Ask anyone ‘Which room in your house do you absolutely hate to clean?’ and we bet nine out of ten will revert with ‘The bathroom!’ This is due to the fact that the bathroom cleaning process is tedious and boring. Wondering how to spruce up your bathroom on a budget? While we don’t have any magical solutions for avoiding the chore of bathroom cleaning and maintenance, we at Gharpedia do have some helpful hacks on how to get satisfying results without breaking your back. Follow these simple bathroom cleaning tips and tricks and know the process of how to spruce up a bathroom.
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How to Spruce up a Bathroom
So let’s start with the four universal elements of all bathrooms – toilet, sink, bathtub and showers. Below are bathroom cleaning tips and tricks, one should follow to achieve the perfect bathroom hygiene.
Toilet
According to the World Toilet Organization, the average person uses the toilet 2,500 times each year – that’s about 6 to 8 times a day, and it will probably come as no surprise that women generally take more time as compared to men to use the toilet.
With all that use, it’s no small wonder that the toilet needs cleaning, eh? Here are some hints for cleaning toilet bowl that will have your bowl gleaming as you flush!
Cleaning Toilet Bowl:
Follow below tips for cleaning toilet bowl:
- For basic cleaning just toss two or three tablespoons of baking soda around the bowl, then scrub with a toilet brush and flush.
- If you want to deodorize and disinfect, pour half cup of distilled white vinegar around the bowl, with or without the baking soda. Let it stay for a few minutes and then scrub with a brush and flush.
Bowl Brightener:
Every now and then pour one-litre cola – flat or frizzy, regular or diet – into the bowl. Let it stay there for an hour or so and then flush to see how the porcelain sparkles.
Cleaning Toilet Rings:
- A ring in the toilet is usually because of hard-water build-up. Make a paste of Borax powder (available at supermarkets and drugstores) and a few drops of lemon juice. Wet the bowl by flushing the toilet. Then smear the paste on the ring with a sponge or plastic knife. Let it stay there for a couple of hours. Then scrub with a toilet brush and flush the toilet again.
- Wet a pumice stone (available at drugstores) with a bit of water and then gently rub the toilet ring with the stone. Wetting the stone is important because a dry pumice stone will scratch the porcelain surface.
Bathroom cleaning checklist is incomplete without the below stain removal process.
Removing Basic Stains from the Toilet Bowl:
- Toss a couple of Alka-Seltzer or denture-cleansing tablets into the toilet bowl. Once the fizzing stops, scrub the stains with a brush and flush.
- If you have some Tang fruit juice powder, sprinkle one-third cup of the powder in the bowl. Leave it there for a few hours and then scrub with a brush and flush.
- If the stains are too tough for Tang or denture cleanser, empty a few Vitamin C capsules. You can even crush the Vitamin C tablets into a powder and drop it into the bowl. Let it stay that way for a few hours then scrub with a brush and flush.
Cleaning Toilet Seat:
Bathroom cleaning process is incomplete without cleaning toilet seat. There’s no rocket science involved in cleaning toilet seat! Just spray a mixture of distilled white vinegar (half cup), plain water (half cup) and tea tree oil (15 drops) on both sides of the toilet seat; and then wipe off with a dry cloth. Are you worried about the vinegar odour lingering in your bathroom? Relax it’ll fade off and be replaced with the fresh fragrance of tea tree oil!
Toilet Tank:
The parts inside a toilet tank, including the flush valve and the ballcock are constantly submerged in water and are used many times each day. There’s a lot of wear and tear on these parts and even though they are fairly easy to replace, you want them to do their job properly as long as possible. The following suggestions should help that happen –
Cleaning the Toilet Tank:
- Once a month, before you go to bed, pour half of a one-pound-box of baking soda into the toilet tank. The next morning when you flush the toilet, the tank – and the bowl too should be nice and clean.
- Drop in a couple of denture cleansing tablets, Wait one hour for them to stop fizzing then start cleaning and flush.
Overflow Prevention:
If after you flush, the water is rising higher than it should, quickly turn on the cold water in the sink as well as in the bathtub or shower. The cold water coming through the pipes will cause a vacuum that will suction the water in the toilet down the drain. Commit this tip to memory. It’s a great thing to know, especially when you go to somebody else’s home.
Unclog a Clogged Toilet:
Usually, a plunger is used to unclog a toilet. If you have a minor clog and no plunger, try squirting about two ounces (four tablespoons) liquid dish detergent in the bowl. Give it at least 15 minutes to work its magic and then flush (keep in mind the overflow prevention method given above).
Worms in toilet are danger for your hygiene, follow our tips to get rid of them:
Now after cleaning toilet, let’s move to another component of bathroom cleaning, i.e. bathtub.
Bathtub
So, the next element in our guide to how to spruce up a bathroom is bathtub. Today, it seems as though we’ve come one full circle and whatever the reason for using your bathtub may be, here are ways to make it the best it can be…
Cleaning Bathtub:
The best time for cleaning bathtub is right after someone has taken a shower or bath and the room is warm and humid. Get rid of the grime before it has a chance to cake on. When cleaning bathtub, kneel on a couple of sponges or shoulder pads. Your knees will be glad you did.
