This Old House--and tub!

[MaryMarg]

And more!  Bought a house built in 1951 and the guest bathtub, porcelain, is pretty bad.  It had brownish-rust colored stain all around (like a ring) but also top-to-bottom brown/rust-like stain around the front of the tub and drain.  Borax hasn't budged it; neither has baking soda/vinegar.  Any ideas for cleaning this out of the tub?  Also, is there any hope for grout that is really old and pretty much brown from caked in dirt?  The bathroom floor has neat older tile but the grout is so dark it looks gross.  Any ideas?  TIA!

[Ramzubo]

I would try Bar Keepers Friend, it's good for rust and grout and a whole lot of other things. Or Bon Ami. Both are considered "non toxic" as far as fumes go (although Bar Keepers has a strong organic acid in it).

[cristeen]

Well, for what sounds like it's a rust stain, you may have to try bleach.  While it's definitely not my favorite thing to be using, it is the only thing that takes the rust stains out of our white kitchen sink.  Most of the time I just ignore the rust, but when I have someone in to clean they invariably bleach it until it's shining white again. 

As for the grout... you can try cleaning it - again, bleach may be your best chance for old stains.  But if not, you can also get a professional in to replace the grout without removing the tile.  It's not going to be cheap, but it can be done.  And then be sure they seal the grout afterwards so you don't have to deal with it again. 

And since you now can guess that your water has a high iron content, just be prepared for the staining to reoccur over time. 

[rlrtorr]

I have resulted to using a razor blade on the rust stains that show up in my old house bathroom sink... but for the shower and tub i usually stay on top of it and scrub it down with bleach and a good strong scratching pads 1-2 times a week, any less then that and it will be nasty with in 5 days. We have since invested in a water softener and use iron / rust removing salt pellets and what a HUGE difference it makes! and I no longer have 'dingy' whites either. 

[MaryMarg]

WOW!  Bar Keepers Friend!  WOW!  Took about an hour of scrubbing with it, but layer by layer it came off!  The tub looks refinished!  So very excited especially with guests coming this weekend!  Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!