One-Ingredient Bathtub Fix

For as long as I can remember, I couldn't find a product to clean all the years of built-up grime from our tub. I scrubbed as much as I could, so I resigned myself to pretend that it was clean enough for us. Y'know. The surface grime was "clean" so the guilt wouldn't overtake me when I threw my 2-year-old in. *gulp* Seeing that written, I feel guiltier and guiltier about that.

Well, since my plumber-extraordinaire stepfather's coming up with ways for us to deal with the horrible bathtub walls, I figured I should make another attempt at scrubbing it. He had suggested a highly toxic solution we've all heard of and a razor blade. Seriously. I'm nothing if not lazy, so I wanted to try something else first.

And it totally worked!

Yup, that's all it took. After wetting the tub, I dumped in the baking soda. (Note that mine's a generic brand. Use the cheapest you can find.) Be sure you toss it everywhere -- sides, especially. You don't need a HUGE amount, but be sure it's thick, especially where any grime is particularly caked.

Allow it to sit. Since I was busy chasing a little one around, I let it sit for about 1-2 hours, but less may work, too.

Then, I got a green scrubby (technical term -- you know the kind, not TOO rough, but enough friction to work) wet and added a little more water as I scrubbed. Most of it got loosened on its own, but the rough spots needed some good scrubbing. This took about 15 minutes, tops, for a HORRIBLE tub. Sorry I didn't have a "before", but I guarantee it's as clean as it could possibly be. LIKE NEW.

I was worried I'd have to break out the white vinegar, too, but it wasn't necessary. If you find that you've scrubbed (or don't feel like scrubbing THAT much), do a wipe-down and rinse again, and throw some more on for another hour or so.

Just know that if you leave it too long, it'll cake on and might be tough to scrape off. All you need is a little water to loosen up the situation and scrub your cares away.

And, now it's time for the hubs and my stepdad to attack the walls. ;-) I have a feeling I had an easier job.

Do you have any cleaning projects that you've been putting off *gulp* years to finally tackle? I can't be the only one...can I?