Ring Around the Tub Banished... Naturally!

Happy Victoria Day!  This long weekend the weather has been so summer like.  And with summer comes lots and lots of outdoor playtime, sunscreen, gardening and REALLY dirty kids!

We've been spending our weekend almost exclusively outdoors.  We've prepped and planted our flower and vegetable gardens, played in sand and water, run around for some backyard soccer rocker, and brought out all of the summer outdoor toys.  It's been fantastic, and we've all benefited from some sunshine and fresh air.  Last night both kids were fast asleep by 7:20, so my husband and I even got some time to reconnect and enjoy each other's company before it was time to turn in.

Now, to the topic of this post.  On Saturday, after gymnastics and a few errands in the morning, we spent the afternoon outside.  There was lots of sunscreen, digging in the garden, play in the sand table, and general running around in the grass and dandelions.  Both kids were dirty by dinner time.  Really dirty.  I took them straight upstairs and dumped them into the tub before dinner.  Sunday morning as I got myself ready for the day, I noticed that my previously clean tub had a pretty serious ring around it.  A brown, greasy, gungy ring of sunscreen and dirt.  I rubbed at it, and it wasn't going anywhere.  I showered and poked at it while I was in there, and it didn't budge.  Once I'd finished I took a picture of my gubby tub... as you do...

Ring around the tub

Next, I grabbed my favourite cleaning agent - plain white vinegar.  I decided to give it a go, and see how a product without the usual chemical cocktail found in most cleaning products would stand up to this mess.  I dampened a rag, then dipped it in vinegar.  I gently rubbed it along the ring the whole way around the tub.  By the time I got around the tub, I figured it probably had had enough time to do its magic so I just ran the cloth around the tub one more time.  I used medium pressure, but certainly wasn't scrubbing or working too hard.  The ring appeared to have gone, just like that!  I ran my finger along it and it was no longer grimy or greasy, and there wasn't a trace of dirt.  So, I gave it a quick rinse and was done, without touching anything but a cloth and my trusty bottle of vinegar.

After!  Sunscreen and dirt ring banished!

With summer just beginning, I'm happy to have found this solution now.  I suspect there will be many more sunscreen and dirt bathtub rings in my future!