Bathroom Cleaning Hints

Of all the rooms in the house, the bathroom requires the most consistent effort. Here are some tips for keeping your bathroom sparkling and fresh.

Prevent Stains on Your Shower Walls

Those spots that you get on your glass shower doors and tile walls are from alkaline deposits from the water. Apply car wax to the walls and glass doors to prevent spots and stains from forming. You only need to do this twice a year or so.

Hint: If you colour your hair red at home – prepare for having pink grout!

Switch Soaps to Avoid Soap Scum

Soap scum is caused by talc, which is present in most bar soaps. Simply switching brands of soap can make weekly bathroom clean up a whole lot easier. Liquid soaps or shower gels are a good alternative.

Cleaning Plastic Laminate

Furniture wax is the best way to clean laminated floors or wall tiles. Clean the laminate first with warm water and a bit of bicarb. Then, apply the furniture wax to protect it and keep it bright and shiny.

All-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner

 In a spray bottle, mix together 2 cups of warm water, 3 tablespoons of bicarb, and 1/2 a cup of ammonia. Make sure you label the bottle and wear gloves while you’re cleaning. This mixture is great for nearly every bathroom surface.

Eliminate Bathtub Rings

If you go a few weeks without cleaning your tub, you get the inevitable ring of scum around the sides. Mix hydrogen peroxide with cream of tartar and rub it on with a brush. It works on fibreglass and porcelain tubs.

Whiten a Yellowed Bathtub

Eventually, all bathtubs start to turn a shade of pale yellow. To bring it back to its original white shine, try a mixture of salt and turpentine (available at hardware stores). Wear gloves and make sure the area is ventilated to avoid breathing in the fumes.

Cleaning a Hot Tub or Spa

To clean your spa/hot tub you can do one of three things. You can use our all purpose bathroom cleaner (above); make up a paste with bicarb soda and water and apply to the whole spa then rinse off; or you can use vinegar and water spray (half  and half) to spray and wipe the tub with. These methods are all very safe to use on your spa!

An Easy Trick for Keeping a Shower Curtain Clean

If you’re going to replace your shower curtain with a new one, leave the old one on and hang the new one on the outside. The old curtain takes all the scum and water damage while the new one makes everything look cleaner.

Keep Plastic Shower Curtains Soft

If you want to stop your curtain from getting stiff, add some mineral oil after you wash it. When rinsing, put in a few drops of the oil and let it soak for an hour or two. The plastic will keep its supple, flexible qualities for a lot longer.

A Hint for Cleaning the Toilet (And Staying Alive!)

Some commercial toilet bowl cleaners use a bleach solution, and others add ammonia to the product. Separate, both of these are excellent cleaners, but never mix products that contain both ingredients! When the two chemicals mix they react and form a dangerous, odourless gas. Toilet cleaning isn’t exactly fun, but it shouldn’t be deadly either!

Removing Stains from the Toilet

Denture cleaning tablets work wonder with china and porcelain. Drop two tablets in the water and let it sit overnight. The next day, just wipe the stains away.  Napisan works exactly the same – add a teaspoon to the bowl before bed – and flush away the evidence in the morning!