this method is not cheap either.
- Cover with new enamel or acrylic.
The best option for family budget- painting the bathtub. You can do this yourself, or seek the services of specialists.
Before covering the bathtub, its surface is sanded and degreased, and then filled with a new layer of enamel or glass. In the first case, you can use the product after a week, in the second after 3-4 days.
Preventing discoloration
It is often easier to prevent yellowing of the bathtub than to get rid of it. For this it is recommended:
- After each use, wash off dirt with a soft cloth or sponge;
- use special products once a week;
- troubleshoot problems in a timely manner - a dripping faucet will negate all efforts and lead to the appearance of difficult-to-remove stains;
- avoid sudden temperature changes - do not pour into cold bath boiling water and vice versa.
Keep your bath snow-white for a long time – not an easy task, regular use of household chemicals or home remedies will help to cope with it. You need to choose products wisely, taking into account the material from which the bath is made and the degree of contamination.