how do I clean the bathtub?

DrPablo

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I've been doing my paper developing in trays in my bathtub. I've gotten some reddish-brown stains on the tub that I can't seem to get off. I've even scrubbed with steel wool. There must be some kind of chemical way to dissolve them. I don't want to lose my security deposit over this!
 

lee

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take the brand name Comet and sprinkle on the spots (cover a goodly amount) and leave it for a few hours. Then scrub the spots. That should remove the spots. Worked on my tub.

lee\c
 

Gerald Koch

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lee said:
take the brand name Comet and sprinkle on the spots (cover a goodly amount) and leave it for a few hours. Then scrub the spots. That should remove the spots. Worked on my tub.

lee\c
Click to expand...
Be careful Comet will scratch!!! Bon Ami will not and you might try this first or one of the tile and tub cleaners.
 

Michel Hardy-Vallée

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Vim is a creamy liquid that has good scrubbing properties, designed for bathub stuff, and is less annoying than the powder ones that always end up in my nose.
 

Donald Miller

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I have found that the reddish brown stains of selenium are virtually impossible to remove. This is more true of fiberglass construction than cast iron/porcelain consturction
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Try Clorox Clean-Up. It works for me with selenium toner stains, as long as they're cleaned relatively quickly (by the next day, which can be how long it takes for them to show up).

Amidol stains need to be cleaned very quickly after the session to avoid becoming permanent.

Silver nitrate stains can be tough. One day I'll have to mix up some permanganate bleach, and I think that should take care of them.
 

Nicholas Lindan

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DrPablo said:
I've been doing my paper developing in trays in my bathtub. I've gotten some reddish-brown stains on the tub
Click to expand...

If the stains are organic from developer then Clorox applied to a sponge and left to sit on the stain may remove it.

For silver residue try silver polish.

If the stains are metalic then try some tub stain remover from the hardware store.

After that things get - interesting:

Google for "chromic acid", "piranah solution", "persulfate sulfuric acid"
"permanganate sulfuric or nitric acid" ... These may leave the stain in place and instead remove the house. They work on glass, if the vitreous in your bathtub is truely virtuous they be OK, if not they will make a _real_ mess.
Chromic acid is the old laboratory glasswear cleaner and used to be recomended by Kodak but pouring chromium down the drain is considered a no-no these days.

I second the recomendation for Bon Ami ... scrubbing with regular cleansers will leave fine scratches in the bathtub and then the stains will >really< stick.
 

KEK

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Abrasives aren't recommended for srubbing tubs and if you take the glaze off the tub you probably will lose your deposit. If you have a porcelian tub see if the shine is gone where your spots are. If it is the damage is done so scrub away.
 

mark

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And my wife claims there is no practical reason for me to spend so much time here.
 

AgCl4ever

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If the above recipes/ suggestions have not worked, first try liquid toilet bowl cleaner, allowing it to sit overnight with a soaked ragful over the stain. Next day, rinse well and then soak with household bleach. If that doesn't work, a very nasty (fumes, carcinogenic) combination of potassium dichromate and sulfuric acid, listed as "tray cleaner" in various photo recipe books, might be worth a try. I can look up formula if you need it.

Ken
 

copake_ham

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Speaking as a landlord - dude, you're in deep sh*t!

Speaking a an APUG'er let me first ask - how long do you have left on your lease?

If you have a few months - use time and a mild bleach-based cleaners first. There are a bunch of those spray bathtub cleansers out there. I use one to spray my tub/shower each morning before diving in so as to make the big-time clean up easier.

If you have the time -spray the tub before and after each use (for personal hygiene reasons!). Over time, the stain should "disappear" without killing the glaze with abrasive cleansers - that is provided you do not repeat your staining experience. So stop using the tub in such a manner!

If there is still a stain (hopefully much lighter) at the end of the lease - then attack with a cleanser and hope your landlord returns your deposit before realizing you've killed the glaze!
 
OP
OP

DrPablo

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I'm impressed with the volume of insight and experience here!

To update you, I found the trick: Bar Keeper's Friend.

It worked like a charm and got everything off (the dried developer and the dried selenium).

Here's the interesting side note. I'm finishing a medical fellowship program in Boston and moving to North Carolina next July, where my wife has a job and where we have a new house. We were on the phone and she heard me scrubbing in the background. Knowing that I never clean the bathtub without being nagged, I had to explain that I wasn't expecting some illicit company, but rather I'd started developing film in the bathtub. And yes, I shower in there too every now and then. She was protective of the Bar Keeper's Friend, though, which is dedicated to the pots and pans we got for our wedding. Thankfully we've found a way to order it online -- both for the sake of our pots and my security deposit.
 

Dorothy Blum Cooper

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Didn't have time to read through every response so I don't know if this was suggested. My Grandmother used this cleaning solution years ago and I still swear by it.

Not sure if you can pour baking soda directly on the spots/stains (i.e. on sides of tub) but if you can, cover them with the soda, then pour white distilled vinegar on the spots where the baking soda is. You'll get a volcanic 'foam' and it literally 'sizzles', but don't worry. It's working.

When I have really tough stains to remove from our old porcelain or even porous plastic, alot of the times this works.

Oh, and gentleman (and ladies) for those of you who mess up clothes alot (stains) try this trick on the spot about 30 minutes prior to washing. This solution has even removed aged rust spots from clothing and never harmed any of our garments or linens.
 

JLP

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Now don't laugh, the good old WD40 sometimes make mirracles, i havent tried on a bath tub but give it a try if nothing of the above works, it has come to my rescue a few times when everything else failed.


jan
 

blaze-on

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I would get a plastic liner for it now so you can continue processing.
The disposable (for painting) ones are like .99¢ so after each use just toss.
 

c6h6o3

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Tilex will completely obliterate pyro or amidol stains on porcelain bathtubs or sinks instantly. I can't answer for selenium.
 

seezee

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I know this is an old thread, but never apply toilet bowl cleaner to anything other than the toilet. It will eat right through the porcelain glaze on your tub in just a few minutes. I know this from experience — an idiot roommate used bowl cleaner on my tub after I complained of oily rags he left there after performing car maintenance. The results were immediate and catastrophic. To add insult to injury, the damaged surface holds dirt & stains like crazy.
 

Jim Noel

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EDTA should dissolve away the stain with no scratching, etc. This common photo chemical does some amazing things.
 

Ian Grant

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Rubbish, Sodium Hypochlorite doesn't eat glaze, scouring compounds damage and scratch it and that's what most people use hence the damage. Toilets and porcelain glazed baths are made with EXACTLY the same materials, most modern baths are fibre glass anyway.

I would use toilet bleach and do with NO ill effects on a variety of sinks, baths, etc.

Ian
 
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