Enclosures - Plumbing Appliances

Can You Use Oxiclean On Fiberglass Tubs? Fiberglass tubs are durable, affordable, and made from many different shapes. You will always find them tied around the outer rim to give the room a nice uninterrupted look and feel. Fiberglass tubs have a lot of advantages that make them worth considering. Yes. Strangely enough, you can clean your fiberglass tubs with OxiClean. It isn’t easy to use, but it should work if you’re careful and add some elbow grease. Give the fiberglass a thorough cleaning first with water, a little vinegar, and a little baking soda. Here is what you need to do to get those tubs spic and span. Although the process is challenging, plenty of tricks can help make the task easier. First, ensure you have set aside at least 2 hours for this bathroom project. It takes a while for everything to dry completely. You will also need towels for drying and to lay on the tubs when scrubbing. Avoid any strong-smelling cleaners or soaps (like washing up liquid). Now it’s time to tackle the fiberglass tub cleaning. To start, remove your bucket and splash guard. It is essential to do this so that the cleaner will go where you want it to go. When scrubbing it, you will want to see the tub, so ensure you have enough room nearby. Once you have removed all those buckets and things, you will need a brush and soap. You will use the brush to scrub the bottom of your tub. You may need a second person to assist you in this step. The soap will help loosen up dirt, so ensure it's plenty sudsy. Use a circular motion and keep at it until no more stains or spots remain. There will still be some staining left behind, but that’s okay. You can still use the OxiClean if you want to try again with a different product or ignore those stains altogether. If there is any discoloration left on the bottom of the tub, mix up some of the OxiClean with some warm water. Avoid adding too much water because you still want it to be thick enough to stay in the tub. How Do I Get My Fiberglass Tub White Again? If your fiberglass tub or shower looks a little dingy, don’t fret. -First, thoroughly scrub the surface with dish soap and water. The grime should come off pretty quickly. -After you have scrubbed, rinse with clean water. -Make a mixture of equal bleach and water and apply to the surface. You may want to wear rubber gloves or old clothes, as the bleach will wear off. -Once the bleach mixture has dried, wipe off any excess with a soft cloth. -If you have hard water stains on your tub surround or glass shower door, try using a cleaner such as Bar Keepers Friend. This should eliminate most of the buildup on your tub and shower doors. Apply a paste of baking soda and vinegar paste for those pesky water spots on your shower doors or glass shower walls. Let it sit for an hour. You can then wipe off the mixture with a damp cloth. Powdered dishwasher detergent is also very good for removing soap scum from fiberglass. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the chemicals if you are making a mixture of dishwasher detergent and bleach. After removing all the hard water spots and soap scum, rinse the surface with a mild, non-toxic household cleaner. You can also use Windex on glass shower walls and doors. -To keep your fiberglass tub looking clean, apply a film on the finish to help repel water and soap scum. For example, Rain X makes a product designed for fiberglass tubs and shower stalls. This will make cleaning off dirt and stains much easier in the future. -If you want to keep your tub looking shiny, you can apply car wax after applying a film on the finish. Car wax will help protect the surface from scum and water buildup. Can You Make A Fiberglass Tub Look New Again? Yes. It’s never too late to take your old fiberglass tub and make it look new. You can do these steps in just a few hours, and you’ll be happy with the results. Gather everything you need and remove the old materials from the tub, like old paint and grout Clean the tub to remove any unwanted substances and collect stains over time. Mix up some dry-cleaning solution with water in a bucket. Pour this mixture onto a small cloth and scrub at any stubborn spots on the tub where dirt remains. Turn off the water supply to your washer and dryer until you’re ready to wash the tub. Start by turning the water back on, but don’t use it yet. Run a load of extremely hot water through your tub, wait a few minutes and then drain the tub out Fill the tub with hot water again and run it through once or twice. Fill the tub with hot water, add a scoop of detergent or dish soap, and run the tub through again. If it’s not perfectly white, repeat steps 6 to 9 until it is After several hot water cycles, watch as your tub turns into