Cleaning bathrooms is never pleasant. Some may say it’s their least pleasant chore at home and who could blame them? This article will show you a few tricks which will make the cleaning of your bathroom a bit more bearable.
1. Make your own bathroom cleaning solution. If you are tired of all those commercial products that have an overpowering smell and contain a lot of toxic chemicals, maybe it is time to make a cleaning solution of your own. To do that, simply mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda and ½ cup of household ammonia into two cups of warm water. Use this to wipe all surfaces in your bathroom. They will be left sparkling clean and spotless.
2. If the overall bathroom cleaning is unpleasant, tackling the toilet bowl must be the cherry on top. However, it is inevitable. Use these tips to make it easier:
- Antacid tablets – Drop 2 antacid tablets or 1 denture tablet (make sure it contains baking soda) in the bowl. Let them dissolve completely, then scrub the whole surface thoroughly.
- Mouthwash – Grab your mouthwash and pour ¼ cup of it into the bowl. Wait for about 30 minutes, then scrub the toilet.
- Coke – Pour a bottle of cola into your bowl. Let it sit for a couple of hours, then scrub the whole surface.
3. Mildew thrives in the wet climate of a bathroom, so don’t be shocked if it emerges on your shower curtain. You can at least delay it for a bit by soaking curtains and liners in salt water before hanging them. Once they’re up and any mildew appears:
- Pour ½ cup of borax and ½ cup vinegar to 2 cups of water. Pour this solution onto the mouldy areas, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then scrub with a sponge or a cloth.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of laundry detergent liquid or dishwashing liquid and ½ litre of bleach. Spray this on the curtain and let it sit.
- Mix vinegar and salt into a paste. Apply it to the affected areas, let it dry and wipe it away with a damp cloth or sponge.
4. You’re probably so preoccupied with cleaning your bathroom’s fixtures and tiles that you don’t even consider the ceiling. Look up, but be prepared to see mildew, stains, and accumulated filth. Fill a mop bucket with equal parts water and white vinegar to clean it. Then put on goggles or other eye protection. Collect all cobwebs first, then dip a sponge mop with a long handle into the solution, squeeze it out, and reach up to clean one portion of the ceiling at a time.
5. The grout between your tiles is a magnet for mould and bacteria. While it may be an easy place to miss, you should avoid doing that. Grab a toothbrush and use these tricks to properly clean your bathroom grout:
- Use a toothbrush to scrub a mixture of one part borax, two parts baking soda, and one to two parts water onto the grout.
- Remove filth with a fresh pencil eraser, which is designed to fit into these small areas.
- Scrub your grout with a tooth-whitening mouthwash.
- Soak a cotton wool ball in bleach and place it on a piece of badly damaged counter grout for a few hours; secure the cotton ball to the wall using gaffer tape. This works especially well for corners.
6. Apply a mixture of two to three parts borax and one part lemon juice to a discoloured toilet bowl, rim included . Allow it to sit for up to 2 hours before scrubbing with a toilet brush. This remedy is very efficient for removing the ring that frequently occurs at the water level of the toilet bowl.
7. A lot of surfaces in the bathroom may become dulled over time. This is mainly caused by mineral deposits, soap scum, mould, mildew, and other grime. While all this mess is not the easiest to clean, you can use these tricks to tackle it with ease:
- 2 cups of salt dissolved in 4 litres of hot water. Scrub with this solution.
- Mix 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, and ¼ cup baking soda in four litres of warm water. Apply the solution all over the dirty surface, then scrub and rinse after about 15 minutes.
8. Squeeze a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush and scrub away at hard-water rust stains on toilets, tubs, and sinks. You can also scrub the discoloration with a borax-lemon juice mixture or a solution of equal parts turpentine and salt. Whatever approach you use, attack rust spots as soon as possible. The sooner you deal with them, the easier it is to get rid of them.
9. If you live in a hard water location, you’ve probably noticed how mineral deposits can clog showerheads. You don’t need to replace them, simply unclog them with denture pills or vinegar. If you can remove the shower head, place it in a plastic bag full of a solution of vinegar and water or dissolved denture tablets in water. If you cannot remove it, fill a plastic bag with the solution of choice and tie it around the showerhead, so that the clogged area is fully submerged.