Hi all, Word of warning: I have a mildew/soap scum problem on my tile (I think they are porcelain or ceramic tile walls)because of poor circulation in our walk-in shower. I sprayed clorox on the walls, let sit and then sprayed them down. We went on vaca for a few days, came back and now the walls are etched with streaks. I have scrubbed and scrubbed and in reading John Bridge Tile Forum it seems I've permanently bleached my tiles. So be careful using acidic and bleaching products on your tiles - if they are ceramic. We will probably have to redo our shower if we ever put our house on the market to sell (we can live with it for now). Also on this same forum they have this as a cleaner which I will try in the future. If anyone has tried it please post and let us know how it worked. I've cut and past the thread about this below (it does mentioned bleach so be careful on ceramic tiles): 'This is an excerpt from a thread about mold. The auther is a member and an official with the Dallas Housing Authority. 4. so what works? According to the instructor of the mold class I attended, try a spray bottle with the following in it: 1/2 gal. white vinegar 1/2 gal. hydrogen peroxide-common peroxide available from your drugstore 1 cup boric acid keep closed tightly mix well - use in a spray bottle on a dry surface. Shake well and spray area well. The vinegar/peroxide kills active live mold and the boric acid keeps them that way. (Note: uncapped peroxide loses it's oxygen molecules to the air when not capped tight and becomes H2O [water], so keep this solution in a bottle that can be capped off tight). Instructor stated that boric acid works on mold bodies like it does on roach bodies - cuts them and they bleed to death because they cannot "coagulate" (snakes and snails and puppydog tails). I guess we all know that there are some very beneficial molds, too.' One last note on the above solution. This solution will not "bleach" out the mold stain. After mold is under control, then you can bring out the bleach and whiten the mold stains.'

Finally! Last night I smeared a combination of hot vinegar (microwaved 2 minutes and an equal amount of blue Dawn. I had used it last year (guest bath only used once a year). I followed the directions, just let it sit and the bottom of the tub looked great. It did not budge the insane soap scum on the side of the tub. The tub was only used during Christmas vacation by our adult daughter who never cleaned. I was in panic mode tonight and saw someone above mention Awesome Cleaner from the Dollar Tree. I put a little water in the tub to wet the vinegar/dawn mixture from last night, swished my scrubber pad in it to wet it. Poured Awesome powder on it and thanked God because it worked! I could not believe it worked and was in panic mode because my daughter is bringing her boyfriend in town with her! Now if I could just get the rest of the house presentable!

I finally bit the bullet and joined the melaleuca club, so I use their tub and tile cleaner- and not only did it work on my (modern era) tub and shower - even got out the dye residue from me doing my hair in the sink... but it did wonders on the 60's pink Crane tub at my folk's house, which had a buildup that was half hard water, half soap scum (looked like Lost River Caverns under the faucet) but, believe it or not, suave dandruff shampoo works great in a pinch ;)

I haven't tried STT's reformulated (newer?) cleaning products, but I think they had introduced some that were supposed to be better for this (I love their STT sealer, but wasn't thrilled with the original concentrated cleaning products). I use 7th Generation Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner (spray) on the tub and shower surrounds in our three bathrooms. We use bar soap, and don't have any problems with soap scum. We do wipe down the walls (tile) with a microfiber cloth after showering (instead of a squeegee--couldn't find one I liked, nor was there a good spot to keep it in/on our bathtubs), which cuts down on build-up anyway. For weekly/bi-weekly cleaning-cleaning, I spray the 7th Gen on the tub surrounds, let sit while I wipe down the mirrors, vanity, whatever, and then wipe it off with a microfiber (I usually spray a little on the cloth as well). You can let it dry without wiping, but I didn't like the spots that were left behind on our large format, glossy white wall tile. Also, I'm not crazy about the scent left behind when the 7th Gen is left to dry (especially when it builds-up over time). I still prefer using Lysol Aerosol Bathroom spray for the tubs themselves, the shower pan in the guest bathroom, and the porcelain sinktops. I just find it to work that much better at removing any residual soap scum that might be sticking around (no pun intended! lol), or for obliterating hard water stains.