How do I clean my bathtub?

Understand the Science and Trust the chemicals

Bleach is DANGEROUS

Bleach is a sanitizer - not a cleaner
Please - Don't use bleach to clean

Look on the back of the bottle; if the label warns not to mix with bleach, it's because it will create a gas that can do serious harm to your short term and long term health.

chart listing common household chemicals that should not be mixed together — don't mix these household chemicals

1) Above all - clean with chemistry, not advertising:

Soap is Lye, Fat, and Water - its "free" molecule attracts fat molecules, which is how it cleans. When water in the bath evaporates it leaves behind both the soap-fat combination and the minerals that were in the water... "Soap Scum".

* Soap, waxes and oils need an emulsifier like D-limonene or T-limonene; "D" comes from citrus oil like oranges, and "T" comes from tree oil like pine... pine solvent...Pine-Sol-Vent. Cheap and easy to find - that's nice.

* Mineral deposits require an acid or an alkali and water to dissolve them.

Some mineral deposits are light enough to be removed with vinegar or lemon juice. Both are mild and safe acids used for general cleaning all around the house.

The acids in products bought off the shelf can cause problems with some finishes and are not safe to have around some other household chemicals.

An organic salt (an alkali) is safer but may be hard to find; you can narrow it down by noting if the "caution" label warns "do not mix with bleach" - which usually means it's an acid.

Not all alkalis are safe, either, but the ones you typically find in a residential grocery store are non-reactive with other household cleaning chemicals and are septic system safe.

Remember, never casually mix chemicals trying to create a "super-cleaner" - toxic gases, fires, and explosions are common-place reactions in chemistry.

simple_acid_cleaners — Organic acid cleaners

2) The most avoided step - clean in layers:

That impressive wall of white soap scum consists of dirt, body-stuff, minerals, and cleaning products. It was built one daily shower after another, like layers of sedimentary rock, layers upon layers built over time.

The cleaning chemical bonds to the soap scum to form an emulsified layer, or slurry. The cleanser cannot get past that emulsified layer and needs to be removed by rinsing.

Rinse it away and repeat - that simple. The first time you may have to remove multiple layers, but with regular cleaning it will be a breeze.

mineral deposits are removed by cleaning in layers — mineral deposits and soap scum are removed layer by layer

3) Finally, clean regularly:

Keep those layers of soap-scum and minerals thin so that your cleaning day isn't all day. To reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do, reduce the water that will evaporate and leave soap scum.

After showering, wipe down the surface with a wash cloth or a bath chamois. The less water, the quicker your unit dries; the quicker it dries, the less chance for mold or mildew to grow.