Keep your bathtub looking clean and pristine every day: let’s see how!

Our care and maintenance tips to make your designer bathtub sparkle

The time has come: your new bathroom is complete, you’ve finally moved into your new home and are beginning to savour your new environment. It’s around this time that you’ll start realising how good or bad your décor choices were, and have to start caring for your furniture and sanitary ware. It all looks very easy when everything is new and sparkling clean, doesn’t it?

Well, losing that initial momentum is just as easy as gradually neglecting to clean and maintain your bathroom surfaces.
Yet, it is precisely now that you should get into good habits: if you maintain them, your bathroom will remain effortlessly beautiful for a long time. Today’s blog is about bathtubs.

Some people believe that keeping the bathtub clean is complicated, as well as time consuming and tedious. They couldn’t be more wrong! Let’s find out together how to take care of a modern bathtub.

Before discussing materials, let us give you a general piece of advice if you have opted for a free-standing or a back-to-wall bathtub. In the first case, make sure to leave enough clearance around the bathtub so you can comfortably reach the space behind it, otherwise dust and grime will build up and eventually become very hard to clean. In contrast, a back-to-wall bathtub is easier to clean, but you need to pay extra attention to keep the strip of silicone sealant clean. Speaking of different bathtub models, you might be interested in reading our article on how to choose the bathtub.

Caring for materials: how to clean the bathtub

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the bathtub should be rinsed thoroughly after every use, so as to wash off any dirt and soap scum, and any oil-based residues or additives left by the bath products that could discolour it.
A sponge or soft brush can be used to aid the action of the water jets. This is already a good habit to prevent soap build-up.

To properly clean your bathtub, instead, you should use detergents suitable for its material.
On that note… what material is your bathtub made of?

If you’ve just bought it, you’ll likely remember what your bathtub is made of, although it’s not that uncommon if it’s slipped your mind, given how many options there are. Not to worry: always keep the maintenance booklets included in the packing. Over the years they will help you remember important information (company, product name, material, customer service contacts, and cleaning tips).

What about coloured bathtubs? Is there any difference? Not at all, so don’t worry: the fact that the exterior may have a colour does not affect cleaning procedures, nor does it make the bathtub more difficult to clean. The only precaution is to avoid using anything abrasive that may scratch the tub’s exterior coating. But let’s now see our recommendations for each type of material.

Aquatek and light Aquatek bathtubs

Very similar to Corian, Aquatek is almost entirely made of acrylic resins. It is highly resistant and its surface can be repaired if damaged. Here’s how you should clean your Aquatek bathtub:

• Daily cleaning > use a cotton or microfibre cloth, or a non-abrasive sponge, with a mild detergent and warm water;
• Deep cleaning and surface brightening > use a sponge to spread a solution of ¼ water and ¾ bleach over the entire surface, leave to stand for a few minutes (then rinse thoroughly);
• Superficial scratches and stains > use the Scotch Brite sponge provided;
• Deep scratches and stubborn stains > request the renovation kit (as the colour is applied to the material as a paste, it can be repaired with the product supplied; no need to call an expert).

Mineralsolid bathtubs

Mineralsolid is made of recycled PET polyester resins, coated with matt gelcoat (epoxy or polyester resin finish that makes surfaces impermeable, adding attractive aesthetics or colour).

• Daily cleaning > use a cotton or microfibre cloth, or a non-abrasive sponge, with a mild detergent and warm water;
• Deep cleaning and surface brightening > apply a creamy detergent (for example Jif Cream) with a Scotch Brite abrasive sponge (provided), then rinse thoroughly.

Mineralux bathtubs

Mineralux is made of recycled PET polyester resins, coated with glossy gelcoat (the only difference from Mineralsolid).

• Daily cleaning > use a cotton or microfibre cloth, or a non-abrasive sponge, with a mild detergent and warm water;
• Deep cleaning and surface brightening > use a sponge to spread a solution of ¼ water and ¾ bleach over the entire surface, leave to stand for a few minutes (then rinse thoroughly);
• Superficial stains and scratches: use a polishing compound.

Cristalplant bathtubs

Cristalplant® is a Solid Surface made of pure aluminium trihydrate minerals bound with Biobased® vegetal resins (obtained from corn/maize). It has a natural stone-like appearance and soft-touch finish. It is highly resistant to yellowing, and is recyclable, hygienic and repairable.

• Daily cleaning > use a cotton or microfibre cloth, or a non-abrasive sponge, with a mild detergent and warm water;
• Deep cleaning and surface brightening > apply a creamy detergent (for example Jif Cream) with a Scotch Brite abrasive sponge (provided), then rinse thoroughly;
• Superficial scratches and stains > use the Scotch Brite sponge provided;
• Deep scratches and stubborn stains > request the renovation kit (as the colour is applied to the material as a paste, it can be repaired with the product supplied; no need to call an expert).

Mineralmarmo bathtubs

Mineralmarmo contains 75% natural minerals such as calcium carbonate and aluminium trihydrates, and 25% polyester resin, coated with gelcoat and therefore highly resistant to water and foreign agents.

• Daily cleaning > use a cotton or microfibre cloth, or a non-abrasive sponge, with a mild detergent and warm water;
• Deep cleaning, superficial scratch repair and surface brightening > request the renovation kit.

Cleaning the bathtub stopper and drain filter

Cleaning the drain filter regularly to remove any clogged hair and other debris before they go down the drain can definitely save you some headaches later.
To do this, simply lift the bathtub stopper, pull out the hair or debris and rinse the drain filter.

We recommend that you periodically give both the bathtub stopper and the drain filter a deep clean using a common household detergent.

Cleaning the whirlpool tub

If the bathtub has a whirlpool system, it should also be sanitized.
If your bathtub’s whirlpool system uses water jets, it may feature an automatic cleaning cycle, which you can simply start after you have filled the bathtub with clean water and a special detergent that is usually provided by the manufacturer (or purchased separately).
If there is no such automatic cleaning cycle, you can simply restart the whirlpool function and add a specific bathtub cleaning product to the clean water.

Finally, whirlpool bathtubs that use air jets rather than water jets generally feature a short cleaning cycle that blows air and any residual water out of the nozzles to clean the internal pipes.

Do you have an old or outdated bathtub and would like to replace it with a new, designer one?
Read our post to find out how.
As with any other part of the bathroom, a regular cleaning routine can help you avoid having to resort to more aggressive methods to get rid of more stubborn dirt, saving you precious time in the long run.

Were you familiar with these tips for looking after your new bathtub? If you need help understanding what material your tub is made of and how to look after it properly, check the bathtub section of the Disenia website, contact one of our retailers or get in touch with our after-sales service . An remember: our blog contains a whole section dedicated to maintenance tips for our products.