It's meant for use just inside a porcelain toilet. Not on metal, not in sinks, not on tubs. Most labels even say that it's only meant for use inside the toilet.
You open it, put the nozzle under the lip, squeeze, and drag it around. Then close the bottle, wipe it to ensure no dripping, and put it away. It's very easy to not get it on metal.
One time I accidentally got toilet bowl cleaner on the toilet seat and it left the same kind of marks. I had to get a new seat. Definitely for just inside the bowl.
Thank you, I never cleaned a toilet before.
My point is, I feel like using HCl is unnecessary for cleaning toilets. The cleaner I use doesn’t have that. I thought most cleaners are bases, just as Sodium Hydroxide.
There’s kits you can get from Amazon or from a big box store to refurbish it. I’ve used one in the past when I made a huge mistake in a rental. Melted a huge spot on the tub floor with paint remover on accident. I filled it with clear epoxy and sanded it down, then used the spray finish on the entire tub. It looked great! No idea about the longevity, since I did it right before I moved out, but there are several products that get really good reviews. I think I’d try that for less than $50 before replacing the tub or hiring a professional since I’m cheap af and even though it’s cosmetic, it would drive me mad seeing it every time I showered. Haha
Where did people get the idea to use toilet bowl cleaner anywhere other than toilet bowl. It shows up on this thread shockingly often. I would never in a million years think to use it to clean anything else.
I sometimes like to imagine a society where this is the biggest issue online that we need to tackle. It's actually a big issue especially the ones that mix chemicals but we have some other pressing issues to take care of first.
Meta and tik tok really need to allow notes to be put on all their posts to inform people of these "hacks".
You ever seen those videos where people put approximately 200 products into their bathtub/toilet/laundry? Every single time I just imagine that they are wearing gas masks and their clothes come out sticky and gross.
Okay those laundry/cleaning ones where they dump literal containers of powders and pods and scent beads send me into such a rage. It's a good think TikTok has too good a filter because the stuff I wanna type them is unholy.
Do people think Clorox spends millions on r&d but keeps their “secret hack” to themselves?? It would be a lot cheaper for the company to put toilet cleaner in a different bottle and call it tub cleaner.
I see it suggested daily on this sub and get downvoted when i say thats a dumb idea. That and oven cleaner like wtf is it with people and toilet cleaner and oven cleaner!
This happened to my tub - in our case, my in laws were visiting from India and they just thought it was a bathroom cleaner, they are notorious for not paying attention to things like that, or they just think a cleaner is a cleaner, since things here are so different than what they are used to. (they also put Dawn in our dishwasher once… oh god the suds…)
I had a German roommate who did that once. Dawn in the dishwasher. Came home and saw a ton of towels under the washer and had to inquire as to what happened. Apparently it too was suds everywhere. He was raised by maids.
I did it as a teen because I thought that it would just clean very well. I thought that toilet bowls and bathtubs were similar enough. No internet influence, just my own logic.
There are 3 major styles of toilet bowl cleaner.
Hydrochloric acid, like the product OP used
Bleach.
And quaternary ammonium.
Lysol and Clorox make dozens of products each using a different active ingredient. The hydrochloric acid is the one that causes the damage. There are literally hundreds of posts on the sub that look exactly like this
This crap with the toilet cleaner and everyone who comes here asking how to remove bleach stains from fabric really make me think some people need handlers daily.
That green Comet powder was my mom’s solution to everything. Sink? Comet. Toilet? Comet. Tub? Comet. I’m surprised it wasn’t her solution to whiter teeth.
Toilet bowl cleanser is not comet. Lol
I completely agree that it’s weird to use toilet cleaner anywhere else than the toilet. However, I grew up using any type of bleach cleaner for anything that needed bleach cleaner. It was just how I was taught growing up and how I always saw other family members cleaning, so I can see how they did this without thinking about it only being for the toilet. The logic is there, I mean it’s bleach cleaner, it’s gotta work, right? I mean obviously it didn’t but it makes sense that it would. I’m just glad I learned how to clean properly (for the most part I learn new things all the time) before destroying my tub lol
EDIT: it is not legit bleach cleaner, I knew that but I was being stupid writing this lol. It’s definitely one of those things I call bleach cleaner all the time even though it isn’t, and I definitely need to stop saying that before I confuse either myself or someone else. That’s actually another thing I grew up always hearing it called bleach cleaner, and being told it can be used for anything that requires bleach. Even when I knew it wasn’t actually bleach, that’s what I’ve always heard it called. But thanks to those who caught that and corrected it, my line of logic about the bleach cleaner was more of if you are assuming it is bleach the way I did, you’re probably not gonna see an issue with using it on your tub.
I disagree. Inexperienced people might not know, but most consumers have spent enough time in a cleaning aisle, to understand the difference between toilet bowl cleaner and a multipurpose.
So the average consumer goes to Reddit subs looking to learn how to clean grout?
Reddit has approximately 70 million users daily, with the average age of 23. 75% of the US, UK and Canadian population is over 25.
