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knitforbrains

bathroom help

knitforbrains
10 years ago

Any advice on how to get rid of moldy-looking spots on the caulking in our shower/tub? I've scrubbed the heck out of it and tried everything from white vinegar to Tilex to straight-up bleach, but nothing seems to do the trick.

Also, our shower is a plastic insert and is starting to get that "ring-around-the-tub" look. It's starting to look really dingy.

Any advice to get things sparkling again? *I* know my tub & shower get cleaned regularly, but I absolutely hate the idea of house guests using our shower (only bathroom in the house) and thinking that it's unscrubbed or dirty. :S

Many thanks in advance ~

Comments (5)

  • emma
    10 years ago

    People in here have tried Fantastic and say it doesn't work, but for me it melts the soap scum easily. I let it set until I see the dirty streaks running down. After reading in here I checked my shower and did see a dark shadow (I thought) about 4 inches high at the bottom of my shower insert and sure enough it was scum. It came right off. Now I make sure when I dry the shower I get that part. I don't even have to clean my shower because of drying it after my shower.

    This post was edited by EmmaR on Mon, Sep 16, 13 at 16:09

  • Jo-Ann
    10 years ago

    Have you tried CLR? They make several products, one of which is a foamy spray type thing that comes in a bottle, specially for cleaning bathroom tile. I think it works partly because it actually sticks to the tile for a while rather than immediately running down the wall. Also, something like Softscrub (or my cheapie version of softscrub, which is 50% dish soap, Dawn is good, and 50% Borax) might do the trick as well although some elbow grease might be required as well as a good rinse afterwards).

    I feel your pain - soap scum on the plastic is brutal. Once you get it off, a regular application of whatever you found that works for you is the only answer!

  • callie25
    10 years ago

    I think the trick is to let your cleaner do the work for you. I don't have too much success with the spray on bathroom cleaners. Organic is right about the Dawn, let it set a while and see if it melts off the soap scum. Wet a sponge, don't squeeze the sponge dry, apply the dish detergent to the sponge and walk away for a while. If the Dawn doesn't work, try a different dish detergent such as Palmolive. You just don't want to use anything abrasive (if fiberglass). Re: the moldy spots on the caulking, what you tried should have worked (if not remove the caulk, clean all traces of mold & recaulk with some of the waterproof caulking available (some have a 10 yr warranty).

  • tibbrix
    10 years ago

    It's surprisingly easy to give yourself a "new" shower. First, remove the caulking and replace it with mildew resistant silicone caulking.

    Then, get one of the kits out now for painting even fiberglass showers. When I bought my house, the main bath had a gross dark green, filthy, cracked shower/tub. I took the hideous doors off, along with the track. I got the Rust-O-Leum kit for painting a fiberglass shower/tub. White. I followed the directions to a t. you scrub the wall with those green scratchy pads, get it as clean as you can and scratched up. Mix the two materials that come in the kit, and with a small foam roller brush, paint the shower. It's surprisingly easy, and the results are amazing. I rent my house in the summer to vacationers, and one of them this summer wrote a review for the Web site where I advertise the house, and in her review, she wrote, The bathrooms are new and sparkling. Nope, they're not. The white in the kit is SO bright. They work really well IF you follow the directions carefully.

    For the full tub/shower combo, it took three kits. Total cost me $100. Not bad for a "brand new" shower and tub!

    This post was edited by Tibbrix on Wed, Sep 18, 13 at 20:37

  • kmeyrowitz
    10 years ago

    Dampen some paper towel strips or toilet paper and press it into place on the moldy area. Spray with a bleach solution till it's dripping wet -- press the paper to make sure it's making contact. Leave it till it dries.

    If this doesn't work, I'm afraid you'll have to replace the grout. After removing it, do the paper-and-bleach treatment in the area before adding new caulk.

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