LESLIE: Laurie in Illinois is on the line and needs some help cleaning a bathtub. Tell us what’s going on.
LAURIE: We have had problems cleaning the surface – the bottom surface – of our bathtub since we moved in. All of our bathtubs have a rough surface. And I’ve tried every product I can think of and we cannot clean them.
TOM: OK.
LAURIE: So I need some help with that.
TOM: OK. So, is the surface still rough now or is it – just seems to be stained?
LAURIE: No, it’s rough.
TOM: It’s rough. Is it textured or do you think it’s like an adhesive kind of a roughness?
LAURIE: Well, it’s – I think it’s textured.
TOM: What you might be seeing here, Laurie, is a change in the color of the porcelain just from years of sort of wear and tear.
LAURIE: OK.
TOM: Sometimes, it will look like a stain but in reality, the surface is really just worn. And you can clean until the cows come home and it’s not going to get any brighter.
LAURIE: OK.
TOM: So what are your options? So, you could refinish the tub but when you try to refinish a tub in place, it’s kind of a temporary fix. It can look bright and clean for a while but the refinishing just doesn’t last as long as the original porcelain.
LAURIE: OK.
TOM: Or you can consider a process like BATH FITTER, where they come into your house and in one day, they sort of create a whole new tub for you by dropping a custom-formed insert into that tub.
LAURIE: Right.
TOM: It covers all of the surfaces kind of like a glove. They seal the walls. It’s all one piece. It looks great and it’s kind of easy to clean and you’re pretty much done with it after that.
LAURIE: OK. So there’s no cleaner that would actually clean it, you don’t think?
TOM: And the reason – because I don’t think it’s dirt. I think it’s most likely to be evidence of the finish itself wearing.
LAURIE: OK, OK. Well, I guess that I’ll have to go that route, then. And I certainly thank you for your help and I’ll see what I can do.
TOM: You’re welcome, Laurie. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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