How do I remove soap scum on a bathroom floor?

Michael Patton
by Michael Patton

I have been having trouble with an orange colored scum on the corners of my bathroom tile floor where the bathtub meets the wall. I have trouble seeing how soap from showering can make its way all the way down to the floor. Any ideas of how this happens and best way to clean it (it is pretty thick already.)

  6 answers
  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Mar 08, 2019

    It's probably not soap scum, it is more likely from your water. Lysol makes a Power product in a blue trigger spray bottle that should help clean up the problem.

  • That's mildew. Plain old white vinegar will clean that right up. Sounds like the room needs better ventilation. Install an exhaust fan, crack a window, even a portable fan will work.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Mar 08, 2019

    The pink/orange bacteria that builds up in the bathroom is ... The discoloration comes from a biofilm—that is, a bacterial colony—of Serratia marcescens. The airborne bacterial species thrives in moist environments like showers, where it feeds on mineral deposits in soap scum and fatty deposits in soap and shampoo residue. S. marcencens can permanently stain and destroy the surfaces on which it lives. Once it is allowed to flourish, it can spread easily, increasing the chance it can make you sick it can cause various ailments (e.g. urinary tract or bladder infections) if it enters the body through the eyes or open wounds. The stubborn biofilm of Serratia marcescens can only be removed through agitation and elbow grease. Start by mixing up a slightly runny paste consisting of a quarter-cup baking soda and a tablespoon of liquid dish soap in a small bowl. Suit up in gloves, protective glasses, and a respirator to limit your exposure to the bacteria, then dip the bristles of a soft-bristle scrub brush into the prepared paste and vigorously scrub down any visible patches of biofilm on hard surfaces in the shower then spray with vinegar it'll fizz then rinse with hot water. if surface has been discolored from the bacteria use bleach on area to remove it

    • See 1 previous
    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Mar 09, 2019

      You don't need expensive shower cleaning stuff, just use hot water & Dawn dish soap get new stiff toilet bowl brush to reach walls easier and scrub down everything the dawn will cut soap scum/greasy residue then use some straight vinegar to disinfect everything vinegar will kill mold & mildew. gotta get the pink/orange gunk gone first

  • Sharon Sharon on Aug 04, 2021

    I use Dollar Tree Awesome Orange and a used dryer sheet to remove it. Do you have a double shower curtain with one that goes in the shower and the decorative one on the outside of the shower, and then kinda wrap that interior one around the corner to the wall so nothing leaks out.

  • Deb K Deb K on Nov 03, 2021

    Hi Michael, this orange color is a type of mold, try this recipe to get rid of it in your bathroom, Spray with a half-and-half solution of water mixed with either bleach or vinegar. (Never use bleach and vinegar together; the combination creates toxic fumes.) — Allow to soak for 10 minutes. — Scrub and rinse once more.