Of all the rooms in your house, the bathroom is the absolute worst when it's time to clean. With everything that goes on in there, it's a wonder anyone dares to enter without a full hazmat suit on. And every cleaning product comes with its own smell, so even after everything is clean you still have to hold your breath when you go in.
But what if there were better ways to clean your bathroom? Instead of relying solely on name-brand products to disinfect the more disgusting areas of your bathroom, try one these tips next time you need to give your toilet, tub, and sink a good scrubbing.
1. Vinegar & baking soda in the toiletLet a mixture of vinegar and baking soda sit in your toilet for 10-15 minutes while it fizzes. Use a toilet brush to scrub the inside of the bowl before letting the vinegar and baking soda sit for a little while longer. Continue this process until you've scrubbed away all of the stains.
2. Baby oilRubbing baby oil on your sink and bathtub faucets will allow them to really shine without leaving behind streaks. Just squirt some baby oil onto a paper towel and wipe a thin coat over the faucets. With a dry paper towel, scrub off the oil until the faucets shine.
3. Grapefruit & saltDo you tend to get a lot of soap scum in your bathtub. Use the cut side of half of a grapefruit to scrub salt over the area. It will get rid of the build-up and leave behind a tropical scent.
4. Bag of vinegarTie a bag of vinegar around your shower head and leave it overnight. When you remove the bag, the scum that builds up on the shower head will come off with it. If you don't want the smell of vinegar left behind, include a few drops of an essential oil of your favorite scent.
5. Clean mirror combinationCombine ammonia, rubbing alcohol, and dish soap in a spray bottle. Squirt this onto your mirrors and wipe off with a clean towel. This will help remove any streaks, splatters, or dried-on water spots.
6. Vacuum hoseIf you have an exhaust fan in your bathroom, you probably tend to forget about it when you're cleaning. So think about how much dust is probably backed up in there at this point. Fortunately, exhaust fans are fairly easy to clean as long as you have a vacuum with a hose and a step-stool. All you have to do is remove the fan cover, rinse it off in the sink, use the vacuum hose to clear out the dust in the fan and then snap the cover back on.
7. Lemon juiceIf you share a bathroom with boys, or if your sons or brothers have their own bathroom, you're likely familiar with a specific smell that can only be found in boys' bathrooms. But don't let the smell drive you away and prevent you from cleaning the bathroom. Instead, make a paste of lemon juice and baking soda and spread it around the base of the toilet, on the toilet seat and anywhere else that might be in the "splash zone." Let the paste sit for about 10 minutes before spraying it with vinegar. After it's done fizzing, wipe it up with a damp cloth.
8. Bar Keepers FriendBecause they're used so frequently, bathtubs get dirty pretty quickly. If you want to give yours a really thorough clean, use Bar Keepers Friend. Start by running a little water into the tub, just to make sure everything is wet. Then sprinkle a thin layer of Bar Keepers Friend onto the wet surfaces. Gently scrub over everything and finish by running the water again to rinse out the tub.
9. BleachMold is both disgusting and potentially dangerous, so you should work to get rid of it as soon as you notice some. Showers and bathtubs are the most likely bathroom areas to sprout a bit of mold, especially in the grout along the base of the tub or along the wall. To take care of any mold in your bathroom, soak cotton coils in bleach, press them into the affected areas and leave them there overnight. When you remove them in the morning, the mold will have disappeared.
10. Denture tabletsDid you know that you're supposed to clean the inside of your toilet tank? Did you know that you can drop two or three denture tablets into your toilet tank and they'll clean the tank and the toilet bowl? It's true. All you have to do is drop in the tablets before you go to bed and let them dissolve overnight. When you flush your toilet in the morning, the solution will clean the bowl.
11. Peroxide & baking sodaIf you have tile in your bathroom, you already know what a pain it is to clean the grout between the tiles. Make it a little easier on yourself by making a paste of peroxide and baking soda. Spread the paste along the grout lines, pressing it into the grout as you go. Leave it alone for at least an hour so it sets into the grout properly. When you come back, soak a cloth in warm water and use it to wipe away the paste.
Whether you're a compulsive cleaner or you tend to wipe everything down five minutes before company comes over, you will clean your bathroom at some point (at least, I hope you will). So instead of going out and filling a shopping cart with your usual cleaning products, try a few of these tips to make your bathroom look as good as it did the day you moved in. Or at least as good as it needs to look when you move out if you need your rental deposit back.
