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I use bleach to clean the tub and have never had that happen. eek!

I use bleach all the time to clean the tub and that never happens. eek!

next time try vinegar and baking soda for the drain. It's a good once-a-month habit to keep them unclogged.

From doityourself.com:
"For sluggish or clogged drains pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar and cover the drain if possible. Let set for a few minutes, Then pour a kettle of 6 or more cups of boiling water down the drain to flush it. The combination of baking soda and vinegar breaks down fatty acids into soap and glycerin, allowing the clog to wash down the drain.
DO NOT USE THIS METHOD AFTER ANY COMMERCIAL DRAIN OPENER HAS BEEN USED OR IS STILL PRESENT IN THE STANDING WATER."

i used bleach on old apartment linoleum with a similar yellowing (i may have not diluted it) but had no problems on a porcelain tub...

i wonder if your tub is vac-formed acrylic or some other plastic...

would have loved these tips about 2 years ago, ah well.

i have this horrid plastic tub that stains really easily... and until now i have not been able to get it completely clean, the solution that i finally found is toothpaste on a plastic scouring pad, my tub is now shiny white... who knew

I think you need to switch your clogged drain products to something green and safer for the environment and your tub!

http://www.colehardware.com/hotline/2002/02/draincare.htm
http://www.colehardware.com/hotline/2005/01/digestit.htm

Actually, I once had an old (1930's) iron tub that reacted the same way to bleach. I was renting at the time and never figured out how to get the stains out. Good information. Thanks!

Just use conventional drain cleaner the next time you have a clog. I have found that Pequa is a highly effective drain cleaner. Since you really don't know what is causing the clog, pouring bleach down the drain can easily result in the problems you experienced. Chlorine bleach can react with other chemicals in the drain or drain stack and cause blow-back resulting in those stains on your tub among other problems. Fortunately, you weren't standing over the drain when it happened.

Mr Clean Magic Eraser? Always works wonders for me.

Scary!!! I have to second the vinegar and baking soda, especially if you live in an older place. Actually, I'm gradually doing more and more cleaning with vinegar and baking soda, it does a great job and is non-toxic.

I have a solution - don't pour toxic chemicals down the drain so they leach into our groundwater and soil. That way you won't have bleach stains at all.

once lived in a place with a lot of iron in the water that would stain sinks, dishes, the inside of the dishwasher. bleach made it even worse. we used Tang to get rid of the stains. just ran it through the dishwasher periodically.

Thirding vinegar and baking soda. It works miracles on our old stainless (ha!) steel sink.

Fourthing vinegar & baking soda. I had a clogged sink last night so I poured a mixture of salt and baking soda into the drain, followed it up with a dose of vinegar and then once my little volcano finished erupting, followed that with a pot of boiling water. It's good as new now!

I bought a thing called a zipit for about 5 bucks. its a reusable strip of plastic (yes, plastic, but better than pouring chemicals down the drain I think) that you use to snake out the drain. Works on hair & soap scum clogs like a charm. Much better than baking soda and vinegar, which really doesn't budge hair clumps (at least, not in my experience).

Is that an old tub, but w/ new plumbing? What I see is the porcelain near the drain looks worn down to the under coating or some such.

If an older tub, a lot of times, the porcelain coating gets pourus and wears down and after a while gets prone to staining and removing it becomes harder and harder - especially when scrubbed w/ harsh abrasives and brushes over time.

I have some odd stains in my 47 YO tub that almost look like some of the color got bleached out a bit in a couple of places, on the sides but the tub itself cleans up pretty well otherwise.

Yep, that same staining happened in my last place--I was horrified! I had to scour for a while with CLR and a scrubbing pad and never used bleach or Tilex on that tub again.

Naval Jelly contains phosphoric acid. Cola (sugar-bearing variety) contains this as well. It might be worth a try...

Do not confuse Naval Jelly with navel jelly...

I recently bought a plumbing 'snake' and not it took care of the clog without any chemicals. Bonus - I got to feel very professional taking care of my own plumbing problem. Also, a snake is about $10 and will last forever. Give it a shot.

My tub has the same issues. While I can't recommend a cleaning solution that has actually worked for me, I can say that I tried the naval jelly and it took off the stain AND the porcelain. Don't do it!! Now it stains worse than ever.

Also, if you own, you can get an old tub re-porcelained for about 200 bucks. It looks totally new. That is what I am planning to do.

Good luck!