Hi, I have a property in which a previous owner left brown "stains" in and around the bathroom sink. Some cleaning ladies unsuccessfully tried to remove them and told me it looked like cigarette burns. Other than the discoloration, I don't see any physical damage.
Is there anything I can do to get rid of this discoloration?
Thanks for any help.
Toothpaste and a brush will work, if it's a stain or deposit. If it's acid or heat damage, probably you can't fix it.
What is this sink made of? The material will determine the restoration method. I'm sure the cleaning ladies tried abrasive cleaner like Ajax and a acid cleaner like CLR. If not, you should try.
If it is a resin material (plastic or epoxy like) with color and texture throughout , you may be able to sand off the discoloration then polish it using finer grits of sandpaper and polishing compound. low temp burns which do not blister often are not deep and can be removed this way.
Don't do this if the material appears to be fiberglass or similar unless you are sure you will not expose the fibers and ruin the cosmetic surface look.
The location of the mark is the tell. Cigarette burns often occur at the edges of the sink when careless smokers put them down (like it's a giant ashtray) and forget while they burn down. These burns are long and the same width as a butt and usually do not cause blistering. Round circles in the bowl might indicate that someone crushed out butts there but I doubt the heat would be there long enough to damage. If the previous owner was into drugs, there are other possibilities to cause burn marks (both low and high temp marks) as well.
I had a resin sink that often took deep rust stains from cans left on the counter. I had to place a cloth soaked with bleach on the spot for a few hours to get some stains out. Eventually, I painted the whole surface with an Epoxy bathroom paint.
After you get it clean, try to find a sealer compatible with the surface so that stains cannot penetrate. Older surfaces can become porous as abrasive cleaners scour away the original polish and seal.
Try dishwasher detergent.
Try doing BMs in the commode.
I see that it's Spring Break for middle school.
"William W. Plummer"
you will answer to me............hahahahahahahahahaha
HELL that will never work William dishwasher detergent for a cigarette burn????????????? if that worked we would all be drinking that to get rid of the tar in our lungs. (damn 2nd hand smoke) when we were kids our parents use to tell us to gargle with it, but never swallow it.
your old pal William
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