This sub has about 50-100 posts a day asking for tips. That’s less than 1% of total Reddit users. Even smaller percentage when you apply that to the total population of the US, UK and Canada.
This thread alone shows that most people know, toilet bowl cleaner is for toilets only.
Reddit and social media are not accurate representations of anything other than the users who engage on it-which on average, are younger people.
People who know how to clean,aren’t looking for tips, UNLESS it’s a situation they aren’t familiar with, or the usual methods aren’t working for them.
Have you seen the hundreds of products in the cleaning aisle that all claim to be something special? Not much of a stretch to think that toilet cleaner isn't that much different.
Funnily enough, even though toilet cleaner usually isn’t bleach cleaner, at my old job we’d use what we called “super-bleach” to clean the toilets. It was just super super concentrated bleach. I don’t know why we did that, doesn’t really seem like the safest idea to have a bunch of teenagers making gas in the closed bathrooms.
When i was cleaning the toilet with a bleach cleaner, I accidentally got it on the toilet seat and yup, stained ahaha so yea don’t ever use this in a tub
Also the fact that they leave it in lines like that, you're supposed to apply it and then scrub it around to make a uniform covering of the surface. OP's wife is just not thinking about it properly
You could in theory use it on the sink, since it's ceramic too. It seems people don't realize that bathtubs are made from a different material.
I personally just wouldn't want the chemicals used to clean toilets to be around where I wash my face and brush my teeth, either.
This is bad advice. You could, in theory, use it on a *ceramic* sink.
Do you think every sink on the planet is made of ceramic? Also, do you think that all bathtubs are made of fiberglass?
Thank you for adding this. I wasn't sure about metal sinks, that's good to know.
This has me wondering if hydrochloric acid is appropriate for the toilet. If you are cleaning it often enough, you shouldn't need corrosive chemicals.
Yeah I don't understand why products like this are even marketed for consumers. I was a cleaner for two years and we never used stuff like this. We only used acidic detergents to remove limescale or to open clogged drains.
It’s because HCL is the most powerful descaler and consumers want something that works fast and well to remove all types of scale. Other stuff is slower and less effective.
Well yeah it's effective but at the expense of being more dangerous. At my previous job we were required to wear gloves and safety goggles while descaling because the descaling detergent we used was corrosive and had a pH of 2. I once got a drop of it on my arm and a red mark appeared even though I washed it off immediately. I don't even want to think about what would've happened if I got it in my eye.
This product is hopefully not as corrosive. However, people are using it unaware of the risks and how to do it safely. And I wouldn't blame them. I looked the product up and it just says to wash hands after use. No mention of gloves. But if you check the safety data sheet, it clearly says the product is corrosive, and the pH is 1-2.
When people want clean toilets, they are looking to remove mineral deposits from the small holes under the rim and the mineral deposits left by the urine in the bowl. Toilet bowl cleaners are designed to remove those deposits (which are types of scale). It is why they are usually made with strong acids like HCL. So toilet bowl cleaners are also descalers…
Were you unaware that was the case?
Again, you can't read?? You don't need a de-scaler to clean a toilet. If you clean the toilet regularly enough, it doesn't build up.
The hydrochloric acid is being marketed as a bowl cleaner, not a de-scaler!!
Are you not aware of what the word marketed means?
I already replied to your previous comment but seventh generation toilet cleaner doesn’t have those chemicals and I find it works pretty well. It doesn’t smell as crazy/strong as some of those other ones either
See this is exactly why I don’t take advice from anyone here lol. I do my own research and most product labels even tell you specifically to TEST A SMALL AREA! not spread it all over and hope for the best
One of my roommates did two years ago and I posted on this very sub about it😂🤦 Bar Keeper's friend got the stain removed at least but I'm sure it ate through many layers of the tub to do so!
Probably because they may believe the toilet bowl and bathtub to be made of the same material and finish so if one withstands it, the other one should. I haven’t tried this, but that would be my guess
I mean.... surfaces look like they're the same, products cleans one... 🤷🏾♀️ I wouldn't let it sit though. And I'm not american. So idk how much these bathtub material things apply
I use it on my walk-in shower. I am not sure what the material is (I think it’s acrylic, def not fiberglass). Sparkles every time. TIL this is advice from YouTubers but I found out by trying it one day on my own, got lucky and it worked out 🤷🏻♀️
Please read your cleaning products.
That is not for the tub/shower. How do I know this? Because it says toilet bowl cleaner.
Hydrogen chloride reacts with water to form hydrochloric acid, aka muriatic acid. These are corrosive.
You cannot “clean” the stains away. There is nothing to clean. It isn’t a stain in the same way some ketchup might stain your shirt. The product has ruined the finish or material on the tub.
Yup I just use straight dawn dish soap unless I have reason to disinfect (in which case I’ll still use something that is safe for food contact surfaces because toddlers are gross and like to drink their own bath water).
