Cleaning the bath - there has to be something better

[Gliblet]

Help! What do you clean your bath with? 4 nights a week DH and DS are doing a sport that involves being barefoot on a filthy floor (and the shower is over the bath) so I blame them, but our bath is a nightmare to clean. I use decreasing kitchen spray with a sponge/scrubby thing which takes ages and a lot of elbow grease. I don't mind if that's what it takes, but years from now if someone tells me there was a miracle product/technique that everyone else knew about I'm going to be spitting feathers 😁

Do you live in a hard water area? If you have limescale on the bath, the dirt can stick to that and be hard to remove. In which case, try a limescale remover and see if that helps.

I got an electric scrubbing brush from amazon for the bathrooms and it was a game changer. That and cilit bang cleans eveything so quickly.

Buy bidet towels (tiny) and put them in the bath for them to stand on. Washing machine /little bleach if really stained. Scrub daddy and Cif for general bath cleaning. Not sure why they can’t rinse /clean the bath after each use though before it builds up.

Bloody hell, hadn't even occurred to me... Right, descaler THEN try out some of the tips on this thread (which have been brilliant, thank you all).

And yes, our water is so hard if we go on holiday in Wales or Norfolk or similar I have to remember to use 1/4 of the usual amount of shampoo.

I use normal fairy liquid and very hot water to clean everything, except the toilet.

I use have a dishmatic wand that came with bathroom sponges and I fill that with flash bathroom liquid. Really quick to whiz around the bath then rinse it off.

another vote for the pink stuff

Could they stand on a towel in the bath, instead of directly on the bath. That way the dirty, greasy muck goes on the towel, which can go straight into the washing machine?

Try get some mechanics hand degreaser "soap" from a builder supplier / motor parts shop it should cut through any residue on their feet before it gets a chance to stick to the bath.

I don’t understand why people don’t clean the bath after them!!
It is not such hard work if it is done straight away and doesn’t build up.
Who wants to get into a dirty bath?

Don't use pink stuff. It will degrade the surface of the bath.

Fill the bath with hot water. Then add some bio laundry detergent. Just leave for a while.
Pull out the plug, rinse and it's all clean.

This stuff is amazing for dirty showers, I’m sure it’ll work for baths as well! I saw a cleaner on here recommend it and have been grateful to them ever since….

Bar keepers KIL089617 friend power spray 500ml, 1 - Pack https://amzn.eu/d/5rC6SQ1

Do they not rinse the bath after using it? I normally use Cif, or off brand option.

Viakal bathroom cleaner is the best for a deep clean or Flash Bathroom spray for a daily clean.

I'm in a super soft water area though so never have any limescale buildup.

I am pretty sure I ruined our last bath with Pink Stuff. It is abrasive and it seemed to take the shiny surface away and then soap scum and grime clung to the slightly roughened bath surface and nothing could get it clean again. Tried a steamer, washing up liquid, loads of different bathroom sprays and zoflora with no luck. Got a new bath now- only being wiped with a soft cloth and so far method glass cleaner, which makes it lovely and shiny and squeaky clean.

Fairy liquid and cif cream cleaner.
And one of those sonic brush cleaners from Amazon. We’re in a hard water area and fairy liquid always does a great job in the shower and bath.

Hmm ok maybe I should rethink the pink stuff!

Viakal spray, spray it around the bath, then use a cloth to smear it around so a thin layer covers everything, leave it for a few minutes for it to work on the limescale and then rinse and wipe off.

Viakal is really strong though, I usually wear a face mask (one of the old reusable ones from covid) when using it and make sure the room is well ventilated.

Good plan!!

I use cif cream cleaner on a cloth then rinse well, it's what I've used for decades to clean my 40 year old bath.
I wouldn't use Pink Stuff on anything. I was recommended it by someone when helping to clean a filthy house bought by my son, it certainly got the kitchen dirt off quickly but it visibly scratched the surfaces of things that would have been fine with Cif, it's extremely abrasive.

I’ve ditched all my special bathroom cleaning products in favour of plain washing up liquid.

(Copying my scientist friend, whose 40 year old bath is still in immaculate showroom condition from doing the same).

Same on basins also.

Delete bathroom cleaning to one or both of the dirty feet club members

Flash Bathroom Spray (without bleach) is amazing and the Scrub Daddy sponges other posters suggest are brilliant.

I think you need to use a cleaner for bathrooms rather than kitchens, especially as you’re using a degreasing one and it’s dirt not grease on the bath. A general cleaner like Cif cream (because it’s slightly abrasive but not enough to damage the bath surface) or Pink Stuff should also be effective.

The limescale info is amazing - it hadn’t occurred to me that muck would adhere to it. If you’re using limescale remover on an acrylic bath please test a small area. I used it and it removed the shine from the bath. I’d squirted it around the top and let it dribble down so could never get rid of the shape this made because the shine was lost beneath the dribbled on areas (I hope this makes sense!)

Your son sounds great with all the things he helps out with - you should be rightly proud of him.

Seconding the earlier suggestion for the electric scrubbing brush. I’ve just bought one and it’s an absolute game changer.

Baby wipes on bottom of feet pre-shower. Dishmatic wand with vinegar and fairy liquid to rub around area and rinse.