14 Best Tried and True Japanese Bathtub Cleaners in 2022 (Lion, Kao, and More)
Cleaning the bath is a chore no one enjoys. My back hurts just thinking about all that scrubbing! There must be some bathroom cleaning sprays that can make the job easier and faster!
Our editors searched Japanese e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Rakuten for the best bathtub cleaners available online. We then picked out the most popular products and tested them.
We focused on 3 things:
- Cleaning power
- Spray dispersal
- Ease of rinsing
We then ranked the products and put what we learned into a buying guide to help you choose the best Japanese tub cleaners available online.
Quick List - Top Japanese Bathtub Cleaners
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How to Choose a Bathtub Cleaner - Buying Guide
There are three points to consider when buying a bathtub cleaner.
Choose the Right Type For the Job
There are four types of bathtub cleaners: neutral, alkaline, acidic, and chlorinated. The kind you need depends on how often you clean, and what kind of dirt you want to remove.
Use a Neutral Type for Frequent Cleaning of Light Dirt
This is a mild cleanser that can be used in any place in the bathroom. It shouldn't damage most materials and is gentle on your skin. It can handle any kind of dirt as long as it's not caked-on. Neutral cleansers also have the advantage of being safe when mixed with other products.
Use Alkaline or Acidic Cleansers for Tough Dirt
For stubborn dirt, you need an alkaline or acid-based cleaner. The one you choose depends on the kind of dirt: soap scum and hard water scale can be tackled with acidic cleansers. Oil, which is itself acidic, should be removed using an alkaline cleanser.
These products are more likely than neutral cleansers to damage materials, so use them carefully. Be especially wary of using them on marble, and they may discolor some plastics. They also can produce toxic gases when mixed with certain other products containing chlorine bleach.
To Get Rid of Mold, Use a Chlorine-Based Cleanser
Mold can best be killed by using products which contain chlorine. Foaming products work better than bleach because they get into the tiny cracks where the roots of the mold are. But never mix them with other detergents, and be sure to use adequate ventilation.
Choose a Product That Foams Well to Save Time and Water
We all want to spend less time cleaning! So look for products that spray over a wide area with one push. It's not always possible to tell how it will work just by looking at the sprayer, so we've evaluated it for you!
Check the Quality of the Foam
You want something that foams well, rinses away quickly, and doesn't leave any residue behind. This will ensure that you get the most bang for your buck and not have to spend a ton of time waiting for it to clean.
14 Best Japanese Bathtub Cleaners
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lion Look Plus Bathtub Cleansing｜Clear Citrus | | mybest's Top Choice! Our Favorite Bathtub Cleaner! | |
2 | Rinrei Ultra Hard Bath Cleaner | | The Bathtub Cleaner with the Best Cleansing Power | |
3 | Kao Bath Magic Clean Foaming Spray | | An Excellent Bargain With Strong Cleaning Power | |
4 | Seiyu Kihon No Ki Bath Detergent | | A Decent Choice for Those on a Tight Budget | |
5 | Kincho Twinkle for Bath | | Our Top-Ranked Acidic Cleaner | |
6 | Daiso Daiso Bath Detergent | | Recommended to Wash Small Areas | |
7 | Kao Bath Magic Clean Super Clean | | Use This if You Hate the Smell of Other Cleaners |
LionLook Plus Bathtub Cleansing ｜ Clear Citrus
mybest's Top Choice! Our Favorite Bathtub Cleaner!
This weak alkaline spray from Lion was very well-balanced, scoring above average in all the areas we tested. Oily dirt and grime were whisked away with no effort at all. The stainless steel used in our tests was shiny and reflective!
The foam covers a wide area, and it's a blue liquid, so it's very easy to see where you've already sprayed it. You'll save time and money by not using more than you need.
We can recommend this without reservation for anyone who wants to clean the tub efficiently and cost-effectively!
The Bathtub Cleaner with the Best Cleansing Power
This was hands down the strongest cleaner. Even stubborn dirt was no match for it. The stainless steel test tray looked brand new after we cleaned it.
It can be used not just for the tub, but for washstands and other bathroom items too. Unfortunately, it took some time to rinse all the bubbles down the drain, but it's definitely recommended if you need to remove caked-on grime.
KaoBath Magic Clean Foaming Spray
An Excellent Bargain With Strong Cleaning Power
It scored close to the highest product in our cleaning test, but is pretty cheap, so it's a good choice in that sense. However, the bubbles didn't cover much area, so you need to spray again and again, and the lever is hard to push. Our arms got tired! It also didn't rinse away easily.
A Decent Choice for Those on a Tight Budget
This was not bad as far as performance, but where it really stood out was the price. If you consider the initial investment (including the sprayer) is 3 times the cost of refills - you can see what a bargain that is! So even though it was only average in cleaning, spraying, and rinsing, we can still recommend it.
Our Top-Ranked Acidic Cleaner
If you're looking for an acid-based cleaner, we recommend this one. It rinses really easily and quickly, and it foams well too. You'll be able to save water and time. However, it does smell strongly of vinegar, so use ventilation if it bothers you.
Recommended to Wash Small Areas
At only a dollar, you probably don't expect much, but this product does an above-average job of cleaning.
The main drawback was how long and how much water it took to rinse all the bubbles down the drain. But if you just need to wash something small like the shower rack, this would be fine, and cost-saving.
KaoBath Magic Clean Super Clean
Use This if You Hate the Smell of Other Cleaners
The unscented product is pictured, but it also comes in a "green herb" scent. The foaming is good, but everything else is just average. We'd use it to save time on spraying, or if we wanted to avoid something with the smell of ammonia or bleach.
How We Tested the Bathtub Cleaners
We put each product through 3 tests to check how well it cleaned, and how the spray spread out and rinsed away.
Test ① Did It Remove Dirt and Scum?
We made a solution of shampoo, lard, and hard water to replicate the scum and oils found in the bathroom. Then we sprayed it on a steel tray, let it dry, and repeated the process 10 times.
Next, we sprayed each bathtub cleaner on a dirty tray 10 times. We let it sit and work for 10 minutes and rinsed it off. Then we evaluated how much grime was removed.
Our test results showed that alkaline cleansers were the most effective overall. Our top choices left our test trays shiny even without scrubbing. Products marked as weakly alkaline were similar to neutral-pH products in their effectiveness.
Test ② How Much Area Did the Spray Cover?
Using the same height and angle each time, we gave each cleaner one spritz onto the floor. Then we measured how much area the spray covered.
Our tests showed that a horizontal-spreading foam saved time! Since the cleaning foam will drip down due to gravity, the wider the area you cover horizontally, the more efficiently the whole surface gets covered.
Test ③ Was it Easy to Rinse Away?
For the last test, we sprayed each product 30 times all over the tub, and left it for 5 minutes.
We rinsed it using the showerhead 10 times. Then we visually judged how many bubbles remained in the drain and rated it on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0.
Looking for More Bathroom Products? Check Out These Related Links!
Clean your bathroom and make it your personal haven with these other products.
Top 5 Japanese Bathtub Cleaners
No. 1: Lion｜Look Plus Bathtub Cleansing｜Clear Citrus
No. 2: Rinrei｜Ultra Hard Bath Cleaner
No. 3: Kao｜Bath Magic Clean Foaming Spray
No. 4: Seiyu｜Kihon No Ki Bath Detergent
No. 5: Kincho｜Twinkle for Bath
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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