How do I clean a bath properly?

Bath tidemarks are body oils and soap residue bonded to the surface, and limescale where hard water sits. The material matters: enamel tolerates more than acrylic, and acrylic scratches from things that feel gentle.

What you'll need

• Non-abrasive bathroom cleaner
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Soft cloths
• Old toothbrush (optional)

Step by step

1. Identify the material — acrylic flexes slightly underfoot, enamel is rigid and cold.Acrylic needs the gentler approach throughout.
2. Rinse the bath with warm water to soften the residue.Warm surfaces release soap film far more readily than cold ones.
3. Apply cleaner or a bicarbonate paste along the tidemark and leave it five minutes.The tidemark is the hardest part and needs the contact time.
4. Wipe with a soft cloth, working around the bath rather than up and down.Following the tidemark line is more efficient than random scrubbing.
5. Use an old toothbrush around the taps, overflow and sealant line.Those three places hold most of what a cloth misses.
6. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a cloth.Drying prevents the next set of water marks and limescale.

Tips

• For a stubborn tidemark on enamel, a paste of bicarbonate of soda left for twenty minutes works better than more scrubbing.
• Rinsing the bath after each use removes most of the residue before it can bond.
• Rust-coloured marks under a tap usually indicate a dripping tap rather than a dirty bath.

Common mistakes

• Using scouring powder on acrylic — It leaves fine scratches that hold dirt, so the bath looks dirtier faster each time.
• Using bleach on a stained bath — It whitens organic staining but does nothing to soap scum or limescale, which are the usual causes.
• Ignoring the overflow — It collects black residue and is a common source of bathroom smell.

Questions people ask