Hey guys, I'm wondering what would you use to clean enamel tubs and what method would you use because all of the washing machine cleaners here can only be used on stainless steel tubs and I don't want to damage anything
Cleaning enamel tubs on washing machines,
- Thread starter adam-aussie-vac
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good-shepherd
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what would you use to clean enamel tubs
My first choice is Bon-Ami powder cleanser.
Although, I've used bleaching cleansers like Ajax as well with good results, but the safest is Bon Ami.
Method? - Lots of elbow grease with a sponge and water.
https://www.bonami.com/product/bon-ami-powder-cleanser/
My first choice is Bon-Ami powder cleanser.
Although, I've used bleaching cleansers like Ajax as well with good results, but the safest is Bon Ami.
Method? - Lots of elbow grease with a sponge and water.
https://www.bonami.com/product/bon-ami-powder-cleanser/
Most of the time the tubs are porcelain on steel. Treat it like you are cleaning glass. No abrasive stuff. Personally I use plain old degreaser or oven cleaner. I spray and come back it ten minutes and scrub it clean with a plastic bristle brush.
You would not want to use lye based oven cleaners on glass!They can etch the glass surface.Read the label on the oven cleaner--if it is lye based DON'T USE IT on the porcelain surface.
But we use oven cleaners on the porcelain interior of the oven.
Enamel Tubs
Is this just general cleaning or are there any specific stains - limescale perhaps?
And is this a twinnie or automatic - top loading or front loading/
Al
Is this just general cleaning or are there any specific stains - limescale perhaps?
And is this a twinnie or automatic - top loading or front loading/
Al
Why not use
Vinegar and a Mr Clean Magic Eraser Pad?
Vinegar and a Mr Clean Magic Eraser Pad?
I avoid too strong acids and I don't let any acid sit
Vinegar is out in our water - it forms a magnesium crud which is really hard to remove.
I'm a bit surprised to read that oven cleaner is a problem? Seems to me the porcelain used would not be bothered by bases?
Vinegar is out in our water - it forms a magnesium crud which is really hard to remove.
I'm a bit surprised to read that oven cleaner is a problem? Seems to me the porcelain used would not be bothered by bases?
Cleaning Porcelain On Steel
Reply #3, Hi Rex, I assume you are joking about not using oven cleaner, Lye based oven cleaner will not hurt steel or glass or SS, chrome or plastics.
John L.
Reply #3, Hi Rex, I assume you are joking about not using oven cleaner, Lye based oven cleaner will not hurt steel or glass or SS, chrome or plastics.
John L.
YES IT WILL!!!!Concentrated lye has been used to etch glass.I did it myself.Used lye drain cleaner you buy from the grocer-I would NOT want to use lye based cleaners on glass-for the other materials its fine.also don't use lye on aluminum!!!Attacks it with vengeance!
Well I’m not sure if the oven cleaner I use has lye or not, but I’ve been using it for years with perfect results every time. Pardon my ignorance in the chemistry department, but I always assumed oven cleaner was an ammonia based cleaner. I’ve left oven cleaner on porcelain for days, with multiple applications and never saw any etching.
You can use it on aluminum, but only in a spray on and immediately wipe off sort of way. If you leave it on for more than a minute it starts to eat it up. Bleach has the same effect. My cleaner one time sprayed cleaner with bleach on an evaporator of a fridge while cleaning, it had holes in it within days.
You can use it on aluminum, but only in a spray on and immediately wipe off sort of way. If you leave it on for more than a minute it starts to eat it up. Bleach has the same effect. My cleaner one time sprayed cleaner with bleach on an evaporator of a fridge while cleaning, it had holes in it within days.
Almost All Commercial Oven Cleaners Contain Lye
Right you are Eugene, Oven cleaners will not hurt porcelain-glass finishes at all, people have been cleaning ovens with this stuff for 60+ years.
John L.
Right you are Eugene, Oven cleaners will not hurt porcelain-glass finishes at all, people have been cleaning ovens with this stuff for 60+ years.
John L.
Never used oven cleaners-but read their ingredients-if it had lye-stayed away from it.Lye is nasty stuff.I won't use them.Wether it hurts porcelain or not-the stuff can hurt YOU!Lye drain cleaners are considered one of the most dangerous consumer products.
