How to Clean and Whiten Yellowed Bathtub Jets: My Real Results

Inside: My honest first-hand experience trying to whiten yellow plastic tub jet parts using hair developer, plus easy steps for cleaning the internal plumbing of a jetted tub!

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I spend a lot of time in my bathtub—it’s my self-care sanctuary. But staring at yellowed tub jets, not to mention the thought of what might be lurking in the internal plumbing of the tub, can spoil an otherwise blissful, relaxing soak.

My beloved bathtub has been in place since the 1990s when Jacuzzi-type bathtubs were much more common in new homes. And my plastic tub jets were as yellow as a nineties Super Nintendo forgotten in the attic. (Could this be one of the reasons why they’ve gone out of favor for the air jet tubs that only make bubbles?)

Why does white plastic turn yellow?

It’s not from lack of cleaning or maintenance. Sunlight/UV light, heat, and chemicals most often cause the polymers in these old plastics to break down, which changes their color.

The Hack For Whitening Yellowed Bathtub Jets.

I turned to the internet to try and solve my problem. First, I looked up replacement parts for all of the plastic pieces in the tub. After getting over the sticker shock, I stumbled on a hack to whiten the old tub jets mentioned in some online forums.

The trick to whitening the tub parts was this Salon Care 40 cream hair developer, which contains 12% hydrogen peroxide:

It seemed like a cheap and easy hack, and I decided I had nothing to lose (other than my paranoia that it might melt the plastic).

This plastic whitening fix originated with vintage computer collectors. At first they mixed their own hydrogen peroxide solution called Retrobrite, but later discovered this hair developer saved the extra step.

Supplies Needed to Whiten Yellow Tub Jets.

• SalonCare 40 Volume Creme Hair Developer. There’s a better deal at Sally Beauty Supply than the 4 oz. bottle I’ve linked from Amazon, though you probably don’t need more than this amount. Also make sure to get the cream and not the clear version, as it will stay in place better.
• Paintbrush
• Press’n Seal or Clingwrap Plastic Wrap
• Optional: Gloves and Safety Goggles

Disclaimer: I was willing to experiment and am simply sharing my experience and results. I have no idea if this is bad for the plastic or how it might affect your particular jets, so try this whitening trick at your own risk.

How to Whiten Discolored Bathtub Jets with Hair Developer.

1. For improved results, clean the plastic parts with a household cleaner or alcohol and let them dry. (I was so eager to get on with the test, I forgot to do it this time.)

2. Pour some of the SalonCare 40 into a disposable cup that you can dip your brush into. Then apply a generous amount of the hair developer to the yellowed plastic parts with the brush. (You might want to wear gloves and safety glasses to protect your skin and eyes.)

3. Next, cover the jets with plastic wrap to keep the solution from drying. I used Press’n Seal, but you could also use Cling Wrap or any plastic wrap that will stick to the tub surface.

4. Let the solution sit for 24 hours, then check the progress.

Mine were definitely lighter after 24 hours. But still yellow. So I pulled up the plastic, reapplied more hair developer solution, and re-covered them to sit for 24 more hours.

I checked the progress again the next day, and decided to repeat it one more time to see if I could get even whiter. In my case, the third day didn’t make any noticeable difference. So when the whitening was complete, I removed the plastic wrap and thoroughly rinsed away all the developer.

The forums where I read this tip for bleaching yellow plastic often recommended putting the pieces in the sun or using a UV light after applying the solution and covering them with plastic wrap. I believe it speeds up the lightening process. Since neither was available to me for this project, I went with a much longer time instead. Plus this may be totally unfounded, but I felt there was less danger of damage without the heat from the light and more rapid reaction.

My results and honest review of this tub jet bleaching hack?

Overall the plastic pieces are much improved! They aren’t like brand new, but they are much whiter and lighter. There’s still a faint yellow tint, and bits of darker discoloration remain in crevices if you look really closely.

