I admit it. I'm evil. And me, a person who should know better.
Background: I regularly champion bathtub refinishing as a cheaper and less invasive way to spruce up your bathroom than the full-on demo-and-replace method. It's fast, it's zero-mess (when someone else does it), and it lasts a few years.
Now for The Bad News
But I don't like the fact that you cannot use abrasive cleaners or pads on refinished tubs. After all, me and Comet are like this (fingers together). We have traveled life's highways and byways together, from apartment to house to hovel to mansion. Wherever we were, I could count on Comet or Bon Ami to clean up the tub with minimal strain.
Soft-Scrub? Doesn't work for me.
So, I caved. I gently scrubbed my refinished bathtub with Comet. All I can say is the the paint job did not immediately peel off. Will it peel off later? Don't know. But we'll see.
If it peels off, then that's probably time to demo-and-replace, yes?
Image Copyright PermaGlaze
Comments
Lee,
With Miracle Method refinishing, we stayed with the same instructions that Kohler bathtubs recommends when cleaning vitreous china, which is very similar to porcelain. Both are baked at high temperatures, made of clay, etc.
“Rinse thoroughly and use a soft cloth to wipe the product dry after each use.
Soft abrasive cleaners may be used when necessary to clean KOHLERŽ vitreous china products. Strong abrasive cleaners will scratch and dull the surface… In the rare occurrence of stubborn stains, use abrasive cleaners sparingly.”
Here is what Eljer says about cleaning porcelain:
“General Cleaning of the Bathtub
This bathtub should be cleaned with hot soapy water using a soft cloth orsponge. Liquid dishwashing detergents, such as PalmoliveTM or DawnTM, work quite well. In areas where the water is hard, a heavy duty liquid laundrydetergent, such as Liquid TideTM, will work better. DO NOT use any type of scouring pad or abrasive cleansers on the sink. For example, 3MTM cleaning pads, CometTM, BrilloTM.”
New or refinished, its abrasives that will dull the surface or eventually destroy the “glaze.” Once that takes place, the tub will be very difficult to keep clean as dirt will stay in the fissures.
Like Eljer, we often recommend the use of liquid dishwashing soap and a sponge. After all, dishwashing soap is designed to remove dirt and grease, much like body oil and dirt. And, they tout that they will leave your dishes “squeaky clean.” And most dishes are made of vitreous china, fireclay or porcelain.
What about soap scum? Well clean your tub more often and you won’t have soap scum.