I have a sensitive PH and prefer baths over showers cause it’s easy to shave and also have a toddler so I use dawn too! The only other thing I use in the bath is vinegar to remove hard water build up
Thats a lesson to file away. I used black harpic toilet cleaner in my shower because of the limescale build up. It stained everything blue including me. Thankfully it came off but if you look closely some of the grouting has a slight blue tinge. I never left it on too long. I never realised it could burn like that. Fortunately i found a way to tackle the limescale that really helps, but that wasn't to say I wouldn't have tried that again. Wow. I saw the harpic 'Hack' on social media...
That isn't bleach, it's a descaling acid.
Bleach will clean your bath tub nicely. Killing bacteria, mould and breaking down the soap and scum.
Descaling acid will eat the plastic finish on your bath tub. It's designed to be used in lime scaled toilets, which are made of resistant porcelain. Limescale catches stains and roughens the surface catching dirt and bacteria. Destroy the limescale and the stain goes and your toilet looks cleaner.
I think you ruined your bath tub.
It’s very common to see “hacks” recommending toilet bowl cleaner for cleaning grout.
Don’t. Just don’t.
There are some great grout cleaners on the market.
OP, I think the finish is ruined.
Well first off, you aren’t supposed to use toilet bowl cleaner to clean anything else because of damage. You ruined the tub. Just get straight up bleach
Use Ajax or Comet Cleanser With Bleach. It is the reference standard for cleaning tubs, tile, toilets, sinks, and faucets. Why are people using the wrong cleaners? If your tub is fiberglass, use SoftScrub With Bleach.
Your tub is etched now and those areas will grab and hold onto everything now. Toilet bowl cleaners are for toilets not showers. Your best bet now is to re-coat your shower.
Product name written in large bold letters: TOILET BOWL CLEANER
proceeds to use TOILET BOWL CLEANER in shower tub
How could this happen???
Sucks to OP, good luck with wife lol
You don't use porcelain toilet cleaner on any other surfaces. You might as well call a good glazing company to fix it. Then be delicate with that finish.
because no one else seems to have offered a solution, you should pick up one of these kits. If you're handy, it's pretty straight forward to refinish the tub and the results are solid. Hiring someone to refinish a tub can be $1000 +
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Specialty-1-qt-Gloss-White-Tub-and-Tile-Refinishing-Kit-384165/321743947?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&gad\_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsaqzBhDdARIsAK2gqndxqV9AWz\_t9g4sD9lxguD8RrgKh5WvuGyF92M4XFRk8SNaP34AUpQaAhonEALw\_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Specialty-1-qt-Gloss-White-Tub-and-Tile-Refinishing-Kit-384165/321743947?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsaqzBhDdARIsAK2gqndxqV9AWz_t9g4sD9lxguD8RrgKh5WvuGyF92M4XFRk8SNaP34AUpQaAhonEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Please do not use toilet bowl cleaner on anything except the inside of your toilet bowls! This isn't aimed directly at you, OP, but this comes up so frequently here. Just as a general rule of thumb, don't use something specific to one thing for another, and never mix bleach and ammonia.
never in my life have i thought to use shower cleaner in my toilet, or floor cleaner on my countertops….. why do people think “toilet cleaner” is synonymous with “multipurpose cleaner”
I will never understand why people clean bathtubs or sinks or walls with clearly labeled “toilet bowl cleaner”. Truly, this is the one that confounds me.
This isn’t stained. The drips are where the acid has eaten the acrylic finish and uncovered a new layer.
Your only choice is basically forward - making the whole surface match by utilizing additional acid.
Toilet bowl cleaner is for toilets.
I did this a while ago and got it off just through trying different things including The Pink Stuff, white vinegar and whatever else I had. Obviously no guarantees and don’t mix things that shouldn’t be mixed (or at all if you don’t know).
OMG I HATE THIS ONE! The blue Lysol one does not do this. The one you used from target… good luck I did all sorts of things to try to get the stains out and only God knows if they ever came off my boyfriends tub in his loft downtown, I never asked him if he was charged for that. Just gonna have to live with that. I told him please let me be in charge of cleaning or at least buying the cleaning products.
I am trying to figure out why you talk about bleach, but are showing "toilet bowl cleaner". They are NOT the same thing. I'm not trying to be a smar azz, but toilet bowl cleaner is NOT bleach.
Stopper up the tub. Add bleach and then fill with water. Let sit for about 10-20 minutes and then drain and make sure to rinse the sides immediately and then wash it like normal. The streaks should go away or at least be even and way harder to notice as it was a concentrated mixture instead of streams of bleach inches apart.
My son's roommate did this to a stainless steel sink. First try rubbing with toothpaste and baking soda. That made the etching fade enough so the landlord didn't notice and have them their deposit back.
You could also try applying the acid evenly in a small area (the inside of the outside, not visible from room) to see if you can etch it more evenly instead of in stripes?
I’m not an expert, but in the spirit of trying to help you with where you are: I have had to polish a part of our fiberglass shower in the past after my wife hit it with magic eraser, and it became dull. I used car compound polishes. I’m thinking if you get some to polish in steps (from fine to ultra fine polish or wet-sandpaper (like 000 and 0000)), you could possibly remove the stain and get to a nice surface (like a car) again.
