Asked on Jun 29, 2014

Corroding copper pipes?

Paula Fuller
by Paula Fuller
I have recently noticed that my shower curtain and tub have blue colored soap scum. It scrubs off but comes back. Is this copper pipe corrosion and would getting a water softener save my pipes if it is corrosion.
  5 answers
  • Not copper pipe issue at all. Our tub and shower has had the same thing, but in our case it was more of a yellow color. We changed soap and shampoo and the color changed as well. Keeping the shower curtain closed and drying off the walls and tub surfaces after use will extend the time between cleanings.
  • Paula Fuller Paula Fuller on Jun 30, 2014
    well, in the standing shower there is a little round aqua blue circle where the water drips later
  • Karen Cottle Karen Cottle on Jun 30, 2014
    I think that it is just plain soap scum. Copper pipes, I don't believe have any thing to do with it. A water softner will only help if your water is" hard" --Hard water has calcium and rust and a whole lot of other things in it. You get a reddish brown stain from that, and that doesn't scrub off easy.
  • You have changed your description of what is going on. If you have a circle around a drip then that can be a variety of different things. It can be the faucet metal reacting to the acidity of your water. Copper stains can be a greenish blue hue, but will not be on everything on shower curtain etc. I would suggest if you have a concern with your water is to have it tested. Most townships will do this for free. In any case a softener will not remove this problem if indeed it is caused by the water. You would need a special water filtering device.
  • Paula Fuller Paula Fuller on Jun 30, 2014
    thank you so much for your advice. It's in the standing shower that has the drip spot and in another tub shower is the soap scum staining. I think I will see if I can get the water tested before calling a plumber.