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Q&As since 1989


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Phantom returning stains on my old enameled iron bath tub

It started with brown stains all over my tub that started while our well was having trouble and silt had settled in the bottom of the tub. I cleaned it with Comet. A few days later it came back. This kept happening so I used stronger and stronger chemicals. The stains kept coming back and seemed to 'grow' up the sides of the tub. I tried The Works and the stains turned black when they returned. Now I can't get them off at all and my tub looks ruined. Is there a way to restore the enamel and get rid of these stains? I'm desperate and can't replace the tub.

Mary LeMond
self - Horse Creek, Wyoming
2005

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2005

I would suggest going to Home depot or a Lowe's. They make a sink and tub refinisher, that works great. 00 steel wool [on eBay or Amazon] and trisodium phosphate [on eBay or Amazon] is all you need for prep. Good luck.

Trent J. Fischer
- Appleton,Wisconsin

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September 2013

Hi Mary. Hydrogen Peroxide will remove the rust (see thread 8229, "Removing a stain from a bath tub. Hydrogen Peroxide is the answer!"), but whether that will render the finish of the tub pleasing to you is hard to say. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey