How to get hair dye out of a tub

How to remove hair dye from a tub

1. 1

   Rinse the dye off while it's still wet

   As soon as you've rinsed your hair, run the shower over every splash and drip and wipe the spots with a wet sponge. Dye mix that hasn't dried yet usually wipes straight off a glossy tub.

   Why: Permanent hair color keeps developing for a while after it's mixed. Removing it before it finishes reacting leaves much less color to deal with.

2. 2

   Wipe with detergent and warm water

   Put a few drops of liquid dish detergent on a damp soft sponge and wipe the stained areas. On a slip-resistant textured bottom, use a soft nylon brush instead of the sponge. Rinse with clean water.

   Why: Detergent lifts the creamy dye base and any color sitting on top of the finish, and it's safe on every tub material.

3. 3

   Find out what your tub is made of

   Cast-iron and steel tubs have a porcelain enamel finish, a glassy coating fused onto metal. Acrylic and fiberglass tubs are plastic shells. If you're not sure which you have, check the maker's care guide or model information and follow it.

   Why: The finish decides which cleaners are safe. A product that's fine on enamel can permanently dull or damage acrylic.

4. 4

   Apply an oxygen bleach or baking soda paste

   Mix powdered oxygen bleach with a little water into a paste, spread it on the remaining color with a soft sponge and leave it a few minutes. On fiberglass and enamel, a baking soda paste is a gentle alternative for light stains. Test either one on a hidden spot first.

   Why: Oxygen bleach is an oxidizer that breaks down colored dye molecules. The American Cleaning Institute recommends scouring stained fixtures with powdered oxygen bleach.

5. 5

   Rinse completely and repeat if it's fading

   Rinse the paste off with plenty of water and check the spot. If it's lighter, repeat the paste and rinse two or three times rather than leaving it on longer.

   Why: Tub makers warn against letting cleaners soak on the surface, because long contact can damage the finish. Several short passes are safer than one long one.

6. 6

   Dry the tub

   Wipe the tub dry with a towel and look at it in good light. Next time, rinse the tub immediately after coloring and dry it, which stops dye from drying on the surface.

   Why: Water spots can hide a faint stain, and a dry tub shows you what's really left.

Why hair dye stains a tub

Permanent hair color is an oxidative dye: colorless ingredients mixed with a peroxide developer react to form large colored molecules. That reaction doesn't stop when the dye leaves your hair, so a splash on the tub keeps darkening as it dries. It's a dye stain, which is why it behaves differently from soap scum or dirt.

On a smooth, glossy tub, most of the dye sits on the surface and wipes off if you act quickly. The trouble spots are where the surface isn't smooth: textured anti-slip bottoms, scratches from abrasive cleaners, and the fine cracks (crazing) that older porcelain develops. The American Cleaning Institute notes that colored stains get trapped in those cracks and need several rounds of brushing and flushing.

What each tub material can take

Acrylic is the most sensitive. Kohler's acrylic bath care guide lists acetone, ethyl alcohol, chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite), amyl or ethyl acetate, toluene and phenol as chemicals that damage the finish, and abrasive cleansers scratch and dull it. Stick to detergent, oxygen bleach paste and quick rinsing.

Fiberglass also scratches easily, so use nonabrasive cleaners and soft sponges. A baking soda paste is gentle enough.

Porcelain enamel on cast iron or steel resists stains best and tolerates mild abrasives, but it isn't indestructible. Abrasive pads wear the gloss, and strong alkaline or acid cleaners left on it can etch it. For more on routine care, see how to clean a bathtub.

By situation

Dried or old hair dye stains

Set dye won't wipe off with detergent alone. Repeat short oxygen bleach paste applications, rinsing in between, and expect it to fade gradually rather than vanish at once. On older porcelain with fine cracks, brush the area with a soft brush and flush it with water several times.

Acrylic tub

Use detergent, oxygen bleach paste and a soft sponge only. Skip chlorine bleach, acetone-based nail polish remover and abrasive powders, all of which can damage the finish. If the area looks dull afterward, the maker's guidance for acrylic is a fine automotive rubbing compound followed by paste wax.

Porcelain enamel or cast-iron tub

Enamel can handle a mild liquid abrasive cleanser on a sponge if oxygen bleach hasn't removed the color. The American Cleaning Institute also lists liquid household bleach for stained fixtures, but New Mexico State University's extension guide warns that chlorine bleach can dull shiny porcelain enamel. If you use it, dilute it as the label directs, keep contact brief and rinse thoroughly.

Textured slip-resistant bottom

Dye settles into the texture, so a sponge glides over it. Work the detergent or oxygen bleach paste in with a soft nylon brush, as tub makers recommend for these surfaces, and rinse well.

Dye on the grout or caulk around the tub

Grout and caulk are porous, so dye soaks into them more deeply than into the tub's glossy finish. Treat them gently the same way, with detergent first and short oxygen bleach passes, and expect them to fade more slowly than the tub itself.

What not to do

• Don't use scouring pads, steel wool or abrasive powder on acrylic or fiberglass. They scratch and dull the surface, and scratches catch dye and grime more easily next time.
• Don't use acetone or chlorine bleach on an acrylic tub. Kohler lists both as chemicals that damage the acrylic finish.
• Don't leave a cleaner soaking on the stain. Long contact can damage tub finishes. Rinse right after each pass instead.
• Don't combine bleach with other bathroom cleaners. Bleach mixed with ammonia or acid toilet bowl cleaners releases toxic gas. See never mix these cleaners.

Other methods that work

Mild liquid abrasive cleanser (enamel only)

On porcelain enamel, a mild cream cleanser on a damp sponge can polish off surface dye that detergent leaves behind. Rinse thoroughly afterward.

Caution: Not for acrylic or fiberglass, which scratch.

Diluted chlorine bleach (enamel only)

The American Cleaning Institute lists liquid household bleach for stained fixtures. Dilute it according to the label, apply briefly with ventilation and rinse well.

Caution: It can dull shiny enamel and damages acrylic. Never use it with ammonia, vinegar or acid cleaners.

Rubbing alcohol

Some people dab rubbing alcohol on fresh dye. It isn't in any tub maker's or extension guide for this stain, so treat it as a traditional method with weak evidence.

Caution: Kohler warns that ethyl alcohol damages acrylic, so don't use alcohols on an acrylic tub.

Stain still there?

A faint tint stays after several passes

Oxidized dye fades with repeated oxygen bleach treatments. Give it a few more short applications over a couple of days instead of one long soak, and keep the tub dry in between.

The stain is in fine cracks in old porcelain

Brush the area and flush it with water several times, as the American Cleaning Institute recommends. If the enamel is crazed or worn through, a refinishing specialist can restore the surface.

The tub looks dull where you scrubbed

That's surface wear, not dye. On acrylic, the maker's fix is a fine automotive rubbing compound followed by paste wax. Damaged enamel gloss needs a refinishing professional.

Safety

• Wear gloves: hair dye ingredients such as p-phenylenediamine can cause skin allergies.
• Ventilate the bathroom and never mix bleach with ammonia or acid cleaners.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

Hair dye on other surfaces

• Hair dye stains: the complete guide
• Hair dye on carpet
• Hair dye on clothes
• Hair dye on a sink
• Hair dye on skin

Other stains on a tub

• How to clean a tub