Product Road Test: Scotch-Brite Bathroom Solutions

We put 3M Scotch-Brite's new line of bathroom products up to the ultimate test: Bathtub grime.

The divide between taking a bath and cleaning a bathtub is far too wide. Soaking in the tub means lavender scented bubbles, a neck pillow and preferably a gossip magazine. Cleaning the tub means an achy back, sore knees and gross chemical smells.

So when Scotch-Brite sent their new Bathroom Solutions line over, with its customized cleaning products that promised to make my cleaning experience quick and easy, I was excited, though skeptical. With funky but functional shapes, these scrubbers and sponges were supposed to pick up the slack in hard-to-reach places. Could it be that all my bathtub cleaning grief was just due to sub-par cleaning tools?

The biggest draw of the new collection is the Non-Scratch Shower and Bath Scrubber, about $7. It has a handle and swivel-head that reminds me of a Swiffer -- very promising. The scrubber on the end was not as rough as the scouring pads I usually use when the bathtub needs a good clean, but the packaging promised it would remove soap scum without scratching. In a rental with a pretty standard un-fussy tub (not like the ones here!) I've never really worried about scratching my tub, but was open to trying a more gentle approach.

The pivot head turned out to be the biggest success here. It turned when I wanted it to and got into the corners with zero hassle. It worked quickly and smoothly on the grime, removing the top layer easily. And compared to hunching over the tub with my usual scouring pad, this was much more comfortable, thanks to the extended handle.

But it wasn't perfect. If I could rejigger the handle I'd make it about twice as long, with an extra pivot point in the middle. I'm 5'4", and had to lean in at an odd angle to use the scrubber. Like I said, more comfortable than leaning in with a scouring pad, but still not a painless experience. I can't be the only one lazy enough to crave a bathtub cleaner that I can use while standing up straight. Can I?

As for that non-scratch pad -- I could have used some scratching. You can see below there's a little dirt still left in the corner, which wouldn't budge after two rounds with the scrubber. After I snapped the photo, I came back with my scouring pad to clear it up.


This is a great product for a quick clean-up -- if your bathtub is scrubbed regularly, a once-over with this will take less than ten minutes, and give you a sparkling tub for arriving guests. But for a major scrub, it still needs some heavy duty help.

What do you think -- would you try the shower & bath scrubber? And how do you save your back when cleaning your tub?