Cleaning the caulking around the tub...?

Question

I am cleanin my bathroom and the caulking around the tub is just gross! Its really dark, almost black. I have bleached it before but that just lightens it up. Does anyone know of a home remedy or SOMETHING that will get it as white as possible??

Answer 1

you need to dig it out and recaulk it.   The mildew gets in it and it wont come out with cleaning.    Then spray it after showering with shower cleaner and at least once a week, spray with a spray for mildew.  Lots of them out there.    got to keep on top of it, one day it is white and the next it is black.      Also  wiping down the shower helps.   Good luck

Answer 2

Funny you should ask.  I just spent the afternoon peeling out all the old caulk around my tub, cleaning all the surfaces it had been attached to, drying it out and recaulking.  Sorry, but it's really the only way to go, and not as bad as it sounds once you've done it a few times (I recaulk about every two years, at that interval it stays flexible enough to peel off so you don't have to scrape too hard).  You can usually get away without a caulking gun; a big tube of squeezable stuff will work.  Good Luck.

Answer 3

best way is to carefully cut out the old with a stanley knife and scrap any excess off with a stanley blade, make sure you clean the area to be redone and replace with a tube of white silicone and a silicone gun, neatly run the silicone aroud the tub again and spray with soapy water before running your index finger along the silicone and removing the excess, silicone will only stick where you run it with this method

Answer 4

The best way is to replace it with new silicone caulking. Just make sure that you remove the old caulking first (razor blades work best, you can get them in any Hardware Store. You may have to practice your Caulking skill by squeezing some caulking on a peace of cardboard, just to get a feel of how much force you have to apply. Should your skill not be good enough, fill a cup with some soapy water, stick your finger in it and  smooth the mess out a bit. Caulking will not stick to soapy fingers. If it still does not look too good, let it dry over night and trim the excess caulking with your razor blade. Just make sure you don't try and wipe it off with a cloth, only your soapy finger will help. Good luck