Bathroom Cleaning Tips 101

Bathroom Cleaning Tips

Helpful Hints

• Always keep an all-purpose cleaner and a sponge in the guest bath so you can sneak away and clean up when unexpected company shows up.
• Keep a squeegee in the shower so everyone can wipe it down when they are done (this will help prevent mildew).
• Steam helps to loosen build-up so why not clean while you're in there?
• Disinfectant can be used on everything in the bath except the mirror.
• Don't forget doorknobs and switchplates.

   

Cleaning Shower Mats
 Dip a stiff brush in a kerosene and warm water solution to clean bath and shower mats.
 Easy Bathroom Cleaning
 Clean after a steamy bath or shower. The walls, fixtures, etc., will be much easier to clean because the steam will have loosened the dirt.

For dark stains (like rust) rub with a paste of borax and lemon juice.

Once a month, pour one cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of white vinegar down the drain. Wait an hour and flush with warm water. The combination fizzles away most of the buildup. Works for shower, tub and kitchen sink drains as well.Cleaning the Sink

Bathtub Rings
To avoid bathtub rings, don't use oily bath preparations. Use a water softener if you live in a hard-water area. Rinse the tub immediately after bathing.

 If a ring does form, wipe it off with undiluted ammonia (wear rubber gloves) or a wet sponge generously sprinkled with baking soda. Rinse clean and wipe dry. For a more stubborn stain, scour with automatic dishwashing detergent or rub with a cloth dipped in vinegar.

Cleaning with Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol will clean the caulking around bathtubs. It also shines chrome and glass. Liquid chlorine bleach (1/4 cup to one gallon) will also clean caulk.

Cleaning Toilet Bowl
Clean the toilet bowl while you're away by pouring in 1/4 cup bleach and leaving it until you return.

Keep the toilet bowl ring-free by pouring a half-gallon of white vinegar in it once a month. Let it soak overnight before flushing.

Don't use bleach if you're already using a tank-held cleaner that's released when the toilet is flushed. The two may react chemically.

To avoid clogging and odors, pour one cup baking soda down the bowl weekly.

Ring around your toilet? Again, alkaline deposits cause those nasty rings. Depending on the hardness of your water, pour one or two cups of white vinegar into the toilet once a month to eliminate the problem.

Toilet bowl rings - Here I take a deep breath and plead with you to follow these instructions. Repeat. Follow these instructions. Do not deviate or you will scratch the inside of your toilet bowl.

Turn off the water flow to the toilet and flush to remove the water. Saturate a couple of heavy duty paper towels with white vinegar or the Orange Citrus Cleaner. Place around the edges making sure all areas are covered. Keep the towels damp for several hours, even overnight, until the water spots start dissolving. Then scrub with a stiff nylon brush.

If the white vinegar does not dissolve the whole ring, go to a janitorial supply store or a hardware store and purchase a pumice stone and a stiff toothbrush. Dampen one end of the pumice stone and keep it wet.

Gently, very gently, rub the pumice stone across the lines. When enough pumice builds on the sides, switch to a stiff bristle brush to continue working. Rub gently until the deposit disappears. Pumice will scratch the toilet. Use it only one time and cautiously.

Getting to Dirt in the Corner
Can't get to that dirt in the corner? Make a pointed tool by cutting an old whisk broom at a 45 degree angle.

If you have a small bathroom or a tile entrance and don't have time to bother with a scrub bucket, just use an all purpose spray cleaner and a damp sponge for quick clean up.

How To Get Rid Of Mildew In Your Bathroom
 To remove mildew from the corners of the tub, dip cotton balls in bleach and let them sit, when you finish cleaning the bath, remove cotton and rinse well. The mildew will be gone.

Don't let mildew grow in the corners of your bathroom! See VideoJug's top tips on how to get rid of mould and leave your bathroom sparkling clean

Step 1: You will need:

• rubber gloves
• cream cleaner
• a metal scourer
• a household sponge
• an old toothbrush
• a tub or bucket
• and a cloth

 Step 2: Prepare

Fill a tub with hot water and place it by the shower. Use the soft side of a household sponge to dampen down any areas afflicted with mildew.

 Step 3: Scrub

Squirt a generous amount of cream cleaner onto the abrasive side of a house hold sponge. Then get scrubbing. Jacqueline recommends a cream cleaner as it clings to the effected areas, making it easier to remove the stains. Unfortunately there is no quick fix for mildew, it's all down to elbow grease. If the mildew is very bad switch to a metal scourer, this is more abrasive so will require less scrubbing.