something that looks very much like new. Once you’re happy with how clean your tub is, turn off the water supply again and fill up the tub with cold water to clean it out thoroughly. After you get satisfied with the way your tub looks, turn on the water supply and wash the tub good as new If you want to make your tub look even newer than it already does, try putting a coat of a clear coat on it. Once the clear is dry, rinse it off and apply another coat. You must wash and re-coat every so often if you want to keep that beautiful new paint job. How Do I Know If My Tub Is Fiberglass Or Acrylic? Look around the tub’s edges and see if it appears thinner. If so, it's likely a fiberglass tub. The bathtub should be thicker than the faucet spout if the tub is acrylic-made. To ensure your bathtub is acrylic-made, try measuring its volume with a food scale and comparing it to another piece of acrylic that you have on hand. Fiberglass baths are less expensive and easier to repair but need more maintenance than their acrylic cousins. In a humid area, fiberglass can quickly develop mold and mildew. Acrylic baths are cleaner, shinier, and dry faster than fiberglass. Freshly painted acrylic is almost impervious to stains. If you are buying a used bathtub, one of your jobs as a consumer is to determine if it has been in an area that may have moisture problems, like a bathroom or water closet. If it were in that environment for any time, the tub would probably be badly stained. When buying a used bathtub or fiberglass tub, look for signs of water damage. Dark stains, ripply peeling or bubbling on the surface, and discolored grout are all signs of moisture. The acrylic will probably need replacement in a few years. About two-thirds of every household will have leakage from their tubs each year. Many builders install an acrylic liner to keep water from seeping through their basin walls. You will find liners attached to the top of the tub that look like thick, flexible shower curtains. Frequent cleaning and proper use of a drain treatment will help keep your fiberglass or acrylic bathtub looking beautiful for years. Why Is My Fiberglass Tub Yellow? Your fiberglass tub is yellow because of soap scum or hard water deposits. Hard water leaves a film on the tub’s surface, while soap scum makes it look dull. Hard water and soap scum also cause mildew to form and make it difficult to clean. To fix this, you will want to clean your fiberglass tub thoroughly using a combination of dishwashing detergent, oxy-clean or borax, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide. You will want to avoid bleach because it can damage the fiberglass material in your bathtub over time. You will also want to treat the yellow stains on your fiberglass tub with a mild abrasive to remove them. You will want to use an abrasive safe for the tub that won’t damage the surface. The safest solution is to use a mild detergent with a soft sponge before you bathe. You can also clean these stains out by running baking soda through the showerhead monthly. If you do this every month, your shower head will be completely clear in 5 months or fewer. After cleaning and treating the stains on your fiberglass tub, you can also use a mild abrasive to clean it out regularly. You will want to use an abrasive safe for the tub that won’t damage the surface. Once again, a mild soapy sponge before you bathe will help avoid soap scum and hard water stains appearing on your fiberglass tub. You can also clean these spots by running baking soda through your shower head every two or three months. If you do this once a month, the spots on the surface of your fiberglass tub will be completely clear in 5 months or fewer. Rinse the tub after applying the abrasive cleaner and use a towel to dry it off. This will prevent soap scum and hard water stains from returning to your fiberglass tub. Abrasive cleaners are not the only way to remove stains from your fiberglass tub. Several commercial products will eliminate the yellow stains on your fiberglass tub. You can use oxi-clean, a powdered detergent that cleans hard water stains. Can You Mix Oxiclean And Tide? Yes. You can mix OxiClean and Tide laundry detergent, but always follow these steps for a perfect blend: Add the detergent to an outdoor garbage container with a lid or in your mixing container Put gloves on when touching the detergents Use a 4:1 ratio of Oxi Clean to Tide - 400mL of Oxiclean + 400 mL of Tide = 800 MLS Lid the container and shake until it is completely blended Store in a plastic container with a lid Once you take these steps, there should be little to no residue left on clothing. The chemicals used in OxiClean and Tide are similar but not the same. These detergents work well together