Over the course of a few weeks, streaks of black stuff builds up in my bathtub like tiny rivers flowing towards the drain. What is this stuff? Mold? Squished body cells? To my knowledge nobody in the household has yet died from it, and it does not appear sentient.
It comes off easily enough with a moderate scrubbing and an abrasive cleaner, but is there any way to prevent it from accruing in the first place? Can I smooth out the bathtub somehow so there’s not residual water left after use?
Shouldn’t you be trying to find out where it comes from? Do you think it’s in your water? Could there be a washer deteriorating in the faucet?
That would be nice, but it’s a buildup of something over the (apparently?) microscopically rough texture of the bathtub. It’s not like I can just see black streaks coming out of the faucet directly.
The thing is, I’ve noticed it at another house in the area too and I just thought it was the buildup of grime and skin cells, etc. Does this not normally happen in a bathtub? :eek:
I thought it was just a normal part of the cleaning process. Now I’m wondering if it’s dangerous.
Not in mine, and I don’t scrub it nearly as often as I should. Is it only where the water sits on the bottom? My first answer is mold.
Yeah, only on the bottom where the water sits, and it’s most concentrated where people stand while showering, as though our feet were contributing to it or smooshing it into the bathtub or something.
I wish I could take a picture, but I just cleaned it not too long ago and it doesn’t look too bad right now. If I waited 2-3 weeks, it would be very clearly visible and yucky again.
An occasional splash of bleach? Your bathroom can smell like the Y!
I tend to give the tub a very quick and perfunctory wipe-down after each use. It’s quick and easy to do (being perfunctory) but seems sufficient to avoid any kind of longer-term build-up.
You want to avoid longer-term build-up, otherwise it will reach a critical mass and will become sentient.
…eh, it give me someone to talk to.
How old is your water heater, and have you ever flushed it?
If it’s not mold, it may be sediment in your water heater.
I get a similar buildup. I think most of it comes from the water and I use a water filter for water I drink or use in cooking. I don’t know what it is, but other people in the area have it. I don’t think it is what comes off my body because it did not happen where I used to live (which used a different water company).