Helpful Bathroom Cleaning Tips

Follow these steps for a cleaner - and more efficiently cleaned - bathroom.

Helpful Hints

Remember to keep an all-purpose cleaner and sponge in your guest bathroom so you can clean up quickly if unexpected company arrives.

Put a squeegee in your shower you can wipe down the area after each shower to prevent mildew.

You can use disinfectant on everything in the bathroom except for the mirror. Don't forget doorknobs and switch plates.

Shower Mats

A stiff brush dipped in kerosene and warm water can clean bath mats.

Easy Cleaning

You can clean after (or during) a steamy shower or bath, as steam helps to loosen dirt, making cleanup much easier.

Sinks

Light stains may be rubbed with a little lemon juice from a cut fresh lemon. Darker stains, including rust, can be rubbed out with a dab of paste made from borax and lemon juice.

Bathroom Rings

To avoid bathtub rings, don't use oily bath soaps. If your water is hard, you need to use a water softener of some type. Always remember to rinse the tub out immediately after you bathe. To get rid of bathtub rings, wear rubber gloves to rub it with undiluted ammonia or a wet sponge sprinkled with baking soda. Then rinse the tub and wipe it dry. Stubborn stains will need to be scoured with dishwashing detergent powder or rubbed with a vinegar-soaked cloth or sponge.

Toilet Bowl

You may clean the toilet bowl by pouring in 1/4 cup of bleach and letting it sit for a while, but do not use bleach if you are already using ammonia or tank-held cleansers. You can also keep your toilet bowl from getting rings by pouring in a half-gallon of white vinegar once a month and letting it soak overnight before you flush. Clogging and odors can be minimized by pouring a cup of baking soda down the bowl every week.

Mildew

Mildew often builds up in the corners of the bathtub. Remove them by putting cotton balls dipped in bleach on mildew spots and letting it sit for a while. Then remove the cotton balls and rinse the tub.

Shower Doors

Soap residue can be removed from glass shower doors with white vinegar. Shower track doors can be cleaned by pouring white vinegar (undiluted) into the track, then letting it soak for a few minutes and rinsing. Acrylic floor finish can be used to shine fiberglass shower doors clean off water spots. Club soda cleans and shines counter tops.

Shower Curtains

Cloth shower curtains may be soaked in a salt-water solution before hanging to prevent its mildewing. If the curtain has mildewed, wash it in hot soapy water, then rub it with lemon juice and put it out to dry in the sun. Plastic curtains may be cleaned by spraying laundry pre-wash spray along the top of the curtain, then letting it run down so it covers the entire curtain. Let the sprayed curtain sit for a few minutes, then rinse.