Bathrooms are full of shiny surfaces and somewhat delicate materials, such as porcelain, which can mean products used in our extensive self-care routines can cause some annoying stains on our bathroom tiles, grout and fixtures.
For those wanting to rid their bathroom of tough stains and prevent them from reappearing, we – with the help of Laura Elliott from Neal & Wolf – can reveal the top three bathroom stain causes and how to remedy them.
Ready for a stain removal and prevention lesson? Let’s go!
1 – Removing Fake Tan Bathroom Stains
For those who like to stay bronzed throughout the year without UV exposure, fake tan is a quick, easy and safe solution.
However, the mess caused by fake tan mist, mouse and applicator colour wash away can leave your bathroom with some tough stains which especially cling to any surface scratches or scuffing.
To clean fake tan simply take some white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda which can be mixed together to make a paste.
Then using a slightly abrasive sponge on particularly stained areas or just a cloth, work on washing the tan away, and repeating this process until marks are fully cleaned.
For those dedicated to their tanning routine who want to prevent fake tan from staining their bathroom surfaces, cover any exposed areas with some dark towels and lay out a dark bathmat to stand on.
2 – Removing Hair Dye Bathroom Stains
Many of us spend time maintaining our hair colour using purple shampoo and while perfect for keeping your locks looking beautiful, it can leave purple residue and stains on tiles, grout and around plug holes.
As suggested before, a bicarb and white vinegar paste should help shift the purple toner, however, in any particularly tricky areas, using nail polish remover on a cloth will help remove the colour from the surface.
“When choosing a shampoo for your blonde hair, look for a purple shampoo with natural ingredients – these are better for the health of your hair, while also being easier to shift when it comes to cleaning your bathroom. Usually wiping any spillages up immediately with the warm water in your shower will do the trick.”
Laura Elliott – Neal & Wolf
3 – Removing Hard Water Bathroom Stains
While not technically a ‘product’, hard water can cause pink/orange limescale build up in your bathroom which is tough to get rid of and looks unsightly, this is due to the mineral deposit that hard water leaves as it falls.
The bad news is that hard water is very common and not something you can easily change, however, the good news is that vinegar is again super effective when it comes to breaking the minerals down and removing the stain.
When cleaning your bathroom, place a vinegar water mix in a spray bottle and let the mix soak on any problem areas for half an hour or so, then use warm soapy water to wash the stains away.
For more info on hard water and how you can test for it, check out this guide to testing for hard water.
John trained in journalism before joining the Big Bathroom Shop team. His exceptional journalism skills (and modesty) allow him to meticulously research bathroom topics and bring you the very latest news and views on all things bath and shower related. He’s a dab hand at Scrabble and is currently undertaking a domestic plumbing course to be sure he actually does know what he’s talking about!
