I have a 100 yr old bathtub, but I also have iron in the water and it stains the tub. "LimeAway" cleanser made the situation worse by putting grooves in the tub. So now the iron settles into the grooves. No cleanser and no home made cleanser seems to be working. I tried vinegar and baking soda, peroxide and baking soda, Ajax w/ bleach, and plain old dish soap. I want to find some kind of "urethane" top coat stuff I could paint on to make cleaning the tub easier, yet something that wont discolor from the iron or wear off. Maybe a marine urethane, one made for boats?? Does anyone have this problem or a solution?? Thanks.

-- Michele Rae Padgett (michelesmelodyfarm@Yahoo.com), March 08, 2001

Answers

I'm afraid that I have the problem but not the solution. I not only get rust stains in my tub and toilet but I get that turquoise blue stain as well which I think is from copper pipes with hard water. I'll be looking to see if anyone has a solution to getting the stains out as I have not been able to find one that works. I was wondering if anyone had any luck with that "Zap" cleaning product you see on tv.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), March 08, 2001.

At the bigger hardware stores they sell a two part epoxy tub refinishing paint. It is a real epoxy and lasts a long time with proper care, and you can always repaint as necessary in the future.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 08, 2001.

The only thing I have found that works on the iron problem is called Iron Out. In our area you can find it in most stores including the WalMart. Nasty stuff and not cheap. You must have windows open and stay our of the room. Terrible fumes but it sure works. I try to use it only about every 3 to 4 months. It comes in powder form and says it safe for septics.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), March 08, 2001.

I read a while back that once you get it clean that coat of paste car wax would help keep it that way. You would probably need to do this once a month. Gary

-- Gary in AL (rgmattox@yahoo.com), March 08, 2001.

Michele MY tub was beyond cleaning,had it reglazed and that only lasted 1 year, afterwards it was worse than ever. A company call rebath put a 1/4 in vinyl liner in it. They caulked around the walls and floor.Hook up the drain and it looks like a new tub.My wife was very happy. Jay Central NC

-- jay vance (jay.l.vance@worldnet.att.net), March 08, 2001.

For 13 years, refinishing bathtubs was my business, until I had a stroke last June. Once you have "lime-awayed" the shine off of porcelain, there is just about nothing you can do to keep it clean. The product I used was an acrylic urethane. It worked well for me. I refinished between 1200 and 1500 tubs with less than a half dozen failures. There are epoxy 2 part paints as mentioned earlier. In my experience, the urethanes were better. But I will also say that if you do not know how to do painting on a near professional level, you will likely have problems. I cannot tell you how many times I had to go in and strip off paint that people had just brushed on their tubs. If you DO decide to do it yourself, be sure to sand as best you can any of the shine that IS still there. Probably the top and outside are still in good shape, and it is hard to get paint to adhere to a shiny surface. I used hydrofluoric acid to etch the surface, but again, would NOT recommend it to anyone not familiar with what they are doing. As far as using wax, I don't think it will help at all on porcelain tubs. But for those of you who have fiberglass, waxing will help immensely to keep water spotting from building up. The only real way to keep water from staining your tub if the water is extremely hard is to dry the tub out after use. While the water is sitting in the tub, it usually looks pretty clear, but as the H2O evaporates, the iron and lime is left behind. Didn't mean to preach a sermon. Hope this helps someone. I am open to questions via email.

From beyond the sidewalks in North-central Missouri; jonesey

-- jonesey (jonesey@bigfoot.com), March 11, 2001.

Won't prevent the staining, but in a house I once had, in the second bathroom we didn't use alot, a bottle of shampoo got tipped over and ran along the bottom of the tub, which was rust-stained. Where the shampoo sat for a couple days, the tub was white as new. Think it was Alberto VO5 shampoo. Not sure why it worked, but it did a great job. Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), March 12, 2001.

Thank you everyone, regarding my tub question. Itried ZAP and I think it injured my lungs. I will try wiping the tub dry after use and I will try the car wax.

-- Michele Rae Padgett (michelesmelodyfarm@Yahoo.com), March 13, 2001.