Every time you walk into your bathroom, you should be greeted with a beautiful new bathtub, shower, or a complete bathroom. Here are a few simple steps to keep your bathroom looking as beautiful as it does now.
Acrylic Shower or Bathtub
Although acrylic is very low maintenance, it unfortunately doesn’t clean itself. Luckily, with a quick cleaning after each use, your acrylic bathtub or shower will stay fresh for many years. When JDS Bath completes your acrylic installation, refer to your easy-to-follow care instructions for your new bathtub or shower.
For normal everyday cleaning, use cleaner with a soft washcloth and always rinse thoroughly with warm water afterwards. The silicone sealant can mold if water, soap and/or hair products are allowed to sit on it.
There are many cleaners on the market, however some of them can cause the surface of the acrylic to become dull or create chemical cracks. Using cleaning chemicals that are not intended for acrylic will void your product warranty. If in doubt, call the 800-number on the back of your favorite cleaner and ask if their product is safe to use on acrylic.
The manufacturer of the acrylic JDS Bath installs recommends Scrub Free, Fantastik, Formula 409, Bathroom Duck, Scrub Free with Oxy Lemon Scent, Zep Shower Tub & Tile, Greenworks Natural All-Purpose Cleaner, Kaboom Shower Tub & Tile Cleaner, and Seventh Generation Shower Cleaner – Natural Citrus. Only use cleaning products whose labels state that they are “SAFE FOR ACRYLIC”. Always test products on a small area of skirt before applying to the entire bath area.
Do not use Dow Scrubbing Bubbles, Abrasive Cleaners, Ajax, Comet, Tilex, Soft Scrub, Mr. Clean, Nail Polish Remover, Scouring Pads, Ammonia, Tough Act & Power or Crystal Drain Cleaners, Greenworks Bathroom Cleaner, Scrub Free with Bleach, Seventh Generation Bathroom Cleaner – Regular. The use of these products will cause a dull surface or chemical cracks and void your product warranty.
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Thankfully because of the way the acrylic is made, there is no need to use abrasive cleaners. Abrasive cleaners dull the gloss over a period of years. In extreme cases where the recommended cleaners do not work, use a Chore Boy or 3M Sponge pad. Make sure you only use the ones recommended for Teflon or non-stick surfaces.
When it comes time to clean your drain, liquid drain cleaners are recommended over powders and/or crystal ones. However, when using a liquid drain cleaning agent, be sure to bail all the standing water out of the bathtub and remove the drain plug. Always use a funnel to prevent spills and apply the chemicals directly down the drain. Make sure the chemicals don’t touch the acrylic surface. Using the drain cleaner sparingly will help it avoid the acrylic. You want the drain cleaner to attack the clog in the drain, not the surface of your bathtub or shower.
Tile & Sealant
The sealant JDS Bath uses is stain-resistant when properly installed and allowed to cure properly. It is, unfortunately, not self-cleaning. Luckily, routine maintenance can be done with detergents and a sponge or mop. If you’ve chosen to have a beautiful tile floor and tile shower installed in your bathroom, using a mop and bucket might be a good choice to keep your tile clean. Prior to using any cleaning material on a tile, test a discrete area or scrap piece of tile to insure desired results.
For tough or difficult to remove soil, a bleaching cleaner (e.g., Soft Scrub, Comet, Ajax, etc. or electric dishwashing detergent) on a nylon scrubbing pad or a long handled stiff bristle brush can be used.
Here are a few simple tile cleaning steps after each use of the bathing area:
1. Sweep or vacuum the tile area of all loose dirt and other foreign materials. All spills should be cleaned as quickly as possible.
2. Use a damp mop on the tile area with clean hot water. Change the water often. Do not clean more than one bathroom per mop bucket. Dirty mop water will only apply more dirt to the surface of the tile.
a) If floors are heavily soiled, mop with a solution of hot water and diluted cleaning agent. Once heavily soiled areas have been cleaned, mop a second time with clean hot water to rinse and remove any remaining cleaning solutions.
b) Use only the recommended dilution of detergent. More is not always better. Higher concentrations of detergent in the cleaning solution will only make it more difficult to rinse.
c) Any remaining cleaning agent will attract dirt to the floor.
3. Dry floors as quickly as possible using a dry mop, flat mop, or high-pressure fan, then dry the wet tile area before allowing traffic onto tile.
If the tile does not come clean with standard mopping or a nylon scrub pad and standard cleaning agent, use the following procedure (recommended weekly):
1. Apply a liberal amount of Soft Scrub with Bleach cleanser to the tile area. Spread the Soft Scrub evenly over tile and let it remain for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. After allowing the Soft Scrub to settle on the floor, use a floor buffing machine with an abrasive nylon pad to scrub the tile area in small sections. The same procedure may be used for the shower or bathtub walls using a handheld nylon scrub pad.
3. Rinse with clean hot water and extract the substances from the floor using a mop, dry towels, or a wet-dry vac. Repeat as necessary until no dirt haze remains on the tile.
a) The soft scrub cleanser residue may be difficult to remove from the grout joints and low-lying areas; several rinses may be required.
b) Use caution to avoid getting the Soft Scrub on the stainless partitions and fixtures. The chlorine may damage the surface of the finish.
Pro-tip: Keep your care instructions for the type of tile and grout that is installed in your bathroom for easy reference.
We know life can get busy, and sometimes, remembering to clean your tile on a weekly basis doesn’t happen. Never fear, JDS Bath is here to help!
Is there soap scum build up on your tile? Click here for soap scum removal instructions.
Do you see mold and mildew everywhere? Click here for mold and mildew removal instructions.
Before applying any products to your tile, always double check that the product is safe to use on your type of tile and sealant.
Tile & Acrylic Bathtub or Shower
The best defense is a good offense. Meaning, by rinsing and drying your bathing area after each use, there will be less buildup of soap scum and dirt. The most important part of keeping your hybrid (tile & acrylic) bathtub or shower from growing mold is to prevent dirty water from sitting on the caulking.
Since there are hundreds of different kinds of tile available, the best cleaning agent for your bathroom will depend on the type of tile you choose to have installed. We recommend giving your bathtub/shower a good cleaning weekly with a mild cleaner that is marked safe for BOTH acrylic and your type of tile.
16408 Route 1, South Chesterfield, VA 23834 | 804-451-9673