happycc Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 my bathtub has really bad soap scum. What can I use to get rid of soap scum without bleach. I am allergic to most cleaning agents especially those with bleach. I have tried vinegar and baking soda to no avail. I have really bad pelvic pain (pregnant) so leaning over a tub and scrubbing the sides is really really painful. Something that doesn't require scrubbing. I tried to get a rag and a little of soap and it still wouldn;'t get the soap scum off. What else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowing Brook Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Tooth paste I know it sounds crazy but I have cleaned what seemed like impossible sinks with tooth paste. I regularly use scour off from shaklee. It is a all natural product that gets tubs, showers, and bathroom sinks really clean without too much scrubbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 If the soap scum won't come off with an abrasive cleaner, it may be that it's being held there by mineral deposits. If you can handle them, try some Barkeeper's Friend or Lime Away to dissolve the minerals. After that, using some kind of abrasive cleaner will probably work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Scrubbing Bubbles, hold your breath, spray it on, come back in 10 minutes and wipe away! It is slightly strong, no bleach, I spray one wall, go to hall for a breath, then another, back, and so forth. I have a sensitive nose too. You might need to do it a second time if its really bad, but the stuff is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Dawn dish detergent might work, but it will still take scrubbing. Can you get one of the kids to do the scrub work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 The first thing that came to mind, your 10 year olds. They are certainly old enough to get down and scrub the bathtub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Magic eraser! Bonus: no chemicals. I tried every nasty chemical out there and none would work on the scum buildup in my tub, but the magic eraser worked like a charm. It did take a little elbow grease, but it wasn't too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaN. Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 A Snuggle dryer sheet with water. Really. I use Snuggle because it has a lot of the ingredients in there compared to cheaper brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Use a DRY microfiber cloth to scrub it off. You may need more than one as it coats the rag. I would either leave it until after baby comes or get someone else to do the job. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Magic eraser! Bonus: no chemicals. I tried every nasty chemical out there and none would work on the scum buildup in my tub, but the magic eraser worked like a charm. It did take a little elbow grease, but it wasn't too bad. :iagree: I agree the soap scum comes right off in disgusting little rolls of black gunge and you rinse it down the drain. They are expensive, but I like that my boys can use them easily and aren't exposed to chemicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I use SoftScrub cleanser and a Magic Eraser. It comes right off. You may have to scrub it more than once if the scum is super thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane in CO Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Use mixture of vinegar and dawn dishwashing soap (about 1/2 and 1/2) and squirt onto soap scum....Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then wipe off. If there is still some soap scum left...rinse and repeat :001_smile: I tried this several weeks ago and my extremely nasty soap scummy bathtub is sparkling clean! Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Use mixture of vinegar and dawn dishwashing soap (about 1/2 and 1/2) and squirt onto soap scum....Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then wipe off. If there is still some soap scum left...rinse and repeat :001_smile: I tried this several weeks ago and my extremely nasty soap scummy bathtub is sparkling clean! Diane ITA, vinegar and Dawn ! I do most of my cleaning with this combination. I use the vinegar undiluted in a spray bottle to wet it down. I put a few drops of Dawn in a wet Dobie sponge and squeeze it around, then scrub the vinegary surface until it is all sudsy, and let it sit. I come back later and scrub it once more and rinse with hot water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natalie Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 We switched to body wash and no longer have any issues with soap scum. (just something to consider once you've gotten it off :001_smile:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Scrubbing Bubbles, hold your breath, spray it on, come back in 10 minutes and wipe away! It is slightly strong, no bleach, I spray one wall, go to hall for a breath, then another, back, and so forth. I have a sensitive nose too. You might need to do it a second time if its really bad, but the stuff is great! Yep, the best stuff ever. You can actually see the grime settling at the bottom of the tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaN. Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 ITA, vinegar and Dawn ! I do most of my cleaning with this combination. I use the vinegar undiluted in a spray bottle to wet it down. I put a few drops of Dawn in a wet Dobie sponge and squeeze it around, then scrub the vinegary surface until it is all sudsy, and let it sit. I come back later and scrub it once more and rinse with hot water. Love this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 A razor blade scraper. That is what we had to use when I was on the dorm clean up crew in college. I still do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Use mixture of vinegar and dawn dishwashing soap (about 1/2 and 1/2) and squirt onto soap scum....Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then wipe off. If there is still some soap scum left...rinse and repeat :001_smile: I tried this several weeks ago and my extremely nasty soap scummy bathtub is sparkling clean! Diane :iagree::iagree::iagree: This..definitely this! We get horrible build-up due to hard water mixed with bar soap. I've tried everything, and the only thing that sort of worked for this type of plague was oven cleaner. One day I read about the dawn/vinegar mixture, so I figure that it couldn't hurt to try. It was incredible! Everything sparkles. The thick horrible plague that nothing, even oven cleaner, would touch melted away with this stuff. If it is really, really bad, I recommend spraying it on the area and let it sit overnight. The next morning re-spray and let sit for a few minutes then wipe. Impossible shower doors come out clear. Thick plague on shower walls under the soap holder wipes right off and shines. Just heat up the vinegar to very warm (not boiling or anything such as that..just pretty warm) and pour into a spray bottle. Add an equal amount of blue Dawn dishsoap. That's all. Certainly your bathroom will smell of vinegar for a short time (goes away after an hour or so) but the results are great. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Use a mixture of vinegar and BLUE Dawn dish detergent. Google it. It works awesome! Yeah, it stinks like vinegar for awhile, but my asthma prone daughter can now clean the bathrooms without wheezing afterwards! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Use mixture of vinegar and dawn dishwashing soap (about 1/2 and 1/2) and squirt onto soap scum....Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then wipe off. If there is still some soap scum left...rinse and repeat :001_smile: I tried this several weeks ago and my extremely nasty soap scummy bathtub is sparkling clean! Diane This works. Wipe it off with dry towels. If it's very bad, you might have to do it twice. When you mix it, microwave the vinegar first until it's very hot, mix in a spray bottle, squirt the whole tub until it's saturated, set a timer and walk away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsanniep Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I also recommend the Dawn/vinegar combination. I cut down on the amount of Dawn, though, as it gets very sudsy when I'm rinsing and washing the tub walls. The vinegar smell can be overwhelming, too. Just FYI. I usually wipe everything down with a damp hand towel after I'm done scrubbing, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I also recommend the Dawn/vinegar combination. I cut down on the amount of Dawn, though, as it gets very sudsy when I'm rinsing and washing the tub walls. The vinegar smell can be overwhelming, too. Just FYI. I usually wipe everything down with a damp hand towel after I'm done scrubbing, too. Don't rinse. Wipe it out with a dry towel or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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