Soap Scum – What it is and How to Get Rid of it in Your Bathroom

Do surfaces in your bathroom go dull and get a grey-white waxy build-up? This is soap scum which results from the reaction of metal ions (usually calcium and magnesium) with soap or anionic surfactants to form metal stearates. These are deposited on surfaces such as shower glass, basins, baths, and tiles.

Lime scale is a different deposit on your bathroom surfaces. It is calcium carbonate which is a hard chalky build-up that you might find where the water is hard (high in mineral content) and is deposited when the water evaporates off.

Soap scum will not wash off with even the hottest water alone. You can get rid of soap scum and prevent its build-up by spraying with SORTED Bathroom Surface Cleaner, leaving for 5 minutes, and then wiping off. SORTED Bathroom Surface Cleaner will also sanitise the surfaces killing bacteria and moulds that might form a biofilm over the surfaces causing black or pink discolouration.

Bathroom surfaces are susceptible to growing biofilms because they are frequently warm and damp, either from being directly sprayed or splashed with warm water, or from condensation. The black stains on surfaces are a mould and pink stains a bacterial film. To prevent these building up on surfaces, SORTED Bathroom Surface Cleaner kills the mould, bacteria, and spores, and bleaches out the stain colour. You should also ensure your bathroom is well ventilated so that surfaces can dry out fully.

David Brittain
Kiwicare