How To Remove Hair Dye From A Tub

Not all is lost when you find that your last dye job ended up leaving hair dye stains in your tub. Stains left on fiberglass, acrylic, cast-iron and porcelain enamel can be removed as long as you choose the right method. The color of the hair dye also affects the method used, because some dyes – like red – are harder to remove.

Choose from one of four methods for hair dye stain removal to find the one that works for your fiberglass or acrylic tub:

1. Fill your fiberglass tub with hot water; add four to five tablets of denture cleaner to the water. Let the solution sit in the tub overnight.
   In the morning, drain and wipe clean.
2. Create a paste from borax and water. Use the paste to scrub
   the stain clean.
3. Dampen a clean cloth and pour a bit of baking soda onto it.
   Scrub the stain with the baking soda-soaked cloth. Rinse and wipe clean.
4. Spray the stain with 1/4 cup household bleach mixed with
   water in a 1-quart spray bottle. Allow the bleach to set on the stain until it
   lessens. Scrub clean with a soft cloth or sponge.

All the methods used for acrylic and fiberglass tubs also work on porcelain and cast-iron tubs and sinks to remove hair dye stains. Two more methods include:

1. Crush two denture tablets onto a small plate with the back
   of a spoon. Add a few drops of water to the crushed tablets to make a fizzy
   paste. Rub the paste onto the stained areas of the tub. Let the paste dry
   for about 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe clean with a washcloth soaked in hot water.
2. Wet a sponge with a powdered cleanser and scrub the area thoroughly. Rinse and wipe clean.

To remove red hair dye stains, wet the area with a sponge before applying a cloth dabbed with a bit of hair bleach. Hair bleach – the kind that removes color from hair when you want to recolor your hair – also removes red dye from all types of tubs.

You can also dab a cotton ball with a bit of acetone or nail polish remover to wipe off the red hair dye stain.