Tips for cleaning an enamelled cast iron bath...

[Gingefringe]

I have tried a few things but am always a bit nervous of wearing off the enamel and the bath mousse I used recently has stained part of the bath (strange yellow strips).
Anyone got any good tips? Suspect more traditional methods should be used.

Oh We have an old enamel bath so it will never look brillant. I use Cif spray at the moment. Will look at this thread with interest.

I use ecover cream cleanser (one of those gritty abrasive cleaners) on mine, but its old and I want a new bath anyway! I've never noticed any damage from it though.

Think I'll take a trip into Lakeland and ask the advice of the nice ladies there. I'll keep you posted.

I use cillit bang.

do not use anything acidic as this will wear away the enamel and it will feel like crayon.
so no vinegar, cilit bang etc.
mild cream cleaner should be ok, but check the bottle. I once ruined an enamel bath by using a strong descaler [voice of experience], had to repaint the whole thing (rented accomodation). expensive and messy.

Leaving biological washing powder in some water in the bath helps.
I also used put some in a jar with water, shake it up and use that on a cloth, then rinse well.

I've been using cillit bang for years on my enamel bath and it has done it no damage at all - still shiny and white!

CaptainNancy Going to try that one

Thanks Captain - will certainly try that one. I bought a cleaner from John Lewis called 'Bath Power' which is supposedly quite a gentle liquid in a spray - seems ok but I'll also try the biological washing powder trick.

I think Bath Power is acidic? Yes, just been and checked the bottle I've got, it advises you to spot test on enamel, so I would be careful with it. I bought it without reading this. I normally use HG Bathshine, which you can get from Homebase etc and independent hardware shops, it is very concentrated and lasts ages.

Limescale is a pain though, no matter how much I clean it, limescale gradually builds up round the tap and you have to be very careful with limescale removing products as they are all acidic.

Salt + a kitchen scourer (sponge one side, slightly rougher stuff the other) + lots of elbow grease
Then a clean round with washing up liquid + white vinegar mix with another kitchen scourer
Do this once a week for a few weeks and you get a super sparkly tub
(Is what used to do when had enamel bath and was a bit grotty from previous owners to start with)

Had our cast iron bath re-enamelled not long back, man who did it recommended ecover washing up liquid.

Try Magic Dirt Erasers - I just moved back to the UK and was really relieved I found them for sale here, as they saved me countless times in very smart rented homes across the world. Still to find dirt they won't shift.

I got mine from Amazon (they're advertised as 20x Magic Dirt Erasers - sorry can't do links) and they last forever as you can break them up into the sizes you need. Also, ZERO chemicals and very little elbow grease. Just wet, squeeze excess and dab! I actually just used them last night on a Le Creuset flan dish with brilliant results.

PS: I don't sell them and also find it hard to believe how passionate I am about a cleaning product!