Bathroom Cleaning Tips

Mold and Mildew Removal

The first defense against mold and mildew is to prevent it so you never have to go to battle with it in the first place. One way to prevent it is to spray a layer of hydrogen peroxide and water in a 50/50 mix on the walls and don’t forget the ceiling. When spraying the ceiling always make surer you wear goggles.

This mixture acts as a non-toxic bleach and keeps the mold and mildew from depositing. The ceiling is especially important because the steam from the showers stays on the ceiling and is a wonderful warm breeding ground for all of those germs. If you already have some growth, you can spray again in a couple of hours. If the mildew hasn’t disappeared with the second spray, you can spray a third time the next day.

 

If you are getting mildew growth on your shower curtain, one of the best ideas is to cut off the seam along the bottom so the mildew doesn’t have those little crevices to grow in. Cutting off the seam will also make quick cleaning easier. Spraying the shower curtain when you spray the walls is a good idea. When the shower curtain gets dirty, throw it in the wash along with your rags, and wash it in hot water. Toss in a cup of vinegar to get rid of the soap scum.

Cleaning Bathtubs and Commodes

If you battle around the bathtub with your kids, try a citrus cleaner. Not only is it great for grease, but it guts through the grim and grease that kids leave behind. Another way to make cleaning easier is to use a high quality car wax on a very clean bathtub once every six months. The slick surface makes it more difficult for the grease and grim to stick.

 

For those nasty commodes, a cup of bleach is a good, cheap disinfectant to put in the tank. This fun recipe can be fun for everyone and is cost effective considering how much we pay for other cleaners. Weekly should do it, unless it is a highly used bathroom. Be sure you are not using other cleaners that might conflict with the bleach. Also, don’t put bleach in the commode if you have kids or pets that might touch, or even worse, drink the water.

 

One trick for removing the lime ring around the commode is a packet of citrus drink. Use something like Tang ™ Breakfast Drink or lemon/lime Kool Aid ™ unsweetened drink and sprinkle it around the dry commode. Leave it for an hour, the brush it and flush. Be sure you turn off the water and let the commode dry before treating it.

 

Clean Bathroom Tile

No one likes to do it. Cleaning bathroom tile can be tedious work, especially if we are trying to clean those tiny little tiles that looked so cute when we picked them out. Now that they have become mildewed and require hours worth of cleaning, rethinking their design is inevitable.

 

Most people don’t realize that tile grout is not water proof and should be replaced every two to three years depending on how often it is getting wet. Every year we should be sealing the tile to ensure the grout stays as intact as possible. Here are a few tips and hints to keep you clean and mildew free between replacements.

Regular Tile Cleaning

Tile can be cleaned with a variety of things but vinegar, baking soda, salt and lemon juice are the best, least expensive and most effective products to clean with.

Try this mixture to create a paste that will get most any soap scum built up on tile.

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup vinegar

Mix these ingredients together to create a paste and rub them on with a non-abrasive sponge to attack most anything stuck on the tile.

 

If you find that you can’t get in certain corners, try using a Q-tip or even a cotton ball soaked in cleaner. Leave it in the corner several minutes and the goo will come right out.

 

Dip a sponge in lemon juice and wipe down tile surfaces to create a shine, leave the area smelling fresh and leave a touch of citrus to disinfect and discourage mildew. The citrus will also remove body oils and soap scum.

 

In addition to regular tile, you will want to make sure you are maintaining the runners along the shower door very clean as well. If you can’t reach inside the runner with your handy old toothbrush turned scrubber, then use Q-tip dipped in cleaning solution.

 

Another trick is to just pour the vinegar in the runner, wait several minutes and rinse well with water. Usually that will flush out most of the dirt and accumulations.

Cleaning Showerhead

Showerheads: Showerheads need to be cleaned often. If the showerhead becomes clogged, it may be due to hard water or rust deposits. Try removing the shower head it and seeing if there are small deposits in the filter that you can remove. You might be able to remove the deposits by soaking in a vinegar or citrus solutions for half an hour and cleaning. Spraying the solution inside the head may also do the trick.

Remove Soap Scum

Soap scum is difficult to remove. It leaves a white film on the floors and glass shower doors. If it is possible to change to liquid soaps, it is a better alternative. Talc in soap is responsible for build up of soap scum and the talc adds only volume to soap without adding any value to it. Changing the soap will reduce the frequency of removing soap scum.

Cleaning Shower Curtains

Shower curtains become greasy with oils from soaps. Dirt spots also are deposited on the curtains. Removal becomes a tricky business. The mildew may form on the curtain. Soak the curtains in salt water or rubbing with lemon juice before washing them in the washing machine. The plastic curtains may be washed with commercial plastic sprays easily.

 

So. contact us, and start the process of your home being what it should be; CLEANED.

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