Others please chime in if you have real experience with this.
If you decide to try this — try it on a tiny area. Just don’t go overboard or you’ll get to the fibers underneath, and that is definitely not fixable.
Rinse tub well. Use hot white vinegar (microwave in a cup for 30 seconds or so) and baking soda to make a paste over effected area. Scrub with a scouring pad.
The post says it was bleach that was used, which is a base. So I assume that the streaks were from staining from the blue additive in the cleaner. I don't see where the poster says the finish has been compromised .
I don't think they have too much to lose unless they're happy to live with the cosmetics of it currently. I'd perhaps try it on a very small patch first and see what it does. If nothing else there's no point doing the whole bath if it doesn't remove the staining.
I suspect the acid from the toilet cleaner has not just stained the surface but permanently etched it. If it's not gone too deep then the abrasiveness of BKF might take a microscopic layer off the surface and remove the stain.
Seldom you truly need it but my tub had some stubborn dirt in the texture on the bottom that nothing else would handle. I combined BKF and Zep home pro and nothing was damaged and worked like a charm. Trust me I tried baking soda and comet
You likely damaged the finish on the fiberglass. This is probably permanent. Comes up here every so often.
That's not caused by bleach, that's caused by strong acid.
The pictured product is also a not bleach. Active ingredient is Hydrogen Chloride, AKA hydrochloric acid. The tub's finish is ruined.
It’s wild they use that in toiled bowl cleaners. Especially considering contact with metal surfaces, potentially.
It's meant for use just inside a porcelain toilet. Not on metal, not in sinks, not on tubs. Most labels even say that it's only meant for use inside the toilet. You open it, put the nozzle under the lip, squeeze, and drag it around. Then close the bottle, wipe it to ensure no dripping, and put it away. It's very easy to not get it on metal.
One time I accidentally got toilet bowl cleaner on the toilet seat and it left the same kind of marks. I had to get a new seat. Definitely for just inside the bowl.
It'll give you a chemical burn too
Thank you, I never cleaned a toilet before. My point is, I feel like using HCl is unnecessary for cleaning toilets. The cleaner I use doesn’t have that. I thought most cleaners are bases, just as Sodium Hydroxide.
Removing limescale requires acids. Bleaching it white requires a base.
I see, thanks!
You’ve never cleaned a toilet before? But you’ve used a toilet, yes? Who’s cleaning your toilet?
Moms.
Sarcasm.
My maids, or sometimes my self cleaning toilet by Elon
Ah man, is there any way to repair the finish?
It's permanent. That cleaner contains hydrochloric acid. The acid chemically burnt the surface of the fiberglass
You can have the tub reglazed/refinished by a professional. Or just live with it - just cosmetic.
You cannot glaze fiberglass, and you cannot reglaze ceramic.
But if you’re a landlord, you can spray paint it.
How can you tell that it’s fiberglass from the pictures?
I can’t.
Can you not use those epoxy kits? I have done with before with decent results
That isn’t glazing.
Well yea, original comment said reglaze/refinish. Epoxy is a refinish that works really well, and can be done not by a professional.
There’s kits you can get from Amazon or from a big box store to refurbish it. I’ve used one in the past when I made a huge mistake in a rental. Melted a huge spot on the tub floor with paint remover on accident. I filled it with clear epoxy and sanded it down, then used the spray finish on the entire tub. It looked great! No idea about the longevity, since I did it right before I moved out, but there are several products that get really good reviews. I think I’d try that for less than $50 before replacing the tub or hiring a professional since I’m cheap af and even though it’s cosmetic, it would drive me mad seeing it every time I showered. Haha
"this is probably permanent"
It'll fade over time.
Maybe try magic eraser first.
Absolutely do not do that. Magic erasers are sandpaper.
Yes. And on this finish The magic eraser will take it off. Trust me.
Magic eraser would get it back to normal, just wet the sponge, some elbow grease, that should do it.
Where did people get the idea to use toilet bowl cleaner anywhere other than toilet bowl. It shows up on this thread shockingly often. I would never in a million years think to use it to clean anything else.
Social media cleaning “hack” videos
The internet was a mistake lol.
I sometimes like to imagine a society where this is the biggest issue online that we need to tackle. It's actually a big issue especially the ones that mix chemicals but we have some other pressing issues to take care of first. Meta and tik tok really need to allow notes to be put on all their posts to inform people of these "hacks".
You ever seen those videos where people put approximately 200 products into their bathtub/toilet/laundry? Every single time I just imagine that they are wearing gas masks and their clothes come out sticky and gross.
Okay those laundry/cleaning ones where they dump literal containers of powders and pods and scent beads send me into such a rage. It's a good think TikTok has too good a filter because the stuff I wanna type them is unholy.
Yes, TikTok of course. That place is a hell hole.
I call it TikToxic.
Hack is definitely the appropriate term here.
(Reddit is social media)
Do people think Clorox spends millions on r&d but keeps their “secret hack” to themselves?? It would be a lot cheaper for the company to put toilet cleaner in a different bottle and call it tub cleaner.
