NEWS & INSIGHTS

As a UK bath manufacturer with more than 50 years’ experience, we know that choosing a quality acrylic bath is only part of the story. How it is looked after once installed decides how well it lasts and how good it keeps looking.

That is where installers come in. A few words of aftercare advice before you finish the job can save the customer real trouble down the line.

The bathroom seller should give this advice first, but it carries more weight when it comes from you as well. Customers tend to trust the person fitting the bath, so hearing the same guidance from the installer is what makes it stick.

Acrylic is hard-wearing, but it still needs looking after. None of it calls for special products or much time - a few simple habits protect the surface, prevent avoidable damage and add years to the life of the bath. Here are the three we’d pass on to customers.

Our baths are made from sanitaryware-grade acrylic, which gives a smooth, glossy surface with good chemical and scratch resistance. To keep that finish, use a non-abrasive bathroom cleaner and a soft cloth or sponge. Most supermarkets stock one, so there is no need for anything specialist or expensive.

Avoid abrasive cleaners and scourers, and organic solvents such as acetone - these scratch the acrylic and dull the finish. Because a bath is cleaned so often, a product that seems harmless after one use can wear the surface down over time. Getting the cleaner right from day one saves a problem that costs time and money to put right.

Regular cleaning does more than keep the bath looking good - it also stops soap residue and limescale building up. Wipe the bath down after use and remove any standing water, especially in hard-water areas.

Cared for this way, an acrylic bath typically lasts 10 to 15 years. Ours are guaranteed for at least 25 years, or 30 with Trojancast, so a well-maintained bath should comfortably see out its guarantee. Ignore advice and the customer may be replacing it far sooner than they should. A new acrylic bath costs around £300 to install before any other bathroom work is added, so a little routine care is a cheap way to protect that spend.

Scratches may happen with daily use – especially if young children have toys in the bath. The important thing is that the customer does not make them worse with the wrong repair. Light surface scratches can often be polished out with a little rubbing compound such as T-Cut. For anything deeper, tell them to seek professional advice rather than reach for an abrasive or attempt a DIY fix that could turn a small mark into a real problem.

Most customers will not know what is safe to use on acrylic, so a quick word from you as the installer heads off the damage before it happens.

Replacing a bath before it is worn out adds needless manufacturing, transport and material waste. The UK already has a plastics problem: the 2024 Big Plastic Count estimated that households throw away around 90 billion pieces of plastic packaging a year, only 17% of which is recycled here in the UK. Baths are not packaging, but the principle holds - making products last is one of the simplest ways to cut waste.

We take the same view in our own factories. Through our partnership with Future Polymers, offcuts of acrylic and other plastics go back to suppliers through a closed-loop supply chain, or are reused by other industries, keeping them in the circular economy. We would encourage the installers who fit our products to think the same way, and to pass that mindset on to their customers.

Customers trust their installer, which puts them in the best position to help them get the most out of their bath. A couple of minutes spent passing on these tips keeps it looking and performing well for years. After more than 50 years of British manufacturing, we know good products deserve good advice behind them.