That's not staining. The surface of the tub is scratched and worn away. Someone used abrasives on it. You can paint it for a brief stopgap, but it has reached the end of it's useful life. Paint will just end up peeling. You need to be planning to remove it and the wall surround. Then replace all of that with a properly waterproofed installation.

Thanks Susie, I haven’t used the soap mix! How much of each do I use? Magic eraser didn’t help and I haven’t tried comet since so many other cleaners didn’t work :/

GreenDesigns- AH OH NO!!! So the person who lived here before me (bought the house 3 years ago) used steel wool to clean it something? Ugh!! How long will the paint last? I’m sure I can’t afford a project like that and I’m pretty dang good at following DIY videos but I have a feeling this will be over my head Or is it not so bad following step by step directions? Does Homeax work? I also noticed Rustolium has a painting kit for tubs too. Arrrg bad news but I very much appreciate your response!!!!! Maybe I’ll do my best with Susies suggestions and paint if those don’t make it look somewhat decent. Also thinking of putting window film on the sliding doors to hide it a bit from company at least (it’s the main upstairs bathroom).

Me.Memes- really?! Wow haven’t heard of that yet! Bleach would make sense though obviously haha. What about the walls and parts of the tub that are over the water line?

greenDesigns- 1 more question, I caulk after painting, right? (If I decide to paint that is). I have that tape caulk stuff, will that work? Also any idea of how much it’ll be to replace that thing? I’ll make some calls, I just want to make sure I don’t get scammed out of too much $ because I have NO idea how much a project like that should be :/

Nothing that is abrasive should've been used on fiberglass. Baking soda, magic eraser, comet are all abrasive. Sorry but that fiberglass tub finish is done. Good thing if it isn't leaking keep using it and save up for a nice new tub. I would just put up a nice shower curtain on a tension rod to hide the tub. Good luck with your new home.

Ohhhhh. Maybe I should stop googling DIY cleaning tips :/ It was already stained when I bought the house (not as bad) but admittedly I would have been the one ruining it using baking soda eventually. And I used a magic eraser on the sides a while back. Oops! Thank you for that, I will NOT be destroying my next tub!

great idea about the curtain! But the toilet is so close to the tub i don’t think there’s room, it’d hit people’s knees. Would you recommend that glass film stuff?

Your best bet is to replace it, sorry to say. I painted a tub years ago, and used all the proper procedures and 2 part epoxy paint etc. It looked beautiful when I was done. 6 months later, it looked like a war zone, with the chips and peeling, and we ended up pulling it all out and replacing it, with a new tub and a new tub surround. Cleaning products, can do a lot of damage to bathtubs. Since yours is just the bottom, that looks bad, (at least in the pictures), you could buy a pretty rubber tub mat, that is long enough to cover most of it, and get by for a while.

Thanks cat_ky! For sharing your experience and the rubber mat idea. Why did I not think of that?! Ha. The bottom is the worst but the rest is discolored a bit too, just doesn’t look as bad next to the bottom part. Man. Super disappointed that the consensus is replace but you all saved me countless hours of attempting more cleaning products and painting. I appreciate that! Anyone know a price range on labor for this project? I’m almost tempted to try it myself and hire someone if I fail but I also don’t want to screw it up beyond repair.

Magic erasers are terribly destructive, don't use those anywhere. Bar Keeper's Friend works really well. I use it on student rentals, usually once a year, and it gets out the black. Rinse it as soon as you've scrubbed it, since if you let it sit it will just redeposit the grime and you'll have to scrub again. By the way, Comet doesn't work well. It is hard to rinse off and doesn't even clean very well. I don't see anything there that would indicate that the tub or surround needs replacing.

Thank you @catbuilder! Good to know for those erasers!!! I’ll try Bar Keepers Friend, I have never heard of that even in a lol my DIay cleaning research! Bet from now on I’m asking that kind of advice on here instead of googling. Sigh.

FYI posting something else about caulk so if any of you know bathrooms well and can give advice about that I’d appreciate it! Thank you again!!!!!!! I’m very great full for all of your advice

Easy Off Oven Cleaner, the fume free version is the best tub/shower cleaner there is. Spray it on liberally and let it sit for a while then use what ever you use to scrub with, a brush or Dobie pad... you will see an amazing difference.

Thanks MiMi! Is that considered abrasive?

Beth.. no not at all abrasive.

MiMi, I just looked at some YouTube videos and that looks like a miracle worker! Did you use a magic eraser too though? I don’t want to use one based on comments above so just wondering if it still works without the magic eraser?

Oh yes it will work good without using a magic eraser and no I did not use a magic eraser, they are abrasive on the right surface. I’d stick with a brush or non scratching pad Luke a dobie pad.

