If you want to give yourself some grace, you can see tub rings as a sign that you are a person who, at the very least, takes regular baths. Unfortunately, that doesn't make rings any less unappealing to behold. Getting rid of them, unfortunately, isn't exactly an easy task, but I've figured out the two best ways to get it done with the least amount of elbow grease.
Why you have a tub ring
Every two weeks or so, I run some water in my tub, splash a little Fabuloso in there, and zhush it around to clean and refresh the tile, but since I started using a new body scrub, the ring buildup has gotten too bad for that to be an effective end-all-be-all in my bathroom-cleaning routine. So I did a little research about what tub rings are, and how to get rid of them.
Rings around your tub can have a number of causes: They can come from oils, hard water mineral deposits, soap, or a combination of those. My new body scrub is oily, as is the human body in general, so that's probably why I've had more buildup lately.
As for eradicating the tub ring, a number of hacks sprang up when I searched, but the two that made the most sense to me were a baking soda paste and isopropyl alcohol, since I knew they'd both dry out the oil that was causing the rings to stick.
Isopropyl alcohol works for removing tub rings
The first thing I tried was a mixture of equal parts water and isopropyl alcohol, which I applied in two ways: First, I dipped a melamine sponge into it and used that to gently scrub at part of the tub ring. Slowly—very slowly—it did work, seeming to gradually melt away the residue. That was time-consuming and labor-intensive, though, so I tried a different application approach, dabbing the mixture on a larger section of the ring and letting it sit for five minutes.
When I went back at the alcohol-dampened sections with my melamine sponge, the ring came away much more quickly. Some soap scum and grime flaked into the basin of the tub, where I was able to remove it easily by hand, but a lot of it liquified, which was even better, as that made it simple to remove with a paper towel.
Baking soda is great for removing tub rings, too
Even though the isopropyl alcohol worked well, I knew it wouldn't be cost-effective to use it on my entire tub; that bottle cost me $13 and I need it for other things around the house. Baking soda is cheaper and, based on what I know about how it works to soak up oils and scour messes, it seemed like it had the potential to be an even better solution for the problem at hand.
There are a few ways you can apply baking soda to your tub ring. You can make a paste by adding some to a bowl, then gradually adding water and stirring it until you get a thick consistency you like, then slather it on the grime and let it do its thing. I did something much lazier and easier, though: I sprayed water all over the offending marks in my tub, then sprinkled the baking soda right over that, letting it stick to the wetness. It didn't form a paste, but it certainly made a grainy layer. Then, I left it alone for five minutes and returned to it with my melamine sponge when the time was up. The rings absolutely came right off—but the mixture of powder, water, and soap scum formed a sludgy substance similar to dirty sleet, which was a little grosser to scrape out of the tub at the end of the process.
General tips to remove tub rings
After I saw how well the baking soda worked, I sprinkled it all around the tub and left it there for a while. I came back, wiped it all into a pile of slush, removed that, and finished up by using my alcohol-and-water mixture to do one final wipe-down to get any remaining gunk. This worked flawlessly.
What you don't want to do is rinse any of the scum or baking soda down the drain—you don't want to inadvertently clog or damage your pipes—so shut the drain before starting and keep some paper towels on hand to manually wipe the basin as you go. Be careful with how you scrub, too. You don't want a sponge or brush that is too abrasive, as this can scratch tile or ceramic, especially when you're using the already-abrasive baking soda. I used my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but did so gently. You may want to consider using a microfiber cloth, especially if your tub is made out of a delicate material like acrylic.