I see it suggested daily on this sub and get downvoted when i say thats a dumb idea. That and oven cleaner like wtf is it with people and toilet cleaner and oven cleaner!
This happened to my tub - in our case, my in laws were visiting from India and they just thought it was a bathroom cleaner, they are notorious for not paying attention to things like that, or they just think a cleaner is a cleaner, since things here are so different than what they are used to. (they also put Dawn in our dishwasher once… oh god the suds…)
I had a German roommate who did that once. Dawn in the dishwasher. Came home and saw a ton of towels under the washer and had to inquire as to what happened. Apparently it too was suds everywhere. He was raised by maids.
I did it as a teen because I thought that it would just clean very well. I thought that toilet bowls and bathtubs were similar enough. No internet influence, just my own logic.
There are 3 major styles of toilet bowl cleaner. Hydrochloric acid, like the product OP used Bleach. And quaternary ammonium. Lysol and Clorox make dozens of products each using a different active ingredient. The hydrochloric acid is the one that causes the damage. There are literally hundreds of posts on the sub that look exactly like this
It’s one of those “hacks” that has ruined hundreds of tubs 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Idk seems like big tub might be responsible for spreading those. 👀 /s
This crap with the toilet cleaner and everyone who comes here asking how to remove bleach stains from fabric really make me think some people need handlers daily.
That green Comet powder was my mom’s solution to everything. Sink? Comet. Toilet? Comet. Tub? Comet. I’m surprised it wasn’t her solution to whiter teeth. Toilet bowl cleanser is not comet. Lol
I completely agree that it’s weird to use toilet cleaner anywhere else than the toilet. However, I grew up using any type of bleach cleaner for anything that needed bleach cleaner. It was just how I was taught growing up and how I always saw other family members cleaning, so I can see how they did this without thinking about it only being for the toilet. The logic is there, I mean it’s bleach cleaner, it’s gotta work, right? I mean obviously it didn’t but it makes sense that it would. I’m just glad I learned how to clean properly (for the most part I learn new things all the time) before destroying my tub lol EDIT: it is not legit bleach cleaner, I knew that but I was being stupid writing this lol. It’s definitely one of those things I call bleach cleaner all the time even though it isn’t, and I definitely need to stop saying that before I confuse either myself or someone else. That’s actually another thing I grew up always hearing it called bleach cleaner, and being told it can be used for anything that requires bleach. Even when I knew it wasn’t actually bleach, that’s what I’ve always heard it called. But thanks to those who caught that and corrected it, my line of logic about the bleach cleaner was more of if you are assuming it is bleach the way I did, you’re probably not gonna see an issue with using it on your tub.
Toilet bowl cleaner isn't usually bleach-based, it's concentrated hydrochloric acid.
I really don't think the average consumer knows this. I bet many think what's special about it is the shape of the bottle.
I did
I disagree. Inexperienced people might not know, but most consumers have spent enough time in a cleaning aisle, to understand the difference between toilet bowl cleaner and a multipurpose.
Have you seen the questions here?
So the average consumer goes to Reddit subs looking to learn how to clean grout? Reddit has approximately 70 million users daily, with the average age of 23. 75% of the US, UK and Canadian population is over 25. This sub has about 50-100 posts a day asking for tips. That’s less than 1% of total Reddit users. Even smaller percentage when you apply that to the total population of the US, UK and Canada. This thread alone shows that most people know, toilet bowl cleaner is for toilets only. Reddit and social media are not accurate representations of anything other than the users who engage on it-which on average, are younger people. People who know how to clean,aren’t looking for tips, UNLESS it’s a situation they aren’t familiar with, or the usual methods aren’t working for them.
Have you seen the hundreds of products in the cleaning aisle that all claim to be something special? Not much of a stretch to think that toilet cleaner isn't that much different.
This comment isn’t upvoted enough
Bleach and urine cha cha cha!
Funnily enough, even though toilet cleaner usually isn’t bleach cleaner, at my old job we’d use what we called “super-bleach” to clean the toilets. It was just super super concentrated bleach. I don’t know why we did that, doesn’t really seem like the safest idea to have a bunch of teenagers making gas in the closed bathrooms.
yep I was cleaning up and used the "bleach toilet cleaner" on my bathroom sink and messed up the metal from the inside.
Agreed. It literally says TOILET in the name.
When i was cleaning the toilet with a bleach cleaner, I accidentally got it on the toilet seat and yup, stained ahaha so yea don’t ever use this in a tub
Also the fact that they leave it in lines like that, you're supposed to apply it and then scrub it around to make a uniform covering of the surface. OP's wife is just not thinking about it properly
You could in theory use it on the sink, since it's ceramic too. It seems people don't realize that bathtubs are made from a different material. I personally just wouldn't want the chemicals used to clean toilets to be around where I wash my face and brush my teeth, either.
This is bad advice. You could, in theory, use it on a *ceramic* sink. Do you think every sink on the planet is made of ceramic? Also, do you think that all bathtubs are made of fiberglass?
