How and how to clean a cast-iron bath?

The history of the existence of cast-iron baths dates back more than a dozen years, and although today they are globally replaced by modern materials, the issue of care remains relevant. Cast iron is recognized as the most durable, wear-resistant material that is not afraid of mechanical and chemical influences. But, since we are talking about the bath, it must be borne in mind that it is covered with additional enamel, which, unfortunately, cannot boast of such strength characteristics and often suffers from improper care or operation. If you inherited just such plumbing - no need to rush to throw it away. Do not forget that cast iron, by itself, perfectly keeps heat, and that defects can be eliminated in various ways, which we will discuss in today's article.

Of course, in order for the lime film to cover your bath, it is easiest to take care of it during operation, to keep it in constant dryness. But since this happened, we suggest using one of the following recipes:

1. It is necessary to mix 100 g of salt and soda (it is not necessary to take food, you can use calcined, which gives a much greater effect). The resulting powder is applied to the maintenance-free area of ​​the cast-iron bath and left for a couple of hours, after which it is enough to rub it a little with a damp, hard cloth;

2. Oxalic acid effectively helps to cope with an unpleasant situation, which must be diluted to a semi-liquid consistency and grease the stain, leaving it in this form for 1.5–2 hours. After the specified time, it is necessary to slightly brush the bath area and only then rinse thoroughly with water;

3. Dusting soap can cope with limescale - lather it with a sponge and cover the contaminated areas, let the bath stand in this form for half an hour, and then rinse;

4. Use commercially available bath cleaners. For example, Mr. Muscle, which is also effective for disinfection and removal of any contaminants, will help to effectively cope with limescale. Its composition is able to penetrate deep into the structure of the contaminated spot and destroy it from the inside.

It is quite difficult to remove the rust that has appeared on the surface of the cast-iron bath, as it is sufficiently eaten into the upper layer. Nevertheless, with a fraction of the effort, you can get rid of it in the following ways:

1. Mix in equal proportions the most common hydrogen peroxide, which is sold in any pharmacy, with ammonia. The resulting solution is applied with a hard sponge to the stains and three;

2. Make a paste-like mass of salt with vinegar, lubricate it with the problem area of ​​the cast-iron bath. To make it easier to achieve the desired effect, you can leave it for several hours - this will not damage the coating, but will also allow you to get rid of yellowness;

3. A more aggressive product is a mixture of turpentine (50 ml) with salt (100 g). It must be applied to the surface and thoroughly rub the heavily rusted areas;

4. A mixture of dry mustard with soda (3: 1) will help not only to remove rust, but also to eliminate plaque along the way;

5. Oxygen bleach helps to effectively clean the cast iron bath. The bath is filled with water, one pack of bleach is added, mixed and in this state is left overnight. The next morning the bath will shine with a snow-white color. If you encounter difficulties with the purchase of bleach - replace it with two glasses of vinegar;

6.In stores, you can buy modern cleaning products used for any bathtubs, including cast-iron. Effectively remove even stale rust will help "Cif". If you want a whitening effect in parallel, you can use “Cif Ultra White” or “Comet”, which will remove all germs.

When cleaning a cast-iron bath, it is important not to cause even more damage by damaging the surface enamel, therefore we have prepared a number of recommendations that should be avoided in such work, namely:

- Try not to use chlorine-containing products (the exception is the fight against mold);

- Products with aggressive acids should only be used pointwise, especially for hydrochloric acid concentrate;

- You can not use the brush with a metal pile, which can easily scratch the enamel of the bathtub. The same applies to knives, blades and similar sharp tools.

To effectively clean the cast-iron bath without harming it, you can use an ordinary soft brush. Nowadays, melamine sponges have gained popularity among housewives, but the safety of their use to this day remains controversial, since melamine, getting into the human body, can cause harm.

To extend the life of a cast-iron bathtub by postponing its replacement for a long time, you can use simple periodic surface care. It is advisable every evening when the family's bathing procedures have ended, rinse the surface and wipe with a dry cloth to avoid rust formation. Once a week, you need to clean the bath with more serious products that are sold in any hardware store. For example, you can buy for this purpose the fragrant "Frosch", "Sun Wedge", which does not contain hard abrasives, but has an effective cleansing effect on enamel.

Try to control the temperature of the water - it should not exceed 65 degrees, because otherwise cracks may appear on the enamel (of course, you won’t wash with such hot pressure, but it can be used for any household purposes).

Check the health of all taps - the slightest systematic water leakage and a dripping tap will not allow you to get rid of rusty deposits.

Although cast iron is recognized as the most durable material in the production of plumbing, its enamel is not able to withstand severe mechanical damage. Therefore, it is not necessary to wash large heavy objects, metal buckets in it - all this will lead to the destruction of the surface layer. If there are small chips or cracks, it is better to immediately eliminate them, using the putty specially designed for this. It can also be done independently by mixing in equal proportions zinc-containing whitewash and the adhesive composition BF-2.

The cast-iron bath can be regularly cleaned with the most ordinary soda - you need to put it on a sponge and treat the entire surface. If you carry out such a procedure at least once a week, this will allow your bath to always remain immaculately clean.

Adhering to all the listed preventive measures, you will successfully extend the life of your cast-iron bathtub by another couple of decades.