Do you dread the moment when a guest or tradesman asks to use your bathroom? Do you cringe and hope that they won’t spot the toothpaste splatters all over the mirror, the chalky residue that coats the bath tub, or the less than spotless toilet bowl?
If the answer is yes, then perhaps you should follow these guidelines and tips for making sure that your bathroom is squeaky clean for potential visitors, and more importantly, for you and your family! You need not clean your bathroom every day – or even every week – in fact for many of us, a monthly deep clean should suffice.
Try to do things logically, and start at the top:
Since the showerhead is near the top, let’s begin there. No showerhead, no matter how often you clean it, is immune from chalky deposits that clog it up and cause the water to squirt out at you in all directions. Solving this however, is simple enough. Remove the showerhead and ensure that it’s completely immersed in a plastic bag filled with white vinegar. Tie the bag securely so that it won’t leak or spill, and leave it overnight. Then, simply take the shower head out of the bag, rinse it and hey presto, you’ll have one de clogged shower head.
The shower curtains can also be affected by chalky residue, but if you’re able to put them through a wash cycle in your machine (with an old towel or two to help get rid of the stubborn scum) with a generous scoop of detergent, then that should see them sparkling again.
If you have a glass door/partition however, this can be cleaned just as easily by making a white vinegar and baking soda paste that you can smear over it, leave for an hour or two, and wipe off afterwards. Give it a quick rinse and a wipe, and you should see the difference straight away.
Cleaning your bathtub, however, really is something that you should try and do more regularly, but a good weekly scrub with a cleaning solution of your choice, should prevent too much dirt and grime from building up.
Grouting can quickly look dirty and discoloured, but a light scrubbing with a stiff brush and bleach, should see it looking refreshed and clean.
Your toilet naturally has a tendency to become grubby and unhygienic, but one cheap and effective solution, is to tip a cup of baking soda into the bowl, leave it for a while and then give it a vigorous brush and flush. Try not to neglect your toilet brush either, as germs will usually be present there; soaking it in bleach will kill off any bacteria.
Those chalky deposits are back again! This time they’re spoiling your faucets, but soaking a cloth in lemon juice or vinegar and wrapping it around the faucet for at least an hour, then taking it off and rinsing and polishing the faucets, should make them gleam again.
Other areas of the bathroom that often become greasy and stained, are the walls, tiles and surfaces. One answer to this problem, is to liberally spray your favourite bathroom cleaner all over them, thenleave the shower running on hot to fill the room with steam. Go out and shut the door behind you, and you’ll find that within an hour or so, the steam will have lifted all of the tough grease and grimy stains from each of the surfaces. You may need to just give them a quick wipe afterwards to achieve the full effect.