Okay I know I have posted some ridiculous stuff here and normally I'm not that domestically challenged, but for some reason lately!!!


Okay so my white countertop in the bathroom had an orangish stain on it that I thought was just dial soap residue. I got some soft scrub with bleach and it made it worse. It actually spread the orange. What happened?

I don't know what happened, but try this and see if it works. Soak some paper towels in a clorox/water solution (70% clorox/30% water -- but this is not a scientific formula -- just what I use) and lay them out flat on your countertops and leave them to dry -- when you remove them, your countertops should look great! This works really good in for the bathtub too.

I didn't say this before, because I see that you tried bleach, but now, to add to Tulula's answer, I think bleach alone, or cut with water, would do the trick. I once had some serious rust stains on a white countertop. I tried scrubbing with Comet, but that didn't work. I also couldn't seem to get the gritty feel out that remained from the Comet, so I wiped it wth a kitchen towel soaked in bleach, and, for reasons unknown to me now, left the towel on the rusy stain. I then forgot about it. The next morning, I saw it still there (where would it go?), and picked the towel up to put it in the laundry. The rust stains were gone.

If it's possible the stain could be from makeup then removal can be diffucult due to the high concentration of dyes found in makeup. First thing you can try is to clean the stain with de-natured alcohol and a clean white cloth. Blot but do not wipe as this will only spread the stain wider. If this does not work then make a paste of hydogen peroxide and chalk (or flour). Apply it to the stain, 1/4 inch thick, and cover with plastic wrap making sure to tape the edges of the plastic wrap to the counter. This paste needs to dry thoroughly in order for it to work because as it dries it pulls out the stain. It can take anywhere from 1 to 2 days. After the paste has dried, remove the plastic wrap and scrape off the paste. Rinse the area with distilled water and blot dry. This will work but sometimes it must be repeated several times for extremely stubborn stains. Best of luck.

And if there is a single person who knows all about using white.. and black... household items.. that would be GEORGIA!

Thank you guys! Georgia - your's sounds interesting. I think I'll try that first. if I can find some tape! haha

You should really tell us what your countertops are made of before doing anything with high concentration of bleach.

Georgias method is a poultice and it is a good way to go. I use baking soda instead of chalk for the base.

If your counters are Corian or plastic laminate then the above solutions should be fine. I would be a little cautious and do a test patch on an area out of sight just to make sure that the solution doesn't leave you with a more unresolvable mess than you started with.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: aminator2002,

I live in an apartment - the only think I can tell you about them is that they are white and crappy and I wouldn't put them in my own house!