Anyone here know why water makes a stain in the bathtub?

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My water makes a pink slimy stain when it pools up somewhere for a day or two. It stains the drain and the toilet. Also, when you leave a few drops of water in the bathtub, a pink stain appears. Its gross, it comes off with soap. But I wonder why it does that?

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  1. crazymofo says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:13 am

    Yep I do. The pink slimy stain comes from a type of bacteria appropriately known as Iron-reducing Bacteria. They are very common problem in some water system. Once they are in your household system they are very difficult to get rid of. Most often times they set up shop in your hot water heater. The temperature of hot water heaters are not high enough to kill the bacteria. Don’t panic though, they are not pathogenic and won’t make you sick. You don’t have the type of food (iron) they are looking for and therefore don’t metabolize in your gut making you sick. They pass right through. They literally live off the iron found in water pipes and water mains and household plumbing. They are considered more of a nuisance than health threat, as they eventually destroy hot water heaters, plug them up or eat the plumbing out of your house if it has a high iron content . Also if your water system has water that is high in iron it can live on copper and plastic piping because it gets it’s food source directly from the water… On an interesting note, this is the same type of bacteria that is slowly but surely eating the Titanic…. iron molecule by iron molecule at the bottom of the Atlantic. The pink color actually comes from the bacteria metabolizing/oxidizing iron making rust…………..

  2. Quarter Midget Mom says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:13 am

    Some kind of minerals in your water, probably.

  3. waia says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:13 am

    Water contains minerals that get left behind when the water evaporates.
    -w-

  4. w i says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:13 am

    The moisture allows mold to grow. What you are seeing is a type of mold growth.
    Here is a good site that will explain:
    http://www.startribune.com/397/story/925142.html

  5. Samm says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:13 am

    Water is different everywhere. It depends on the minerals in your water.

    I would have said it is rust, but rust isn’t pink.

  6. gypsygirl731 says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:13 am

    iron/ minerals -use lime away..perhaps old copper plumbing..

  7. fashionG says:
    September 24, 2009 at 12:13 am

    because it is not clean, the water we drink everyday is full of questionable stuff, and depending on where a person lives it may be more contaminated than other places, this type of what is Know as hard water: when water is run through a more rigorous process it’s called soft water, this is why most health/holistic practitioner, suggest all people should at least have filter on their sinks, to wash some of that contaminate out of the water you cook and drink with.

    however there has been a study showing that hard water is better for you.

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