Try this for an easy cleanser – sprinkle baking soda around the tub, then wet a washcloth with distilled white vinegar and scrub and rinse.
If you do this once or twice a week, chances are there will be no need to scrub. It will be more like ‘just wipe it down’. Plus it’s great that you are not using harmful chemicals or drain-clogging cleansers. There you go, your bathtub is so clean!
Removing Bathtub Rings:
With prevention being better than cure in order to ascertain that there are no messy rings marring the artistic splendour of your bathtub, abstain from using oily products like bath salts, pearls, gels, bubble baths et al.
In case you still have bathtub rings despite not using such products, then relax. We’ll help you banish them! Simply add half a cup of baking soda to the running water as you fill your bath; release the water after taking your bath…and voila there’ll be no bathtub rings! You’ll end up with the positive side-effect of a softer, smoother and well-conditioned skin, thanks to the baking soda.
Removing Stains From Bathtub:
Stains can take away the sparkly look from your bathroom. Hence it is essential to clean them at the earliest. Here is our handy guide on removing stains from bathtub.
Removing Chlorinated Water Stains:
- Put a few paper towels on the water stains and then pour distilled white vinegar on the towels. Let it stay that way for at least 30 minutes, until the towels are almost dry and the stains are gone.
- If the stains are stubborn and the vinegar alone doesn’t make them disappear, sprinkle baking soda on the stains and wipe them away with the moist paper towels.
Removing Discolorations:
- Cover the discoloured spots with lemon and let it stay there for about 30 minutes. Then sprinkle one tablespoon of baking soda on a wet washcloth and scrub the discoloured spots.
- If you’re still seeing spots, take one tablespoon of cream of tartar and add a few drops of 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide. Make a paste and using an old toothbrush, rub the paste into the discoloured spots. Let it dry and rinse it off clean.
Removing Rust Stains:
- Does the can of shaving cream leave a rust ring in the bathtub or on the sink? Paint the bottom rim with colourless nail polish. Let it dry thoroughly and then give it a second coat.
- Mix one teaspoon of table salt or cream of tartar with one-fourth teaspoon of lemon juice to make a paste. Put the paste on a soft cloth and rub the rust stain away. (Then be sure to paint colourless nail polish on the bottom of the can that caused the rust ring).
These easy stain cleaning tips will help you on how to spruce up your bathroom on a budget.
Cleaning Bathtub Mats:
If you have a rubber or vinyl bathtub mat, throw it in the washing machine with a load of towels. The agitating towels will scrub the mat clean. A word of caution – Never put a rubber or vinyl bath mat in the dryer.
Steps to Remove Non-Slip Bathtub Appliques:
- Put one cup of distilled white vinegar in a pan and heat it up. Once the vinegar is hot, soak a sponge or cloth in it then use tongs to plop it on top of the applique. When it cools to room temperature, take it off … the sponge or cloth and the applique.
- Cover the applique with a piece of aluminium foil. Then zap it with a hair dryer set on hot. The idea is to melt the glue that’s causing the applique to stick. After one or two minutes you should be able to peel it off.
- Dunk a straight-edged razor blade (it may help to use a blade holder) in liquid dish detergent and carefully scrape off the applique. Keep re-dunking as you progress. If some of the applique adhesive remains on the bottom of the tub, use nail polish remover to clean it off.
Cleaning Whirlpool Tubs:
It’s important to prevent soap scum and anything else that might build up and clog the jets of the whirlpool. Once or twice a year pour one gallon of distilled white vinegar into the water and run the whirlpool.
Cleaning bathtub may be overwhelming, so now let`s move on to the handiest issue of bathroom cleaning process, and i.e. sink.
Sink
The next step in bathroom cleaning checklist is cleaning sink. Once considered utilitarian, bathroom sinks are now available in a wide range of colours, materials, shapes and sizes to match any décor. So if you want to wash your troubles down the drain, be sure to choose the right sink for the job!
Fix a Dripping Faucet:
According to Roberts (2008), leaky faucets can waste up to 3000 gallons of water per year. Hence it is necessary to fix a dripping faucet. If you can’t stop the faucet from dripping you might need to replace the washer (a flat, rubber disk that prevents leakage). Any hardware store should have them – be sure to ask a knowledgeable salesperson for instructions.
Until you replace the washer you can at least stop the drip from getting on your nerves. Just place a sponge or washcloth in the sink, directly underneath the faucet.
If you can still hear the drip, drip, drip, then wrap a towel around the faucet and keep it in place with a rubber band or piece of string. Or, just take the string and tie it around the spout – the water will run down the string noiselessly.
If the problem still persists, it is advisable to call a plumber. Bathroom is incomplete without shower! Whether you are enjoying quick hot shower when running late in winters or a cold shower for sweaty summers. Cleaning and maintaining a shower is important. So here is our guide to clean a shower:
Shower
According to Roberts (2008), a 5 minutes shower uses 10 to 25 gallons of water… compared with 70 gallons for the average bathtub. Obviously showering is a good way to get clean and save water. You can save even more water by showering ‘The Navy Way’.
