How To Clean A Tub

By Wet & Forget

We all like to think that our tubs are pristine, but deep down, we know the exact parts of our bath that we cannot reach and thus cannot clean. It’s time to rid ourselves of this shame and declare boldly: We don’t always do the best job cleaning our bathtub.

Yet, cleaning your tub doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, if you do it regularly, it can be pretty darn easy.

So, don’t be ashamed. Instead, take a quick gander at our guide on how to clean your tub so you can better understand what makes your tub dirty, how to get it clean, and how to keep it clean in the future.

What Makes Your Bathtub Dirty?

Any bathtub is at risk of a visit from these common enemies of cleanliness:

Bacteria: If you notice pink mold-like stains on your bathtub, the issue isn’t mold but a bacteria colony called Serratia marcescens.
Mold: Mold can look slimy or sticky and burrows into cracks and crevices in your tub and the surrounding tile.
Mildew: Mildew, though often interchangeably with mold, is a different type of fungal growth. It spreads along surfaces and has a powdery texture.
Soap Scum: Soap scum is the white or gray film that can cover bathtubs, sinks, and showers. It forms when the minerals in water combine with the oils found in soap and then dries.
Grime: Grime is a bit of a catchall for non-mold, non-mildew, and non-bacterial stains. The stains can be yellow or a darker gray or black, and grime is typically caused by dirt and oils getting trapped on the tub’s surface or the surrounding tile.

How Often Should You Clean Your Bath?

Follow our quick tips to learn how to clean a tub and tub fixtures.

You can typically keep your bathtub pristine by giving it a thorough cleaning at least once a week. However, if your tub’s starting point is more foul than typical, it may prove beneficial to clean it every day until it reaches your standard for cleanliness. At that point, you can resume cleaning it only once a week.

How Do You Clean a Tub?

The idea of cleaning a tub may initially spur sense memories of ill-fitting rubber gloves, harsh fumes from cleaning agents, and sore joints. While some still use sweat equity to invest in a spotless tub, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Take Wet & Forget Shower, for example. Don’t let the use of the word “shower” in its name fool you; it works just as well on tubs. Some of the more popular tub surfaces include:

Acrylic
Glass tiles
Granite
Fiberglass
Natural Stone
Porcelain
Slate

Note: The only surface Wet & Forget Shower should not be used is natural marble.

It can also be used on your tub’s faucet and curtains.

Additionally, Wet & Forget Shower cleans softly and without the use of ammonia, bleach, and dyes. The spray is non-abrasive, so you don’t have to worry about scratching the tub’s surface.

Plus, the formula gives off a pleasing vanilla or fresh scent, so the bathroom always smells like a welcoming spa instead of a sterilized laboratory. And it does this all without the need for scrubbing, wiping, or working up a sweat.

Put simply: using Wet & Forget Shower makes it incredibly easy for you to clean your tub and keep it clean. All you have to do is follow a few steps:

Open the flip cap at the top of the bottle.
Remove the sprayer from its slot in the handle.
Stretch out the hose connected to the sprayer to its full three-foot length.
Press the hose tip into the opening on the top of the bottle until you hear it click into place
Rotate the nozzle at the sprayer’s tip to either spray or stream, depending on your need.
Spray your tub’s surface, including surrounding tiles and the faucet. The extended sprayer hose lets you get to typically hard-to-reach spots.
Once finished spraying, turn the On/Off lever to Closed and return the sprayer to its holster on the bottle.
Let the spray do its work by letting it sit for at least 8 hours and no more than 24.
Rinse the tub thoroughly before entering or using the tub.
Repeat once a week.

This process will prevent the formation of soap scum and shower grime. It will also remove surface mold and mildew stains.

When you need a refill, don’t worry! You can save money and waste less plastic by picking up the Wet & Forget gallon refill size.

How Do You Disinfect Your Tub?

There are times when you might want to do more than a simple yet effective, cleaning of your tub’s surfaces. In those instances, it’s just as important to know how to disinfect your tub, too.

To kill bacteria and viruses and inhibit mold and mildew growth, consider using Wet & Forget Indoor.

The indoor formula kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses* on hard non-porous surfaces.

*As a disinfectant, Wet & Forget Indoor Mold+ Mildew Disinfectant Cleaner kills: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Serratia marcescens, *Human Coronavirus,*Influenza Virus Type A/ Hong Kong, *SARS Associated Coronavirus cause of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, *SARS-Related Coronavirus 2 SARS-CoV-2 cause of COVID-19, *Vaccinia (Pox Virus), *Norwalk Virus (Norovirus), *Rotavirus.

Setting up the sprayer is similar to the process used with Wet & Forget Shower. After prepping the sprayer, spray the formula onto any concerning areas on the tub’s surface until the surface is visibly wet and allow it to air dry.

The spray is effective on the tub’s surface, faucet, and curtains.

Wet & Forget Indoor can be part of your weekly tub cleaning routine to keep mold and mildew at bay. However, rinse the area thoroughly before using a second spray and never mix the two formulas together.

What About Hard Water Stains?

Wet & Forget Shower can clean up mild hard water stains with weekly use. However, if you are battling very severe hard water stains, it’s best to tackle them before applying Wet & Forget Shower. Luckily, all you need to rid your tub of these stains are everyday household products like white vinegar and baking soda.

Once you’ve pulled these cleaning ingredients, along with an empty spray bottle and some paper towels, out of your pantry, ridding your tub of hard water stains is simple:

Soak your paper towels with vinegar.
Place the soaked paper towels on any hard water stains.
Let it sit for an hour or two.
While the soaked paper towels are sitting, fill your spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and warm water.
After the hour is up, remove the paper towels and sprinkle baking soda on the stains.
Spray the stains with the vinegar-water mixture and let it mix with the baking soda.
Let the mixture bubble and sit for about 15 minutes.
Scrub the stains away.

While some scrubbing is involved here, you likely won’t have to repeat this process every week. Now that you’re using Wet & Forget Shower, you’ll see a drastic slowdown in the build up of hard water stains with weekly use.

Other Tips and Tricks

If you have to do some moderate scrubbing on your hard water stains, avoid using any abrasive tools like steel wool. These tools can scratch the surface and make it more likely dirt, oil, and other gross bits get caught on the tub’s surface.

It is also a good practice to ensure your bathroom has plenty of ventilation to help eliminate humidity in the air when showering or bathing, as humidity and moisture can cause mold and mildew to grow.

If you’re interested in purchasing a new tub, you should be aware that some materials are better at staying clean than others.

Acrylic, for instance, is typically resistant to mold and mildew as well as cracks and scratches. On the other hand, fiberglass tubs are more vulnerable to damage, stains, mold, and mildew growth.