Cat Feces Stain Inside Bathtub - Stain Removal Help

by Jo
(Texarkana, Texas)

Jo has asked for some stain removal help with a cat feces stain inside a bathtub. She says:


On some rental property many cats were kept in the house and over a period of time were allowed to use the bathtub. The stains have been there for weeks and I have tried Comet and Purex plus a lot of scrubbing without results. I am desperate.
Can you recommend something???

Thanks,
Jo from Texas

Taylor says:

Oh Jo, I am so sorry you have to deal with this from a tenant that didn't seem to take good care of the property.

It sounds to me like the stain from the feces has penetrated into cracks and crevices, or perhaps into the protective layering that covers the bathtub.

I am not sure what material your bathtub is made from, but this method I am going to suggest is worth a try.

When a hard seemingly nonpourous surface becomes stained it is often because there are little pores or cracks in the surface where the stain has penetrated.

Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult types of stains to remove because it is difficult to get in those little pores to remove the stain.

In situations such as this a cleaning poultice sometimes work.

The idea behind a poultice is that it keeps a cleaning agent moist and in contact with the stained surface for a long period of time.

This allows the cleaner to penetrate deep into the surface and hopefully help lighten or remove the stain in the process.

Here is an example of use of a poultice on a counter top, which includes a video, which can give you some ideas of how a poultice works, and how to create one.

Of course, the ingredients in the poultice will vary depending on the surface you are trying to get cleaned, and the type of stain.

In this situation I would first suggest trying a poultice of baking soda and water.

I doubt this will work though, but my next suggestion is to bring out the big guns,
so it is best to try something mild first, since this big gun idea also has more potential to harm your bathtub.

If the baking soda poultice does not work try a poultice of hydrogen peroxide, which naturally can bleach the stain.

What you do is lay a paper towel or white cotton cloth over the stained area that has been soaked in hydrogen peroxide (the kind from the brown bottle, used for first aid), and cover it with plastic wrap to keep it moist.

Be sure to check it after about 10 minutes to make sure it is not harming the bathtub.

Ideally you would leave this on overnight (checking every hour or so for the first few hours to make sure they hydrogen peroxide is not harming your tub), and hopefully it will have bleached out the stains.

Of course, I make no guarantees, and I cannot, because some stains just won't come out. It is an unfortunate fact of life.

However, I do think the poultice is worth a try.

Does anyone else have anymore suggestions for Jo? If so, I would love to hear from you in the comments, and I bet Jo would too.

In addition, if you have a problem you want help solving, you can ask for stain removal help here, and I will at least take a stab at offering an opinion and ideas, and hopefully others will join in with ideas for you too.

You can also ask for house cleaning help here.

By the way, when I was looking for a picture in the Flickr Creative Commons for this article I thought, "I hope I can find a picture of a cat in a bathtub."

I thought it would be a long shot, but to my complete surprise there were almost 50 pictures!

Apparently many cats enjoy getting in the bathtub. Of course, they should be trained not to use it as their litter box though!

Photo by muffet

Related Links At Stain-Removal-101.com

Share A Stain Removal Tip

Feces Stain Removal

Go From Cat Feces Stain Inside Bathtub - Stain Removal Help To Home Page

Comments for Cat Feces Stain Inside Bathtub - Stain Removal Help

Click here to add your own comments

cat feces stain removal
by: Jo from Texas

Thanks Taylor, I am going to try the treatments suggested by you. Thank you so much for your advice. I'll let you know if either of the suggestions work.

cat feces stains
by: Jo from Texas

Hello Taylor,
I tried the soda and hydrogen peroxide methods without any luck.
Thank you for your advice and for taking time to try and help me.
Jo

Bummer - that didn't work
by: Taylor @ Stain-Removal-101.com

Jo, sorry that didn't work for you. Of course this may just be one of those times when we just need to realize one of the rules of stain removal -- you can't always get out the stain. Sometimes it is permanent, as much as that stinks!

Does any one else have any other ideas for Jo that might work? I'm sure we would both love to hear them!

Success!
by: Jen B

Just had the exact same problem. Scouring pads and Comet didn't work, however, I made a paste of Oxyclean and water and let it soak for about half an hour and the stain is completely gone now! Worked like a charm, just though I'd let you know.

Worked like a charm!
by: Steph

My cat was pooping in our bathtub while we were away on our honeymoon. Our cat-sitter tried to scrub it out but she didn't have any luck. My mother told me to try the baking soda and it helped a little but the poultice with H2O2 worked like a charm! I only left it on for about a minute and I went to check the state of the enamel in the tub and the stains were gone. Thanks Jo!

Cat Feces Stain Inside Bathtub - Stain Removal Help
by: Steph

Or rather, thanks Taylor. X)

Scrubbing Bubbles
by: Guy

I rescued a dog that was apparently trained to poop in the tub. I haven't completely broken him of it, and it's shocking how quickly the feces stains (and how deeply).

