Bathroom Cleaning Tips: Solutions to Stubborn Stains, Mineral Deposits, and Soap Scum
Bathtub
Rust: To remove rust stains from a bathtub, simply mix cream of tarter and peroxide to form a paste. Mix 3 drops of ammonia with into the paste. Cover the stain and let it rest for 2 hours. Rinse and scrub lightly to remove the stain.
Yellow tub: Has your tub gradually taken on a yellow hue? This can be remedied with salt and turpentine. Simply mix a few drops of turpentine with salt and scrub the tub with a sponge. The salt provides “grit” and the turpentine works to dissolve the stain. This one can be a bit caustic, but can be used safely in a well-ventilated area and doesn’t need to be done on a regular basis. Once you have removed the unsightly yellow from your tub, maintain it with regular cleaning with a solution of white vinegar and water.
Showerhead: If you have hard water, you have probably noticed mineral deposits building up and even clogging your showerhead. To solve this, remove the showerhead and boil in a small pan in a mixture of �¾ cup of white vinegar and 4 cups of water. The vinegar will dissolve the minerals leaving your showerhead clean and deposit free.
Faucets
Maintenance: To keep your faucets clean and shining spray with rubbing alcohol and wipe clean with a paper towel. Use an old spray bottle, or purchase a new one, for alcohol. A quick spray every day will keep your faucets shining and germ free.
Mineral Deposits: To remove stubborn mineral deposits, saturate a paper towel with white vinegar and drape around the faucet, covering the deposits. Let this sit for �½ hour to give it plenty of time to dissolve the mineral deposits. If the deposits still do not budge, repeat the process being sure to keep the paper towel wet with vinegar. Scrub lightly and rinse.
Mirrors: For a sparkling mirror, spray with rubbing alcohol and wipe clean with paper towels.
Shower doors: Removing the build up of soap scum on glass shower doors is quick and easy with white vinegar. Simply wet a sponge with vinegar and scrub lightly. To prevent the build-up of soap scum, use this solution on a weekly basis.
Preventing build-up on tiles: Once you have fully cleaned your tiles, let them dry thoroughly. Coat the tiles with car wax. Let the wax sit for the recommended amount of time and buff to a shine. This will seal the pores in the tiles and prevent stains from seeping into the tiles. Your tiles will not only look terrific, the will repel water and soap scum. Repeat once or twice a year.
Prevent Mildew on Shower Curtains: Once you have washed your shower curtains, soak them in a solution of salt and water and let hang to dry.
Toilet Bowl: The best way to keep your toilet bowl from becoming stained is with some preventative care. Once a week, pour 2 cups of white vinegar in the bowl and let sit for an hour. Swish clean and flush. Vinegar also works well to remove stubborn toilet bowl rings. Before going to bed, pour one quart of vinegar in the toilet bowl and let it set overnight. Swish and flush in the morning.
Germ free: Keep a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol in the bathroom at all times. Spraying down counters, bathtubs, sinks, and toilets will kill household germs and leave a sparkling shine behind.
By spending a little time and effort in using preventative measures for the most difficult bathroom cleaning tasks, you will save both time and energy; but best of all, your bathroom will be clean and germ free.