Due to the scarcity of fresh water on ships, sailors are taught to turn on the shower just long enough to get wet. Then they turn off the shower, quickly soap up and scrub and turn the shower on again to rinse off. Fast and efficient!
Whether you ‘Go Navy’ or shower any other way, here are some helpful hints to increase your shower power …
Cleaning the Showerhead:
If you aren’t getting enough shower power, it may be that mineral deposits (hard water build-up) are clogging the showerhead and minimizing the spray. Here are tricks to clean showerheads:
- Do you have a totally metal showerhead that can be safely detached from the pipe and then put back? If so, remove the showerhead and put it in a big pot with half cup of distilled white vinegar and one gallon of water. Boil it for about 15 minutes. Then when the showerhead is cool enough to handle, re-attach it and have a nice spray!
- If the showerhead is not all metal – or if you cannot detach it from the pipe – pour about one cup of distilled white vinegar in a small leak-proof plastic bag. Put the bag over the showerhead and secure it in place with a thick rubber band or piece of string. Let it stay that way overnight. In the morning, remove the bag, scrub the head with an old toothbrush, rinse with clean water and enjoy your power shower.
Cleaning Glass Shower Doors:
- While you’re still in the shower, pour a little shampoo on a washcloth and wash the doors. Rinse them with the shower’s spray. After you’re out of the shower and finish drying yourself, wipe the shower doors dry with your used towel/squeegee.
- That takes care of the inside-the-shower shower doors. Clean the other side – the outside of the shower doors – with one part distilled white vinegar to three parts plain water. Dampen a cloth with the mixture and wipe down the doors, then dry them with a few paper towels or a dry cloth.
- For extremely grimy glass shower doors – either inside or outside – pour some full-strength distilled white vinegar on a washcloth or sponge, and go over the doors with it. Wait for five minutes and then rub a corner of the door with the cloth or sponge. If the grime comes off easily, finish the job. If the scum and film don’t come off, sprinkle a bit of baking soda on the cloth or sponge and scour the doors until they’re clean. Then rinse with plain water and dry with a clean cloth/squeegee.
After cleaning the glass shower doors, it is important to maintain them to avoid further nuisance of cleaning them every now and then.
Maintaining Shower Doors Clean:
Once your glass shower doors are nice and clean, pour a few drops of baby oil on a soft cloth and apply a layer of the oil to the doors. This will keep them free of soap scum, hard water deposits and dirt for weeks at a time.
Cleaning Shower Door Tracks:
Stuff up the drain holes in the door track with wadded-up pieces of paper towel or aluminium foil. Then trickle in distilled white vinegar so that it covers the entire bottom of the track. Let it stay that way for 30 minutes. Then remove the paper or foil plugs and rinse the track with water. Wipe it dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Cleaning a Plastic Shower Curtain:
- Before you hang a brand new curtain, fill the bathtub with a few inches of water and then add two cups of table salt. Put in the new curtain and let it take a saltwater bath for about ten minutes. Shake off the water, dry with a clean cloth and then hang up your mildew-proof curtain.
- If the curtain has been used for a while and it has some mildew or soap scum on it, check if it is machine washable (although most plastic curtains are machine washable nowadays). If so, just toss it in the machine along with two or three towels. Add your regular laundry detergent and one cup of distilled white vinegar. The towels act as buffers against the machine’s agitation and they will scrub the curtain clean. As soon as the curtain is machine-clean it should be mildew-free, soft and pH-able – dry it with a cloth and hang.
- If your curtain is not machine washable, you can clean it with a cloth or sponge dipped in distilled white vinegar.
Replacing Shower Curtain Rings:
The next time you buy plastic shower curtain rings, consider buying two sets instead of just one. That way, if a ring breaks (as plastic rings often do) you will have extra replacement rings handy, and you won’t have to buy and change an entire set of rings.
Important Points to Keep in Mind When Cleaning Bathroom
- When you flush without closing the toilet seat lid, a polluted plum of water vapour and bacteria spews out of the flushing toilet bowl. The polluted water particles waft around the bathroom and eventually land. If there are toothbrushes out in a nearby cup or holder, they will be a landing strip for some of those nasty elements!
- If you suspect that water is leaking from your tank to the bowl, test it by putting a few drops of food colouring in the tank. If after flushing, the water in the bowl turns the colour of the food colouring it’s time to call a plumber to repair the leak.
- Although distilled white vinegar should be safe for all shiny surfaces, check with the manufacturer before you use it – especially if you have a new bathtub that’s made of fibre glass, Plexiglas or any other modern material.
- If the shower curtain doesn’t glide open and close as smoothly as you would like it to, coat the rod with a thin layer of baby oil or petroleum jelly or rub it with a bar of soap.
A few small steps and voila the bathtub, sink, shower and toilet of your bathroom will be in shipshape at any point of time. Hope this how to spruce up a bathroom guide has proved beneficial to you. This guide should answer the popular question of how to clean a bathroom professionally. Besides this bathroom cleaning checklist, we also have a bathroom organization guide:
8 Bathroom Organization Tips You Should Follow
Image Courtesy: Image 12, Image 15
Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.
