Leaving steel objects such as shavers, shaving cream cans or other bath and shower accessories made out of metal can create rust stains on your bathtub. If you leave the objects near the bathtub for a long period of time, it will start to rust and the rust stain will transfer onto the porcelain or ceramic finish of your bathtub. But of course, the best thing to do would be to keep such objects far from your bathtub. If you must, leave those objects standing in a container so that the blades or any metal parts do not come in contact with the bathtub surface. And if you notice rust stains on your bathtub, remove them as soon as possible before they eat further into the bathtub surface and become more and more stubborn. Although rust stains do not respond well to most cleaning detergents, it is still possible to remove them from your bathtub, albeit a little more effort.
- Leave the rust stained area to completely dry before starting work on it. This is because you don’t want the cleaning solution to get dissolved by water or any other chemicals left on your bathtub surface when you start. If you start on the rust stained area when it is still wet, not only will the cleaning process be less effective, you may also need to repeat the steps a few times to completely remove the stain. For this project, you want to get it done and over with as quickly as possible due to the harmful substances involved.
- For the next steps, make sure you have on rubber gloves and other safety gear while working on the stain. Also leave all doors and windows open for optimum ventilation.
- First, pour a toilet cleaner that contains hydrochloric acid onto the rust stained area and you should see some of the stain coming off.
- Scrub the stain using a nylon scrub brush or a nylon scouring pad until the stain is dissolved.
- Thoroughly rinse the area with water to remove every last bit of toilet cleaner. You may also want to rinse the entire tub to completely remove any rust detached from your bathtub.
- If there is more rust left behind, repeat the process until completely removed.
- For light stains, you can also try pouring cola directly onto the stain and letting it sit for about 30 minutes. If that is not possible, soak a towel in cola and leave it on the stained spot. After that, use a scrub brush or a pad to loosen the rust and rinse the area thoroughly with water.
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zero101/3264555116/
