MIMF

As has been stated, I have scum in my bathtub.

The tub is one of those full-size plastic deals. I could tell it was a bit dark, but until a big chunk of scum peeled off, I didn't know how bad it was. I've tried every cleaner I can think of and nothing touches it, except for those “scotch brite” pads, and I have to rub like the devil for a r_e_a_l_l_y long time to see any difference at all. I'd like to return it to it's original state without it taking 10 years or having to break out the 100 grit sandpaper. Any ideas out there?

Move!

The plastic makes it difficult. I would suggest a torch or paint stripper but I suspect you want to keep it recognizable as a tub. You must attempt to be the scum (not difficult for me) and figure out what might work.

You could try a mild acid (vinegar) or a base (hydrogen peroxide). I assume you have tried chlorine bleach and TSP ( trisodium phosphate - the real stuff, not the TSP substitute) . I would avoid abrasives. They will give the scum a place to perch.

Hydrogen peroxide is not really a base in the chemistry sense of acids and bases. It is an oxidizing compound.

And I am not good at cleaning bath tubs.

You can use an old credit card to scrape it off w/o scratching the finish. Afterwards a soft, non-abrasive Scotch Brite pad and "Scrubbing Bubbles" will get you back to a shiny gel coat (unless Ajax or Comet had ever been used).

I recommend sweeping up all the scrapings and tossing them into the trash, rather than washing them down the drain, unless you've got a good snake.

Also, switching to another brand of soap will help slow down the build up of scum. Although I really prefer another brand, I switched to Dove because I hate cleaning the tub.

An unexpected benefit of switching soaps: my skin is now so soft and smooth, and I look ten years younger than my contemporaries.<BSEG>

If abrasives have been used, you could try pore filling with shellac and pumice. <g>

Hard to believe the Dove soap doesn't promote build up, I can't seem to get that stuff rinsed off myself even if I rinse for 3 hours. However, my wife loves the stuff. It is the major source of conflict in our relationship but every attorney we've discussed this with has not felt it was grounds for divorce, so we continue to sabotage each other soap in the shower.

While I fought it tooth and nail, my wife convinced me to squeegee off the walls after a shower, and the difference in soap scum and mold build up is quite amazing. You hardly ever have to clean the shower (as if that was going to happen anyway). But it also meant, drat, she was right again...will it ever end?

Go to CVS or some similar joint, buy about 25 boxes of the generic denture cleaning fizzies. Worked really well when I was cleaning barnacles off of a bunch of pen shells. Then follow with an apple cider vinegar scrub, not kidding.

+ 1 on the denture cleaning fizzies. When I took over my place the sinks were all scummed up and the kitchen one looked way beyond reclamation. Hot water, denture cleaners and scotchbrite got all of them pristine in no time.

Hard to believe the Dove soap doesn't promote build up, I can't seem to get that stuff rinsed off myself even if I rinse for 3 hours

Sounds like you have very hard water.....

Denture cleaning fizzies! Hmmm, that's something I haven't thought of. I'll try it and report back.

Mario, that would be very SOFT water. Hard water (contains a lot of minerals) can prevent soap from making suds.

Yeah, but hard water also leaves a soapy feeling on your skin, to where you feel like you can never get the soap off. Exactly what the feller I quoted was saying.

I think you must have different laws of physics and chemistry so far north. Probably caused by the torsion field created by the promontories of the larger equinox.

Having experienced both ends of the hard/soft water spectrum, I can unequivocally say that you are both right.
With very soft water, soap leaves a very slick - almost slimy feel - that you just can't wash away.
With very hard water, soap leaves a tacky - almost gummy feel - that you just can't wash away.
That tacky/gummy stuff is what is leaving scum in Tom's tub. Here in SoCal we have very hard water and all those minerals in the water conspire to leave the nastiest deposits on anything that that gets wet.

Chuck, you are such a diplomat, you could have a future in Politics. Though, I wouldn't want to wish that on any of my friends.<G>

I was getting distinct flashbacks from the story of 3 blind men describing an elephant, so I thought I might try to short-circuit the inevitable fisticuffs.

I finally went and bought some denture cleaning tabs. I filled the bath tub with about 3" of water, threw in about 40 tabs and let it sit about an hour. It was a bit lighter in some spots and seemed to have loosened a little around the cleaned spots. Later I'm going to use a whole box and see what happens.

The two items I'm aware of that will help remove those deposits are 1) CLR (for Calcium, Lime, Rust deposit removal) and 2) Mineral Spirits which will remove hardened soap scum and mineral deposits. Neither will harm the plastic tub. If you have used abrasives, though, you may lose the war. Once you break the surface of those tubs, you are pretty much sunk. It will never look right again, and build-up will start in the abraded surface.

Been awhile. I don't get out as much as I used to.
Okay, so I put in about a box and a half, somewhere around 150 tabs, about a foot of water in the tub, let sit for about 24 hrs. It doesn't work.<sigh> Still trying to think of what to do next.

150 tabs !! No wonder you've been gone for 3 months!!