Can steel wool be used on bathtubs?

Answer 1

Yeah if you want splinters up your asss everytime you take a bath.

Let's presume that you plan to rinse all those splinters down the drain...

Yes, you can. HOWEVER, fiberglass tubs will be permanently dulled by the steel wool. Breaking the shine of the gel coat is the first step in repainting a fiberglass tub.

If you do use steel wool on your fiberglass tub, you should follow that up with decreasing grit size of wet/dry sandpaper. Stop in at your local automotive parts store or a body shop for the low-down on restoring the finish. Also, there are several grades of steel wool. The coarser the steel wool, the more polishing you'll need to do to restore the finish. The gel coat and paint may not be thick enough to restore if you go at it with the really coarse stuff.

If you have a cast iron tub with an enamel finish, it will easily survive a good scrubbing with steel wool.

If you need to get aggressive with some obstinate soap scum, there are a number of cleaners on the market that will do the job. You can even try painting the area with dishwashing detergent and laying plastic wrap over it over night to let it work without drying out. Save your energy for something more entertaining.