Some pieces came out better than others. The on/off button came out the best:

And the air intake cover was still the most yellow. Maybe it’s the placement in the tub that affects the amount of sunlight each plastic part gets from the window while the developer is doing its magic?🤷‍♀️

Although the results weren’t perfect, my takeaway is it’s a great way to make this older jetted tub look good again!

Making the tub look better was just one part of transforming this bathroom. You can see all the details of what we did in the post “90’s to Timeless Master Bathroom Remodel: Before and After“.

Does it last? Sadly, it doesn’t last forever. I’ve read comments online that the yellowing may happen even faster. I don’t know if it’s true and if it is, it may be the age of the plastic and not anything to do with the treatment.

How often can you use this bleaching method? I’ve done it twice to my jets with no mishaps, but I don’t know how many times it’s safe to use this treatment on the same plastic. Maybe some more science-y readers or experts can weigh in on this one in the comments.

How To Thoroughly Clean a Jetted Bathtub.

Now that the part of the jets I could see was much improved, it was a good time to address what I couldn’t see that regular cleaning doesn’t reach.

Over time, not only do soap scum and body oils build up, but all the pampering bath products—remnants of bubble bath, bath oils, and bath salts sit in the system and continue to pump out into the bath water every time you run the jets.

There are a couple of simple ways to deep clean the jetted system that can give you peace of mind that no black gunk (or previous owners funk) is sharing your bath water with you.

• Buy a ready-made product made especially for deep cleaning, and follow the directions on the back. Oh Yuk is one I’ve used that’s highly rated:

• Or make your own cleaning solution with bleach and powdered dishwasher detergent (household products you might already have on hand) with these easy steps:

1. Clean the tub, removing any visible dirt and hair.

2. Fill the bathtub with enough hot water to cover the jet level of the highest jets by a couple of inches.

3. Add two to four tablespoons of powdered dishwasher detergent . If you only have dishwasher tablets or pods, dissolve two in very hot water before adding to the tub.

Do NOT use liquid dishwashing detergent (like Dawn) meant for handwashing dishes unless you want a foam party covering the bathroom. The hot water and the agitation will make massive amounts of suds.

4. Add chlorine bleach. Pour in a half cup up to two cups, depending on tub size and how dirty the system is.

5. Run the jets for 15 minutes (on high if you have setting options).

SH&H Tip: Wear a past-the-elbow, extra-long glove to open the tub drain to protect your skin from the hot water and the harsh bleach and detergent.

6. Turn off the jets and drain the tub. Wipe away any visible dirt from the tub surface.

7. Refill the tub with clean cold or warm water, with the water level covering the jets by a few inches. (Running this clean water cycle is important for removing the bleach from the system.)

8. Run the jets again for 15 minutes.

9. Turn off the jets and drain the tub again.

10. This cleaning process won’t remove some of the dirt and build-up on the jets and controls themselves. So with an old toothbrush, scrub around the jet nozzles, buttons, air-intake cover, and air induction valves.

11. Finish by giving the tub a good rinse with clean water.

How often should you clean a jetted tub’s internal plumbing?

It all depends on the frequency of use. For high usage, the experts recommend a light clean weekly or monthly. (Realistically, I don’t know many people who are going to get around to this.) If you’re going to clean the internal plumbing regularly, I’d stick with either the storebought product or a powdered dishwasher detergent only just to be safe. Save the bleach just for when it’s not been cleaned in a long time and has lots of accumulated residue in the plumbing, as some say bleach can damage plumbing pipes with overuse.

It feels so good to have a clean tub that also looks clean, especially if you have an older bathtub! There’s nothing better to ease my mind and sore muscles at the end of the day than a relaxing bath with some soothing Epsom salts paired with the massaging water from clean (and not yellow) Jacuzzi jets.

If you try either the tub plastic whitening hack or the jetted tub plumbing cleaning, let us know your results in the comments!

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