Lynda said, “I was told to use toilet bowl cleaner in my tub for the hard water stains. Now I have a blue-stained tub and still have hard water stains. Help! Will white vinegar remove both?”
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Many products – bath products, cleaning products, and so on – contain dye, which can stain virtually any surface, including your bathtub. Thankfully, there are several products that may be able to remove a dye stain. Select a cleaner from the list below, and continue trying different cleaners until the stain is gone.
Removing the Stain
You Will Need:
- Dish liquid
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Nail polish remover
- Baking soda
- Bar Keepers Friend
- Oxyclean
- Magic Eraser
Steps to Remove the Stain:
- First, trying washing away the stain with some dish liquid. It’s possible that they dye is still loose enough to be simply washed away with the help of a detergent.
- Put some isopropyl alcohol on a cotton ball and use it to clean the dye stain off the tub.¹
- Nail polish remover can be useful for removing dye stains, however, test it in a small, hidden area before using it as many kinds also contain dyes that could leave a stain.
- Powdered cleansers can also work well on dye stains. Try using either baking soda or a commercial powdered cleaner, such as Bar Keepers Friend, to scrub off the stain with a little water.
- Another option is to use Oxyclean. Mix a small amount with water to make a paste, then rub the paste over the stain with a cloth.
- If the stain is stubborn, make a paste with baking soda and water, spread the paste over the stain, and let it dry. Wash off the dried paste, which should have absorbed some or all of the dye stain. Repeat the process as many times as needed to fully remove the stain.
- Mr. Clean Magic Erasers can also work well on dye stains. Moisten the eraser and wipe off the stain.
Additional Tips and Advice
- Dye stains can be difficult to remove, but persistence usually pays off with them.²
- If the tub is white, you can try using bleach to remove the stain.
Sources
- Natural Stain Removal Secrets by Deborah L. Martin
- Don Aslett’s Stainbuster’s Bible by Don Aslett
I had a tenant that was a total slob and left huge hair dye stains in the shower enclosure in one of the bathrooms in the apartments we rent out. The plastic shower pan was textured and smooth in some parts. I tried everything on it: baking soda with vinegar, oven cleaner, TSP substitute, Krud Kutter. I even was to the point of sanding it! I was about to give up when I found the OxyClean max laundry stain remover in a small spray bottle in the apartment. Then I used the Tandil (Aldi’s) straight bleach. Didn’t dilute it or anything. I plugged the drain and let it sit because I was about to give up for the night. I ended up going back about 15 minutes later to grab something out of the bathroom and the pan was pure white! I was so excited.
I had green dye stains in the tub from a green toilet bowl cleanser I used to try to get rid of tough bath tub stains (incidentally- never do this- toilet bowl cleaner instantly stains bath tubs!). Pure Clorox bleach worked perfectly and easily to remove the stains when none of the other remedies (Oxyclean, baking soda, magic erasers, nail polish remover, excessive scrubbing) did. I recommend just starting with pure bleach first to save yourself time and stress.
Hi Esther,
Just want to add to this that if the stains are from toilet bowl cleaner, it is extremely important you thoroughly rinse out the tub to remove all residue from the toilet cleaner before using bleach. Most toilet cleaners will cause a toxic (deadly) reaction when in contact with chlorine bleach as they are strong acids and the combination creates chlorine gas. Glad to hear this worked out for you though!
I was crying – my tub stained Midnight Ruby by Splat!
Scrubbing Bubbles – nothing.
Kaboom – nothing.
Clorox spray – nothing.
OxyClean – slight fading.
Mr. Clean Eraser – good start, but lots of elbow grease.
Mr. Clean Eraser and isopropyl alcohol – OMG – like a charm!
I just dyed my hair black. I mean, the blackest of black hair dyes. And me, just wanting to get it out, got it literally all over the tub. I just took Clorox’s S.O.S powdered cleaner and that came out in a matter of seconds!! That cleaner does not play. It also got all the stains I couldn’t scrub out usually. Now, my tub looks new!
Hi- did the S.O.S not scratch the tub? Badly?
I had a huge purple stain on my bathtub. I tried everything; nothing worked until I used nail polish remover on a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and scrubbed and it came off.
Guys, my stupid friend just dyed her hair blue and my brand new bathtub was big time blue-stained. I put baking soda on the tub, then sprayed it with the Clorox bleach spray and it was all good. Try that guys.
There is a little bit of purple hair dye in my bath tub, I’m going to try this! Should I leave it sit for a while or wash it right away?
Katie,
It is always best to treat a stain right away. If using one of the solvents (alcohol, nail polish remover, etc.), the dye might immediately transfer to the cloth. If not, let it the solvent sit on it for a bit. If the stain is on a vertical wall of the tub, soak a paper towel with the solvent and press the paper towel against the wall so it can soak. The paper towel may stay in place on its own, or if not, you can cover it with some plastic wrap and tape the plastic wrap in place. Use a weak tape like masking tape to avoid tape residue you have to clean off as well. Good luck!
I had rubber wash gloves stick on a bathtub very bad. Does anyone know how to get rid of the sticky gloves? I tried Goo Gone and WD-40, but no luck. I will appreciate any solutions? Thanks.
Crystal,
Try using a razor blade. With the WD-40 or oil, you will need to be very careful, but rub the oil along the edge of the gloves, then careful scrape the razor under the edge. Keep working around the edges until the gloves are fully removed. Good luck!
I have used Kaboom on my acrylic tub with no problem…until once, I got distracted and didn’t rinse it immediately. The Kaboom stained the tub…ORANGE. I’m going to try some of the suggestions here…there are a couple I haven’t tried yet! Thank you!
I appreciate the cleaning methods you have mentioned for various types of stains related to bathtub and showers…I had to ask though if anyone ever bathed in thier fiberglass tub after spilling Thompson’s Water Seal natural cedar tint stain on themselves? After completing the deck job, I washed up…the water-based stain came off my body, but my bathtub has since been a nightmare of stain that will not come off…please advise.
David,
That is a problem we’ve never heard of before, but someone else has probably had that happen (or will in the future). We have a guide on How to Remove Thompson’s Water Seal from Concrete and the method should be basically the same for a fiberglass tub (although don’t use the wire brush and concrete etcher of course). The answer: mineral spirits, scrubbing, and degreaser if needed. Good luck!