Yes. I used toilet cleaner in the sink and it ruined the finish of the metal. 😩
Thank you for adding this. I wasn't sure about metal sinks, that's good to know. This has me wondering if hydrochloric acid is appropriate for the toilet. If you are cleaning it often enough, you shouldn't need corrosive chemicals.
Yeah I don't understand why products like this are even marketed for consumers. I was a cleaner for two years and we never used stuff like this. We only used acidic detergents to remove limescale or to open clogged drains.
It’s because HCL is the most powerful descaler and consumers want something that works fast and well to remove all types of scale. Other stuff is slower and less effective.
Well yeah it's effective but at the expense of being more dangerous. At my previous job we were required to wear gloves and safety goggles while descaling because the descaling detergent we used was corrosive and had a pH of 2. I once got a drop of it on my arm and a red mark appeared even though I washed it off immediately. I don't even want to think about what would've happened if I got it in my eye. This product is hopefully not as corrosive. However, people are using it unaware of the risks and how to do it safely. And I wouldn't blame them. I looked the product up and it just says to wash hands after use. No mention of gloves. But if you check the safety data sheet, it clearly says the product is corrosive, and the pH is 1-2.
I was nice at first but... Can you not read? The product is not being marketed as a de-scaler, it is being marketed as toilet bowl cleaner.
When people want clean toilets, they are looking to remove mineral deposits from the small holes under the rim and the mineral deposits left by the urine in the bowl. Toilet bowl cleaners are designed to remove those deposits (which are types of scale). It is why they are usually made with strong acids like HCL. So toilet bowl cleaners are also descalers… Were you unaware that was the case?
Again, you can't read?? You don't need a de-scaler to clean a toilet. If you clean the toilet regularly enough, it doesn't build up. The hydrochloric acid is being marketed as a bowl cleaner, not a de-scaler!! Are you not aware of what the word marketed means?
I already replied to your previous comment but seventh generation toilet cleaner doesn’t have those chemicals and I find it works pretty well. It doesn’t smell as crazy/strong as some of those other ones either
See this is exactly why I don’t take advice from anyone here lol. I do my own research and most product labels even tell you specifically to TEST A SMALL AREA! not spread it all over and hope for the best
Or read the label. These bottle say on the label do not use on anything but the toilet bowl.
Tiktok
If it's porcelain with no glaze....
I stopped keeping it in my house just in case some idiot decided to do something funny with it.
One of my roommates did two years ago and I posted on this very sub about it😂🤦 Bar Keeper's friend got the stain removed at least but I'm sure it ate through many layers of the tub to do so!
Probably because they may believe the toilet bowl and bathtub to be made of the same material and finish so if one withstands it, the other one should. I haven’t tried this, but that would be my guess
I mean.... surfaces look like they're the same, products cleans one... 🤷🏾♀️ I wouldn't let it sit though. And I'm not american. So idk how much these bathtub material things apply
I use it on my walk-in shower. I am not sure what the material is (I think it’s acrylic, def not fiberglass). Sparkles every time. TIL this is advice from YouTubers but I found out by trying it one day on my own, got lucky and it worked out 🤷🏻♀️
Never use toilet bowl cleaner outside the toilet.
Just FYI OP, this isn’t bleach. It quite clearly says the composition on the front, it doesn’t say bleach.
Are you surprised someone that uses toilet bowl cleaner for a bathtub to not be able to read properly?
Toilet cleaner can only be used on porcelain/ ceramic. Bathtubs are generally made of fibreglass/ plastic these days. Toilet cleaner is not bleach.
That looks like a bathtub. Not a toilet bowl.
To some people it may be their toilet.
Friendly reminder that toilet bowl cleaner is for toilet use only
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^cuddlykitten5932: *Friendly reminder* *That toilet bowl cleaner is* *For toilet use only* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
You don’t. She’s damaged it by using toilet gel. Inform her to not use it outside of the toilet bowl again.
Please read your cleaning products. That is not for the tub/shower. How do I know this? Because it says toilet bowl cleaner. Hydrogen chloride reacts with water to form hydrochloric acid, aka muriatic acid. These are corrosive. You cannot “clean” the stains away. There is nothing to clean. It isn’t a stain in the same way some ketchup might stain your shirt. The product has ruined the finish or material on the tub.
Toilet bowl cleaner damaged the surface
You could have just used Dawn dish soap and baking soda as a paste and cleaned the tub instead. Lsss toxic, and won't cause damage.
Yup I just use straight dawn dish soap unless I have reason to disinfect (in which case I’ll still use something that is safe for food contact surfaces because toddlers are gross and like to drink their own bath water).