Go look at this old thread: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2278463/cleaning-non-slip-surface-in-tub#n=65

It's about the bottom of tubs. I made a paste of regular Dawn and Comet and let it sit overnight. Worked very well. I've also used regular Dawn with oxyclean to form a paste. That works well too. FYI--I tried Bar Keepers friend for this. It didn't work well for me.

Anything you do using some kind of cleaner/bleaching solution will be temporary at best, the stains will come back. The problem is that once the surface has been etched it's going to provide a mechanical key for stain causing things to hold on to. Most acrylic products when manufactured have what is called a gel coat applied to the exposed surfaces, it's what gives them that pristine high gloss appearance. This over time or more importantly when cleaned with abrasive cleaners or highly aggressive chemical cleaners will degrade.

If you do find a cleaning solution that at least removes the stains then you need to use a special gloss acrylic cleaner/protector, it will at least help to slow down the stains return.

Here's a link to the type of protectant I'm referring to.

https://www.gel-gloss.com/shop-category/acrylic/

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH EVERYONE!!!!!!! I’ll clean with non abrasive stuff (oxyclean ok? I have that already so I can make the mixture) and hope for the best then use the protectant over whatever I was able to get rid of. Oh and a bath mat over that. I really need to recaulk. Should I do that pre or post protectant? Currently I’m using bathroom mold cleaner to try to get the mold or grime out of the deep cracks where most of the caulk is gone or never done (where tub meets shower wall and between the panels of the shower wall). I have a feeling this will be one of those things that I don’t even realize just how bad it looked when I compare before/after pics. Eek!

Please do not use one of those tub bath matts. After a week or two if you lift up the matt it will be a slimy moldy mess underneath. If you can get things looking cleaner then use the gel cleaner/protectant after, it's like waxing your car after you wash/clean it.

If you pick the bathmat up after using and dry everything with a towel, it wont get a slimy mouldy mess underneath. I have one in my shower area, that I do that with, and it has been in there 10 yrs and still looks like new, and now mold. Please do not use oven cleaner on a plastic type tub, nor use toilet cleaner, like I saw someone recommend a couple years ago.

I am with Kitchen Abode on the rubber mat issue. If you are willing to pick it up and it will dry after every use, then you can have one - ha!

If you have a shower curtain with a tub, you will leave it inside the tub anyway, so it won't be in the way unless you get both a liner and a curtain. Instead, just get a plain or even decorative waterproof curtain and leave it inside.

The caulk remover and the mold remover can make it so that the next caulk you put in will not adhere properly, so be sure to clean the surface really well before you caulk again. I did try using a tape caulk once and it was one ugly, moldy mess when I finally took it off. I never did find a way to stop the mold coming back on my caulk. It seemed to come from the back side, so I assumed the wall behind the tile was molding and it was "creeping" through. I solved the problem by removing the tub and the walls and putting in a big shower unit. No mold behind it, and no way for water to get behind the wall material (solid surface), either. With no "shoulder" as a tub has, I am hoping to never see mold again.

I did not read through all the comments. I want to let you know what worked for me (my aide) in the apartment I rented, the tub was a disgusting mess with mold & dark yellow stains on the sides & floor of the entire tub, it took her a few cleanings but it worked, she filled the tub with warm water and a few gallons of bleach and let it sit for hours, when she worked on the walls she sprayed bleach cleaner and let it sit for a few minutes ( don't let it dry) and used a soft scrubbie, that took a few tries also, you will probably have to do it 3 - 4 times.

If all else fails, remove the doors and install 2 shower extension poles with a liner & a beautiful shower curtain to look at Ta-DA problem solved for under $50. bucks and no hard work !!!

I sent out a bunch of quote requests to get the whole thing refinished/resealed. Only one came back so far at $750. That seems like a lot. Does anyone know how much a project like this should cost through a contractor who specializes in this stuff? Or any red flags I should keep in mind when I talk to these people? I’m only looking at companies that offer a warranty on their work- most are 5 years. Thanks!!!!!

Around here, tub refinishing coats about $299. We did aan entire bathroom for about $500. Around year 5 it starts to peel.

THANK YOU! I just got another quote- over $1000 for tub and fiberglass surround! So happy I asked. Did you have a specialist do it or can a general contractor handle this kind of job? Was yours just painted or did they reseal everything? Thanks again!

We had a tile refinishing company do the work. They fixed a few issues with caulk. Cleaned it with special cleaners and then refinished all the tile and tub. It looked great. We had to care for it by using non abrasivabrasive cleaners. We used pine sosol. No rubber mats were allowed on the tub. If you could replace the tub, it's a better option. Reglazing was great because we wanted a new looking tub without demolition.