Squirt on more cream cleaner and keep scrubbing until the mildew starts to lift.

Use an old toothbrush for the hard to reach areas. Again squirt on the cream cleaner and get scrubbing.


Step 4: Rinse
Once the mildew has started to lift wipe down with a cloth. If the area still looks heavily stained scrub again. Keep going until you are happy with the result.

Keep ahead of mildew so it doesn't become a problem. Every six months spray your bathroom ceiling with a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. Peroxide is a safe bleach and won't harm the environment or your lungs. Find larger quantities of peroxide at beauty or medical supply stores.

Spray the mixture on and leave it. No need to rinse or scrub. If you currently have mildew, follow the above directions. Wait two hours and respray. Then wait 24 hours and spray a third time if necessary.

Disinfectant

Clean with a disinfectant to kill germs. Everything in the bathroom except the mirror can be cleaned this way in just 3 or 4 minutes a day. Keep cleaners in bath for a quick job when unexpected company drops by.

Shower Tile
Remove soap and hard water buildup on shower tile with tile cleaner. Then apply a good paste wax and buff with a dry cloth to deter future water spots.

Air Freshener

For immediate air freshener in the bath, place a fabric softener sheet in the wastepaper basket or add a dab of fragrance on a light bulb. When the light is on, the heat releases the aroma.

Freshen Drain

To freshen drain, pour 1/4 to 1/2 box of baking soda down the drain, add 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Cover drain tightly for a few minutes and flush with cold water.

Shower Doors
Rub glass shower doors with a white vinegar-dampened sponge to remove soap residue.

To clean shower track door, pour full strength vinegar into the track, let soak for a few minutes, then rinse.

A coat of acrylic floor finish gives new shine to fiberglass shower doors and makes water spots disappear. Club soda will give new shine to your counter tops.

Alkaline deposits in the water cause those not so pretty spots on your glass doors and shower walls. Apply a car wax to the walls and doors, but not the floor or it gets real slick. Both fiberglass and glass are porous. The car wax seals those pores, which makes cleaning easier and keeps water spots away. Reapply twice yearly.

Squeegee or wipe down your shower after each use to further prevent buildup. If you're tired of fighting the soap scum buildup, switch to liquid soap, natural soap or Dove. It's the talc in most bar soaps that causes the buildup. Changing soap can eliminate the buildup. You still need to clean the shower once a week, but the job is easier.

Clean the showers once a week with an orange citrus based cleaner. Spray on and give it ten minutes to dissolve the dirt. Why do all that scrubbing when your product does it for you?
OK, so the soap scum refuses to budge and friends are coming for a visit. Use your orange based cleaner concentrated. Pour plenty on an old dishrag and wipe on the walls and doors. Use can use boiling hot white vinegar (wear gloves) but you must keep applying it as the white vinegar dries. It takes time to dissolve that buildup.

Patience now becomes a virtue. Wait and wait and wait some more. Go clean the rest of the house. If the cleaner starts dripping down the walls, wipe it back on. Check the walls with a fingernail. If the residue removes easily, round one is about over.

Use a white bristle pad to scrub. They look like fibers and are glued to a sponge. Use the white ones only. The colored scrubbers are coarser and do scratch. Test a spot to make sure it won't scratch the fiberglass. Dampen the pad, keeping it good and wet and gently scrub. This removes the soap buildup and most of the white mineral deposits on the glass doors. Nothing removes the etch marks themselves, but further damage is halted. Reapply the orange citrus cleaner if necessary.

Plastic shower curtains can be machine washed. Remove, spray with your diluted orange based cleaner and wait about 10 minutes. Wash with your rags and they come out quite clean. Air dry. If the curtain is long enough, cut off the seam at the bottom to prevent mildew buildup down there.

 

Cleaning Shower Curtains

Before hanging shower curtains, soak in salt water solutions to prevent mildew.

To remove mildew, wash in hot soapy water, rub with lemon juice and let the shower curtain dry in the sun.

 For plastic curtains, clean with laundry pre-wash spray. Spray along the top, letting it run down to cover the curtain. Allow it to sit for a few minutes, then rinse it off.

Faucets
Water deposits build up around faucets and drain areas. Use a paper towel soaked in white vinegar and place around the faucet. Plug the drain and pour 1/2 cup white vinegar in the sink and wait. It takes time for the white vinegar to dissolve the alkaline deposits. Scrub using a stiff bristled nylon toothbrush.

Do not use orange based or powdered cleansers on brass or gold plated faucets. These fixtures corrode and scratch quickly. Dry these faucets after each use to prevent water spot damage.

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