Plughole Dirt

[thepheebster]

I've got all this scabby stuff around the plughole in my bathroom sink. I've tried everything to get rid of it. Loads of bathroom cleaners, I've tried filling the sink with bleach and cleaners etc and leaving it overnight and scrubbing it nothing works. Anyone know how to remove it?

[Clanad]

The scale is most likely hardwater mineral deposits.  The cleaners you have used are not designed to remove it.  In the U.S. a product called Lime Away works quite well.  I'm sure either it or a similar product must be available in the UK... Good luck!

[Catherine T]

Use neat vinegar or lemon juice, spray on then scrub with a soft scourer....... Good Luck!!

[ursula62]

It may not even BE dirt. It could be discolouration or oxidisation of the chrome/brass finish. In that case it isn't fixable unless you replace the plughole fitting.

[Kingaroo]

Worse yet, it coudl be that the sink is enamelled metal, and the enamel has worn away exposing the metal, which is now rusty and cruddy. If so, you would have to replace the whole sink .

[Smiffy]

If there is a Waitrose near you get a Kaboom spray. (No, I'm not making this up!) I'm not sure if it is sold anywhere else. It's about twice the price of usual household cleaners but it made my bath look like new. I've now gone mad and tried it on everything in the house.

[secretspirit]

Barkeepers Friend which is in a kind of triangle/cylinder white bottle with a blue lid is excellent for that kind of deposit. I've got a ceramic kitchen sink and it's fantastic on that. It's normall a limescale build up.