Here at LUXE, we have received a few phone calls over the years from customers concerned that their stainless steel drains have turned…gasp…rusty. Our drains are certifiably 304-grade stainless steel so this absolutely should not and essentially cannot happen. Right??
Curious, we have asked our concerned customers to send in photos of their drains and, surely enough, we see exactly what they see: could that SOMEHOW be rust on our linear drains? We were sure it couldn’t be, but did a little research to save you some time and worry, should you ever encounter copper-colored speckles on your LUXE drain.
The good news: our drains truly do not rust. “Why not?” you might ask. Well, 304-grade stainless steel has high levels of both nickel and chromium, which interact with oxygen faster than iron does. Rust occurs when iron and oxygen combine together—a process called oxidation (you may remember this from science class). SO, the chromium oxide layer found in high-grade stainless steel (like ours) is hyper-resistant to corrosion. There you have it: LUXE drains simply cannot rust. Great news!
Source: Google Images
So, while we got the scientific explanation out of the way, I bet you’d still like to know what that rust-like build-up ACTUALLY is, and, most importantly: have can you get rid of it? Turns out hard water (i.e. water with a high concentration of dissolved minerals) can leave behind calcium or copper deposits, if not cleaned regularly. Simply use the scrubby side of a sponge and a little soap and voila! That “rust” will be washed away in no time!
If you diligently want to keep hard water deposits at bay, then ensure you are removing excess water after each use by drying thoroughly. This is by no means a necessary step in maintaining the longevity of your drain, but merely a suggestion, should you be concerned your home has hard water.
There you have it. Now go enjoy a luxurious shower with your shiny and truly stainless LUXE Linear Drain!