OK, I realize now that I meant “caulking” when I said “grout”. Sorry. So what is a good way to cleak caulking, since pure bleach might damage it?
Make a paste of baking soda and water. Apply to tub. Spray with white vinegar. Instant all natural scrubbing bubbles.
Ever read the label on store-bought scrubbing bubbles? Use in well ventilated area? Who has a well ventilated bathroom?
Once you have destroyed the hard glazed surface of the porcelain-on-cast iron tub, the tub will always show dirt and stains. Try this test, try writing on the surface with a pencil-if you can see the pencil line, then the glaze is gone, and you have this porous surface (which gets and stays dirty). At this point, you can just resign yourself to always cleaning,or you can have the tube resurfaced by a professional, with an epoxy enamel. This costs around $200.00, and the finish is quite good (you can also have any color finish you want). What the refinishing guy will do:
first, he will cover all the metal fixtues with masking tape. Then he will wash the tub with an acid solution, that will roughen the finish. The, after drying it, he will spray on 2 coats of epoxy-based paint. After drying, youhave brand-new looking tub. However, DO NOT use any abrasive cleaner after this-the coating is not very durable. With care, such a refinishing job willlast 10+ years, and is a lot cheaper than replacing a tub-trust me, cast iron bathtubs weigh a TON!
“with an epoxy enamel.”
You can buy that yourself & do it yourself want, can’t you? I saw some in a store once… I can’t imagine what the fumes are like& I assume you’d have to some acid too. (no i don’t mean take it).
Ok, I think I can take a shot at the OP since I was recently confronted with a similar situation.
All I can say is that KABOOM stuff on TV really works!!! I didn’t buy it from TV, they had a pretty good deal on the stuff at Sams Club. First, I filled the tub with hot water and let it soak for a while. Next, I drained the tub and rinsed it with more hot water to get it as hot and loosened up as possible. Then I proceeded to spray about half a bottle of KABOOM all over the place and I let it sit for about 10 minutes. I came back and sprayed a little more hot water and started scrubbing, expecting to make gradual progress. My expectations were greatly exceeded by this KABOOM stuff though, it wiped off to reveal a virgin white tub underneath!!! And this tub started out REALLY grimy!
Note: I am not in any way related to KABOOM or it’s manufacturer or distributors. There may be other stuff out there that works equally as well or better.