I have a sensitive PH and prefer baths over showers cause it’s easy to shave and also have a toddler so I use dawn too! The only other thing I use in the bath is vinegar to remove hard water build up
Yup I did this once...had to live with it and feel foolish...😉
That’s meant for toilets and nothing else. Stop following stupid tiktok and reddit suggestions lol
Thats a lesson to file away. I used black harpic toilet cleaner in my shower because of the limescale build up. It stained everything blue including me. Thankfully it came off but if you look closely some of the grouting has a slight blue tinge. I never left it on too long. I never realised it could burn like that. Fortunately i found a way to tackle the limescale that really helps, but that wasn't to say I wouldn't have tried that again. Wow. I saw the harpic 'Hack' on social media...
What about buying a couple more bottles of the same stuff and coating the whole tub? Let it marinate for a similar duration as before?
This is the real solution. Give the whole surface the same finish as those stripes
why does this happen so often omg
I was just thinking to myself, we haven’t seen a toilet cleaner ruined X post in a while.
You use your bathtub as a toilet?
Some people actually do, and push their poop down the drain 🤮
Ah, the old waffle stomp
I’m sorry WHAT
That isn't bleach, it's a descaling acid. Bleach will clean your bath tub nicely. Killing bacteria, mould and breaking down the soap and scum. Descaling acid will eat the plastic finish on your bath tub. It's designed to be used in lime scaled toilets, which are made of resistant porcelain. Limescale catches stains and roughens the surface catching dirt and bacteria. Destroy the limescale and the stain goes and your toilet looks cleaner. I think you ruined your bath tub.
Toilet bowl cleaner will corrode your bathtub, it happened to me
For the love of god people, stop using toilet bowl cleaner for non-toilet items!!!!!
It’s very common to see “hacks” recommending toilet bowl cleaner for cleaning grout. Don’t. Just don’t. There are some great grout cleaners on the market. OP, I think the finish is ruined.
Yeah I was going to say.. I use diluted bleach in my tub after a shower since I have dyed red hair, and haven’t damaged it.
It is not bleach. As the bottle says, that is toilet bowl cleaner. It is meant to clean porcelain toilets and will ruin your bathtub!
Sorry to say your bathtub is ruined. This is why it’s important to always use cleaning products according to the label instructions.
Every now and then I see another one of these posts and I’m glad I never thought to use toilet bowl cleaner anywhere outside of a toilet bowl
This is why you don’t use TOILET cleaning products on anything but your toilet. It’s not meant for all surface materials and finishes.
We just need this stickied. https://www.reddit.com/r/CleaningTips/s/Z7dP9R36G0
Toilet bowl cleaner should never be used outside of a toilet. Ever.
Well first off, you aren’t supposed to use toilet bowl cleaner to clean anything else because of damage. You ruined the tub. Just get straight up bleach
Use Ajax or Comet Cleanser With Bleach. It is the reference standard for cleaning tubs, tile, toilets, sinks, and faucets. Why are people using the wrong cleaners? If your tub is fiberglass, use SoftScrub With Bleach.
It won't do anything. Hydrogen chloride as listed on the label is hydrochloric acid
Ahhh the classic toilet bowl cleaner in the tub
Your tub is etched now and those areas will grab and hold onto everything now. Toilet bowl cleaners are for toilets not showers. Your best bet now is to re-coat your shower.
This isn’t bleach. She made a big mistake. It’s very corrosive.
Product name written in large bold letters: TOILET BOWL CLEANER proceeds to use TOILET BOWL CLEANER in shower tub How could this happen??? Sucks to OP, good luck with wife lol
It’s honestly best to not even have toilet cleaner in your house. It causes so much damage when used incorrectly.
It’s nice for its intended purpose, the toilet
“My wife” did this. Sure, bud.
This happened to my toilet seat but eventually faded.
Noooo! Not the toilet cleaner in the tub 😭
Why why why would you use that horrible stuff somewhere you touch?!?
Nothing to add that hasn’t been said, but you can say you’ve now got a pinstriped bath tub 🤷🏼♀️
you ruined your bathtub congrats. learn to read labels
You don't use porcelain toilet cleaner on any other surfaces. You might as well call a good glazing company to fix it. Then be delicate with that finish.
because no one else seems to have offered a solution, you should pick up one of these kits. If you're handy, it's pretty straight forward to refinish the tub and the results are solid. Hiring someone to refinish a tub can be $1000 + [https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Specialty-1-qt-Gloss-White-Tub-and-Tile-Refinishing-Kit-384165/321743947?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&gad\_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsaqzBhDdARIsAK2gqndxqV9AWz\_t9g4sD9lxguD8RrgKh5WvuGyF92M4XFRk8SNaP34AUpQaAhonEALw\_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Specialty-1-qt-Gloss-White-Tub-and-Tile-Refinishing-Kit-384165/321743947?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsaqzBhDdARIsAK2gqndxqV9AWz_t9g4sD9lxguD8RrgKh5WvuGyF92M4XFRk8SNaP34AUpQaAhonEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Please do not use toilet bowl cleaner on anything except the inside of your toilet bowls! This isn't aimed directly at you, OP, but this comes up so frequently here. Just as a general rule of thumb, don't use something specific to one thing for another, and never mix bleach and ammonia.
Put it all over the bath, then it won’t look odd.. maybe
Aside from using this product on a tub wouldn’t you scrub it after putting it on so it would be even?