I've had the most luck with foaming bathroom cleaners like Dow Scrubbing Bubbles. Hope that helps.

hydrogen peroxide worked - thank you!
by: Anonymous

So I had to work a little late tonight and before I could get home my husband bathed our toddler who pooped in the tub. He did me the favor of waiting until I got home to have me clean it up. Unfortunately, after scrubbing with my normal cleaner, it left four or five quarter size brown stains on our porcelain tub. Did I mention our house goes on the market to sell tomorrow? I frantically searched for options online and this was one of the first pages I came across. I soaked a paper towel in hydrogen peroxide and simply laid it on the stain and in less than 10 seconds, the stains were removed. THANK YOU!!!

Cat Stain Gone!
by: Anonymous

Thank you! Hydrogen Peroxide works wonders to remove cat feces stain that was on the porcelain tub for at least three days.

Bleach and detergent
by: Anonymous

I pour detergent and bleach, let it soak 20- 30 minutes, then rinse, repeat until removed.

Thank you Jen B!!!
by: Anonymous

Just wanted to give a second plug to Jen B's method below... one of my boys went #2 in the tub - and my other kid was watching...long story short, they were afraid to tell me and I found it the next day. When I wiped it off there was a brown stain. I sprayed Natures Miracle and let it sit for hours, scrubbed, nothing doing...then I googled and found this page - I tried the oxyclean/water paste, let it sit for a while and when I wiped it away the stain was magically gone!!!
Thanks again!!!

Hydrogen peroxide worked
by: Irate Retro

I was amazed how quickly my cat's mess stained the tub. I was about to get out the big guns and use The Works toilet bowl cleaner on my tub (which I'm sure would have worked with time) when I came across this site.

Hydrogen peroxide... duh, why didn't I think of that! I just poured a little H2O2 on the stain and it vaporized IMMEDIATELY. Amazing!

magic eraser
by: Anonymous

I have a cat that leaves stains. It isn't because I don’t clean but if the poop if left for a few hours it leaves a stain however I have found that mr clean magic eraser gets it up with a good scrub.

Cat feces stains in bathtub gone - Thank you!
by: Anonymous

Wow - hydrogen peroxide on a paper towel took it all away within seconds, after years and years of trying! thank you, thank you, thank you!

Hydogen Peroxide worked!
by: Dawn

Thank you for the idea. It was literally right in front of me.

Remove poop, stains & smell in tub.
by: Anonymous

Found a great way to get poop stains and odor out of bathtub & room. I use MR CLEAN PET. I use 1/2 gallon hot water with 1/4 cup or 2 capfuls of Mr Clean Pet and old thick washcloths. Soak the cloths and do not wring. Place over hardened poop and stains. Let it sit at least 15 min or more. Wipe the spots and repeat to continue softening the thicker spots. (This product dissolves the poop). Throw cloths and and any paper towels in an old grocery store bag, tie, dispose in trash. Now you can clean with new solution & towels. Worked wonderfully for me!!

Thank you!
by: teri

We went on vacation for a week and our dear older cat pooped in our enamel tub (never had before). It was a terrible stain and your helpful comments worked!

Baking soda lightened it a bit, but another commenter suggested using a paste of oxyclean which I had on hand. After three hours of soaking
Horrible stain gone, gone, gone!!!!!

IT WORKS!
by: KMSW

I had tried Comet, and then toothpaste, without success.

Finding your tip via Google search: I lay a square of old cotton sheet, repurposed as cleaning rags, over the feces stain, wet the rag with hydrogen peroxide, and left it in place overnight. Stain totally gone!

Thank you for a safe, easy better living through chemistry solution.

Hydrogen peroxide worked like a charm!
by: Lil_lilith

15min hydrogen peroxide poultice and when I removed it there was no stain to be found!!

hydrogen peroxide worked!
by: Kathy

I used a paper towel and wet it with hydrogen peroxide, placed it over the feces stain (already removed and washed area) it took about 5 minutes for peroxide to permeate. It seemed to magically disappear. I then rinsed tub with water. There was no discoloration of tub.

Worked like a charm on a fresh stain
by: Anonymous

Worked like a charm on a fresh stain. Wouldn't come out with conventional cleaners, even CLR. Less than an hour of peroxide and the stain is totally gone! Thank you!

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to cleaning help.


Thanks For Visiting My Website: Grab Your Free Gift!

Taylor

Hi, I'm Taylor, a busy mom with 3 kids, so I have lots of hands on experience with house cleaning, laundry and my fair share of spots, spills and other messy catastrophes. Thanks for visiting my site.

I update the website all the time with tips, tutorials, cleaning recipes, reviews of products from readers like you, and tests I've done on various cleaners, removers and laundry supplies.

I'd love to give you a gift! When you subscribe to my free weekly newsletter you will receive a free printable laundry stain removal chart that you can reference as needed.

I hope you enjoy this gift, and stop by again soon!

Subscribe To The Out Darn Spot Newsletter

* indicates required


CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.