Many people spend tens of thousands of dollars on remodeling their bathroom each year. While this is often necessary if the home is in a state of disrepair or doesn’t have the necessary features homeowners require, oftentimes a whole renovation could have been avoided if time was spent on thoroughly cleaning up the bathroom first.
Of course, when it comes to the various tasks involved in cleaning a house, many people list working on the bathroom as their most hated and put it off as long as possible. However, while you might not ever love doing it, if you need to save money or just want the satisfaction of a job well-done, committing to tackling this project can pay dividends. To get your bathroom looking its best and ensure it’s fresh smelling and scoured of as many nasties as possible, read on for some cleaning tips you can follow.
Cleaning the Shower and Bathtub
No bathroom makeover is complete without spending time on the shower and bathtub. These typically become the dirtiest parts of a bathroom because they’re used each day, with soap scum, shampoo and conditioner, bath oils and other things attaching to surfaces. If you don’t clean regularly, either, these deposits will have time to harden.
Another big issue in the wettest areas of bathrooms, such as showers and tubs, is mold. This particularly gets into the rims of bathtubs, in the corners of showers, and along faucets and other fixtures. To combat this common problem, spray your shower and bathtub with a mold-fighting cleaner. Leave this product to soak in for a while, so built-up residue has longer to dissolve, making removal easier.
Your cleaning toolkit should include a decently abrasive scrubbing pad. This will help to lift the grease and grime. Plus, an old toothbrush comes in handy when you need to get into tight spaces. Make sure you rinse your bathtub and shower to finish off the job. A detachable showerhead can be very useful for doing this quickly.
If you find the mold still hasn’t lifted, it might be time to call in an expert in its removal. For example, companies such as Service Master Restore specialize in this task and have specially designed products on hand that work more effectively than standard, everyday cleaners.
Cleaning Walls and Floors
Many bathroom walls and floors look old and dirty because they simply need a good clean. Make them shine by spraying the surfaces with an all-purpose, non-abrasive cleaner. Then, turn on your shower, setting the water temperature to as hot as possible. Close the door and wait for a few minutes.
Once plenty of steam has been created, turn off the shower, leave the room and keep the bathroom door shut for around 20 minutes. This timeframe should be long enough for the steam to interact with the cleaning product you sprayed on the walls and floors. After the wait time has elapsed, re-enter the bathroom and wipe down each surface with a clean cloth. This will get your tiles looking backing to their best.
If you have painted walls, these and your ceiling may also be looking rather grubby. To clean painted surfaces, start by wiping them over with a damp cloth to take off any surface-level dirt and water-based stains. If there are oil-based stains leaving their mark, (these might come from cosmetics and skincare, for instance) you should have success by wiping down the areas with a sponge dipped in diluted dishwashing liquid. Alternatively, sugar soap is another option.
Cleaning Grout
Of course, the grout in between tiles also often gets dirty-looking. To fix this, use a specialized grout brush in combination with a bleach cleaner. Scrub at the soap scum, bacteria and the like that builds up over time with these cleaning tools.
Another way to go about this task is to make your own cleaning paste. Baking soda combined with water is usually an effective choice. After you’re done scrubbing, spritz the tiled areas with white vinegar that has been watered down. Once this froths up, brush away the build-up. Complete the job with a clean water rinse to get rid of all cleaning product residue.
You can also take some of the hard work out of cleaning grout by sealing it twice per year with a specially formulated grout sealing product. This is helpful because it helps to stop grime, moisture and bacteria from getting into the areas between your tiles.