because they have bleaching effects that help cut through tough stains like grease and food. They have the same surfactants and enzymes. It is always suitable to use both products together, but that’s fine if you prefer one over the other. Why Is There Black Stuff In My Bathtub? Manganese and iron sulfate are two common causes of the black stuff in your tub. Manganese is a natural mineral that can seep into your pipes if water level drop below normal. Iron sulfate often crops up if you use healthy water with too high a sulfur content. The black stuff can stain your tub and be more significant on the inside than outside, so you may not notice it when bathing but when brushing your teeth or shaving. If your tub boasts too much soap, this can also lead to the black stuff. Use very little soap, so it does not build up on the sides of your tub. Use a bit more than average when showering, but still below the quantity suggested on the label. You may wish to temporarily drain off the water in your tub and let it sit for a few days before refilling it with fresh water. If you have hard water, this may help accumulate manganese. Tips: Iron sulfate is a common cause of black stuff in your bathtub, but you can also find it in your healthy water. Try using a shower filter to remove iron sulfate from your bathwater. Use a phosphate-free detergent like Nature’s Recipe to wash clothes and bathing animals. Do not use laundry detergent in the washing machine; this can cause buildup. Also, avoid detergents, perfumes, or other additives that interfere with proper saponification during laundry. Why Do Fiberglass Bathtubs Crack? Fiberglass bathtubs crack because of constant pressure and faulty support. In addition, the fiberglass is not strong enough to resist pressure. Fiberglass tubs are not suitable for prolonged weight on top of them. There are many causes for cracked fiberglass tubs, but a few key factors include: Improper installation. An uneven foundation or support underneath it. The wrong type of resin used during manufacturing. Solving problems with a bathtub like this will be possible by using epoxy resin to repair the damage and strengthen it. First, evaluate how much damage there is on the tub. If the towel is not using the tub, it might just be a stress crack and will not require replacement. Step one: Evaluate the situation. If you find a crack at the tub’s edge, there are two possibilities as to what happened: its installation or attachment was improper. If you find a crack in the middle of the tub, then it’s possible that they used fiberglass that was not the correct type when you installed the tub. Step two: If you installed it properly, make an educated guess of what happened. Was something put on top to support and help hold it together? This will depend on how much force you exert and how long you’ve been there. If it wasn’t, there is a good chance it was just a bad batch of fiberglass. Step three: If the tub has been sitting on an uneven surface, such as in grout lines or on too many layers of padding, this will cause cracks. To fix this problem, you need to remove all excess layers and get the tub down to a level surface. The surface should be level so that the weight gets equally distributed throughout the top layer. Step four: If the tub has been sitting on something else, such as a table or platform, while it’s used, this will create stress cracks. To fix this problem, you need to remove whatever was underneath the tub and level out the surface underneath it. This will allow it to support itself properly and keep pressure off the area. Step five: Epoxy resin will fill in the cracks. You can use a special epoxy or mix your own, but if it is using epoxy, ensure that you place the tub onto a level surface, cover it up and leave it to cure for a week. How Do You Fix A Hairline Crack In A Fiberglass Tub? One of the many problems with fiberglass is that it cracks easily, leaving unsightly hairline cracks in your tub. If a crack appears in your crown molding or kitchen tile, you can fill it with caulk or silicone, but those options are unavailable when there is damage to your tub. You can avoid having to replace a tub by taking preventative measures by following these steps: Remove all items from the tub that could get caught on the edge of a hairline crack. Seal the crack using hot water and baking soda using a sponge and a tub brush. Let the cracks sit for an hour after filling them with this mixture. After an hour, remove the hairline cracks from the tub. Apply a thin layer of silicone to all tub surfaces that will likely contact your skin’s moisture by rubbing it into them for 15 minutes. This will ease cleaning when it is time to remove old abrasive cleaners from your tub. The crack