GREENSBORO, N.C. — When you're a kid, you love a bubble bath. It's fun and the more bubbles the better. When you're an adult, the bath is relaxing and sometimes it's the only stress-free part of the day. That is, until the water drains and you're left with stains you can't quite get off.
"You have to pay attention to what you're putting in your tub. That is the most important thing, you have to read that label. If it says Citric Acid on it, don't put it in your tub at all. That's going be really bad," said Laura Redd of Laura Redd Interiors.
Redd says clients with acrylic tubs are seeing permanent stains by bath products. 2 Wants To Know looked online as well and found other folks posting about the same problem. Redd says in her experience, the tub company doesn't cover these stains.
"When you go through their warranty, nothing talks about the fact that these tubs will stain. When we got in and really dug through it, what we're learning is that an acrylic tub has a gel coat on it to protect it. And because new bath products come out every single day, the mixture percentages cannot be tested against the finish," said Redd.
She says you want to stay away from products with any kind of color, citric acid, special Epsom salts, and maybe all Epsom salts for that matter. She says the only thing tub manufacturers have told her that is safe is Mister Bubble.
What do you do if you have a stain?
Don't use abrasive sponges or products that can scratch the tub. Instead, make a paste of baking soda and either peroxide or alcohol and gently rub.