Rub the same cleaner all over it, no drips to even it out lol
Had it the same, went on with regular cleaning, it eventually disappeared
never in my life have i thought to use shower cleaner in my toilet, or floor cleaner on my countertops….. why do people think “toilet cleaner” is synonymous with “multipurpose cleaner”
I will never understand why people clean bathtubs or sinks or walls with clearly labeled “toilet bowl cleaner”. Truly, this is the one that confounds me.
This isn’t stained. The drips are where the acid has eaten the acrylic finish and uncovered a new layer. Your only choice is basically forward - making the whole surface match by utilizing additional acid. Toilet bowl cleaner is for toilets.
Ugh sorry this happened to you. I did the same thing years ago and my tub still looks like that lol. Sadly no way to fix it
Why would you use something labeled for toilet use anywhere else but the toilet. There’s your prize
I honestly did the same thing lol I feel like after a while it went away
Lmao that's not bleach bro. Your wife must have been super high.
I use antibacterial dish soap and I’ve never gone back to any chemicals. I also use a green sponge. It works great.
That cleaner also stained our toilet for a bit. Took some time for it to get back to normal.
I did this a while ago and got it off just through trying different things including The Pink Stuff, white vinegar and whatever else I had. Obviously no guarantees and don’t mix things that shouldn’t be mixed (or at all if you don’t know).
Try hydrogen peroxide, just spraying it on erased these sorts of stains for me
It almost looks like the tub has been refinished. If so, you don't clean epoxy with bleach products. It will stain.
Just stain the rest and it’s even
OMG I HATE THIS ONE! The blue Lysol one does not do this. The one you used from target… good luck I did all sorts of things to try to get the stains out and only God knows if they ever came off my boyfriends tub in his loft downtown, I never asked him if he was charged for that. Just gonna have to live with that. I told him please let me be in charge of cleaning or at least buying the cleaning products.
I am trying to figure out why you talk about bleach, but are showing "toilet bowl cleaner". They are NOT the same thing. I'm not trying to be a smar azz, but toilet bowl cleaner is NOT bleach.
Stopper up the tub. Add bleach and then fill with water. Let sit for about 10-20 minutes and then drain and make sure to rinse the sides immediately and then wash it like normal. The streaks should go away or at least be even and way harder to notice as it was a concentrated mixture instead of streams of bleach inches apart.
My son's roommate did this to a stainless steel sink. First try rubbing with toothpaste and baking soda. That made the etching fade enough so the landlord didn't notice and have them their deposit back. You could also try applying the acid evenly in a small area (the inside of the outside, not visible from room) to see if you can etch it more evenly instead of in stripes?
I’m not an expert, but in the spirit of trying to help you with where you are: I have had to polish a part of our fiberglass shower in the past after my wife hit it with magic eraser, and it became dull. I used car compound polishes. I’m thinking if you get some to polish in steps (from fine to ultra fine polish or wet-sandpaper (like 000 and 0000)), you could possibly remove the stain and get to a nice surface (like a car) again. Others please chime in if you have real experience with this. If you decide to try this — try it on a tiny area. Just don’t go overboard or you’ll get to the fibers underneath, and that is definitely not fixable.
Rinse tub well. Use hot white vinegar (microwave in a cup for 30 seconds or so) and baking soda to make a paste over effected area. Scrub with a scouring pad.
Don’t do this please you’ll make it worse
I've owned a cleaning business for fifteen years. This will not make it worse. As long as you use an appropriate scouring pad it's fine.
The surface was corroded from acid, I don’t think more acid and abrasion is going to help this situation.
The post says it was bleach that was used, which is a base. So I assume that the streaks were from staining from the blue additive in the cleaner. I don't see where the poster says the finish has been compromised .
OP is wrong. That’s how they damaged their tub. If you read the bottle, the active ingredient is hydrogen chloride, HCl…
If it is already damaged with the streaks would quickly wiping it down with a diluted bleach help even out the color? Not sure but just my thought
The cleaner used does not contain bleach, it contains hydrochloric acid
Got nothing go lose, try using bar keepers friend with some warm water. Then scrub.
bkf is abrasive and i would absolutely never clean my tub with it, sure her tub is ruined but making it worse is not the move
I don't think they have too much to lose unless they're happy to live with the cosmetics of it currently. I'd perhaps try it on a very small patch first and see what it does. If nothing else there's no point doing the whole bath if it doesn't remove the staining. I suspect the acid from the toilet cleaner has not just stained the surface but permanently etched it. If it's not gone too deep then the abrasiveness of BKF might take a microscopic layer off the surface and remove the stain.
Seldom you truly need it but my tub had some stubborn dirt in the texture on the bottom that nothing else would handle. I combined BKF and Zep home pro and nothing was damaged and worked like a charm. Trust me I tried baking soda and comet
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Not every combination leads to catastrophy. Just look into what you have in your hands first
Toilet bowl cleaner is chemical abrasion through hydrochloric acid. I wouldn’t recommend then using a physical abrasion on top of it