Hi guys. I've not had to clean a washer tub, however I routinely clean porcelain-over-steel refrigerator cabinets. I would assume the porcelain coatings are similar in nature.
What I am saying here, is from my own firsthand experience. This is not stuff I read on the Internet or even from the back of a product package. I have actually done this and am about to describe the results.
I have never used lye based oven cleaner on a porcelain surface. I have, however, used Zep Industrial Purple degreaser, at full strength, on porcelain fridge exteriors. It is based on NaOH lye. It did not visibly affect the surface. I left it in place for about a minute and then pressure washed it off with a very stout pressure washer. The cleaning effect was not so good. I would say it didn't hurt the finish but it wasn't worth the effort either.
As a side note, it will absolutely etch clear glass. I was preparing a car for painting and washed it with this degreaser. There were what appeared to be water spots on the windows after this. They were not profound, but they were there and have persisted for 15 years.
I would not want this in a washing machine because it can strip paint and other coatings. It could damage the seals in the washer if it went through the tub holes and got into the bottom of the machine, where the drain line connects etc.
I have tried acid type cleaners on porcelain and caused IMMEDIATE DAMAGE. The acid instantly etched the gloss from the surface, leaving a satin, chalkboard-like surface. The acid was aluminum brightener, which is a miz of HF and HCl acids. I was trying to remove rust stains with it. I also tried CLR brand rust remover, and it didn't cause damage but it also didn't work to clean the surface.
What did work? Well, a similar approach to what Good Shepherd used - a mechanical, abrasive process. I didn't use a powdered cleaner, however. I used Scotch-Brite pads with Windex or Rain-X glass cleaner. The porcelain is so much harder than the abrasive in the Scotch-Brite pad, that it will NOT polish or scratch the porcelain. The pad glides over the surface more easily then it does when it is scrubbing bare metal or anything it can cut into. The result is pretty dramatic, with it taking off rust stains, paint overspray, etc. with medium scrubbing. The best part is, there is no harsh chemical residue to get in the cracks and crevices of your appliance and contaminate it or cause hidden damage.
Sorry that got long! Hope it is helpful.
What I am saying here, is from my own firsthand experience. This is not stuff I read on the Internet or even from the back of a product package. I have actually done this and am about to describe the results.
I have never used lye based oven cleaner on a porcelain surface. I have, however, used Zep Industrial Purple degreaser, at full strength, on porcelain fridge exteriors. It is based on NaOH lye. It did not visibly affect the surface. I left it in place for about a minute and then pressure washed it off with a very stout pressure washer. The cleaning effect was not so good. I would say it didn't hurt the finish but it wasn't worth the effort either.
As a side note, it will absolutely etch clear glass. I was preparing a car for painting and washed it with this degreaser. There were what appeared to be water spots on the windows after this. They were not profound, but they were there and have persisted for 15 years.
I would not want this in a washing machine because it can strip paint and other coatings. It could damage the seals in the washer if it went through the tub holes and got into the bottom of the machine, where the drain line connects etc.
I have tried acid type cleaners on porcelain and caused IMMEDIATE DAMAGE. The acid instantly etched the gloss from the surface, leaving a satin, chalkboard-like surface. The acid was aluminum brightener, which is a miz of HF and HCl acids. I was trying to remove rust stains with it. I also tried CLR brand rust remover, and it didn't cause damage but it also didn't work to clean the surface.
What did work? Well, a similar approach to what Good Shepherd used - a mechanical, abrasive process. I didn't use a powdered cleaner, however. I used Scotch-Brite pads with Windex or Rain-X glass cleaner. The porcelain is so much harder than the abrasive in the Scotch-Brite pad, that it will NOT polish or scratch the porcelain. The pad glides over the surface more easily then it does when it is scrubbing bare metal or anything it can cut into. The result is pretty dramatic, with it taking off rust stains, paint overspray, etc. with medium scrubbing. The best part is, there is no harsh chemical residue to get in the cracks and crevices of your appliance and contaminate it or cause hidden damage.
Sorry that got long! Hope it is helpful.
HF-Hydrofluric acid--this is also nasty stuff-it is used to etch glass.When used in chem labs came in wax or plastic bottles that were placarded with stern warnings on using the stuff.It can be really dangerous to flesh and bone.
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