will fill in with a silicone layer, stop bleeding and almost always last a lifetime. When you are looking for a new one, I suggest going to a local installer that can guarantee that the material used will last many years before needing a replacement. Does Acetone Dissolve Fiberglass Resin? Yes. Acetone is strong enough to dissolve fiberglass resin. Fiberglass resin is a kind of plastic that is soluble in acetone, so you can use your fingernails or a nail file to break up the material into manageable pieces. Acetone has many uses, making it an excellent household item. It is a suitable solvent for many household products, such as nail polish and glue. You may also find it helpful to dissolve fiberglass resin in an emergency. You might also consider purchasing it in a small bottle from the local drugstore or pharmacy. The most miniature bottle you can buy (1 ounce) is enough for minor jobs; if you need to buy over one ounce, ask for the largest-sized bottle available (usually 4 ounces). Acetone is also an excellent solvent, which means you will want to keep it in a place where it is away from children: it is harmful if swallowed. Acetone evaporates easily, so store it in a well-ventilated location. There are many substitutes for acetone, such as nail polish, nail polish remover, and paint thinner. Wear gloves if you use any of these items on fiberglass resin. Protect your skin; avoid contact with your eyes and mouth as well. After you have dissolved the fiberglass resin, wash your hands immediately. Fiberglass is a material that can cause skin irritation if it gets on the skin. Wash any excess acetone off your hands immediately, so you don’t get a nasty rash. If you wipe it on your clothes, acetone may saturate an entire suite of clothing. If you have a large quantity of fiberglass, you may need to heat the resin with an iron. Heating it will help the acetone dissolve more easily. It will also make it easier to wash off the acetone and, in that way, prevent any of the material from sticking to your skin. Is CLR Safe For Fiberglass Tubs? Yes, CLR is safe on fiberglass tubs. We typically use the recommended cleaning solution with a pH of 6.5 and a salt concentration much less than needed for fiberglass corrosion. Although some chemicals in this cleaning agent may be harmful if ingested, using CLR on fiberglass tubs is safe as long as it’s not touching any metal surfaces or other areas where water won’t runoff. This includes walls and surfaces around your bathroom area, like tile or copper roofing tiles. All the ingredients in this product are safe for consumption, so long as they’re not ingested in large quantities. The recommended solution comprises cleaning agents, including trisodium phosphate (TSP) and acetic acid, which help remove the mineral buildup in your tub. The recommended application process to remove this buildup is; Wet the tub with water and then apply a thin layer of CLR cleaning solution with a sponge or washing cloth, giving it several minutes to work its magic. You should rinse off this thin layer thoroughly before wiping the tub with a clean, damp cloth to remove the solution and the remaining mineral buildup. However, some areas of your tub may require additional support for CLR application. Such areas include grout lines, floor tiles, or steps. In these cases, you can use a pail of warm water mixed with some mild detergent and a cleaning pad to rub it into your grout lines or other areas that need extra help. Can You Mix Oxiclean And Dawn Dish Soap? Yes. Mixing these two common household items will create a powerful blend of cleaning power that is more effective than by itself. They can easily cut through grease, grime, and food buildup. You can use the dish soap in place of bleach or ammonia. Use it to clean the shower, bathroom sink, or tub. Then, mix it with water and pour it down the commode to clean the pipes. If you love the smell of lavender, mix with one cup of OxiClean and add two tablespoons of Dawn for a refreshing smelling detergent that will keep your clothes looking their best. Using one part of this mix for every five details of hot water will ensure your clothes remain dry. Because the Dawn dish soap is a bleach type, it's safe to use in place of bleach, but only up to half a cup per load. If you want to add more bleach or ammonia, you can safely increase the amount of each ingredient used. When adding either additive to the mix, ensure that you are not overloading your sink or tubs with soapy water. This can cause the utilization of the soap’s material to clean, dissolve or get weak, causing a leak. Note: Dawn dish soap contains sodium lauryl sulfate, a proven irritant and can adversely affect some people’s skin and respiratory systems. The National Cancer Institute has deemed it safe for most people as long as one uses it in small amounts of water. You should also rinse it off using cold water immediately after use. Can You Use Comet Cleaner On Fiberglass? No. Comet cleaners are not safe for fiberglass. They work great on several other surfaces, but using a different product, such as glass cleaner, bleach, or vinegar, is suitable for the best results. Comet cleaners can also leave streaks on your surface and might cause your fiberglass to discolor. If these issues are a concern, choose another cleaning product for your job, as best practices dictate using the most appropriate cleaner to avoid damage to the cleaned surface. Conduct a lot of research before choosing which cleaner to use for your fiberglass material. Often, comet cleaners will have the words “not safe for fiberglass” printed on the bottle, but if you cannot find this warning anywhere on the bottle, the cleaner is likely unsuitable to use with fiberglass surfaces. Comet cleaners work great on other surfaces, such as vinyl, tile, granite, stainless steel, metal, and plastic. They are not safe to use on fiberglass because they can burn the surface and cause damage if not correctly applied. If you are applying comet cleaners around headlights or taillights, you should always use a plastic squeegee to prevent burns. If you’ve ever been to the body shop, you know just how careless applying these products can do much damage. They can get on your hands and transfer onto the paint or metal parts, causing burns and sometimes a total loss of your part. Can You Clean Porcelain With Acetone? Yes. Acetone is a good solvent to strip wax off of porcelain and also has a drying effect on the ceramic surface. You should not apply acetone to glass because it is more soluble than most other materials in contact with it. Using acetone on porcelain or high gloss surfaces may change the sheen. For cleaning hard-to-reach places such as around the sink, try using a cotton swab dipped in acetone and let the acetone do the work. These have been used in electronics repair shops for years and are very effective at removing stubborn stains from porcelain sink areas. Please note that acetone has no lubricating or penetrating agents in it. Porcelain is very porous, so ensure you test a small area first. To strip wax off of porcelain with acetone, use a cotton swab dipped in acetone and wipe the wax off the surface. To remove buildup in grout lines, use a cotton swab dipped in acetone and let the acetone do the work. To remove stubborn stains around the sink, use a cotton swab dipped in acetone and wipe the wax or other stains off the surface. Please note that acetone has no lubricating or penetrating agents in it. Does CLR Remove Rust? Yes. Although there are several types of rust, that’s not the point. The point is to remove what you can before it spreads and causes further damage. CLR can help by eliminating rust better than other products, but it won’t remove all the rust on your items. To get rid of all the rust, use CLR at least twice per month for a year or so, then use a lye solution most days in between to prevent regrowth. I have never had the patience for that, but it’s what it says on the CLR label. The main thing to do is clean as much as possible and then make sure you lube your items well before storing them. If there is rust on your items, use CLR, CLR/Rust Remover, or white vinegar followed by CLR. I have noticed that CLR removes rust from previously cleaned items better than other products. I used to use it every few months but recently have not had to for several months. If you’ve cleaned everything in your house, use CLR as often as possible to remove all the rust from your items. Newer items have minor rust and are less likely to need CLR. When cleaning a rusty object, that’s not the only thing you’re trying to clean off; You want to get the rust off and apply any lube or wax easily. Old waxed items work better when using CLR than new products. I wouldn’t deal with rust if I didn’t have to. One more thing to add, if you use the full-strength product, CLR will remove some of the finish on your items, but not always completely. For new-looking furniture, after cleaning it, use CLR /rust remover or vinegar and fabric softener (just vinegar and water). I have had a few people try to use that stuff but then complain about removing the finish. It’s designed for one to use together, and you shouldn’t expect the finish to be 100% intact after using it. Conclusion OxiClean, Dawn dish soap, and vinegar are great products to use in your cleaning arsenal, and one can use them in combination. I prefer working with a few specialized cleaners rather than lots of heavy-duty all-purpose cleaners.