Whether you have designed your own bathroom or it came with the house, they all eventually get a bit tired looking despite regular cleaning. However, using some clever cleaning hacks can alleviate even the most annoying of common bathroom blemishes.
Highgrove Bathrooms compiled a list of quick and easy bathroom cleaning hacks that will keep your bathroom looking great without costing the world or harming the environment.
Vanity & basin
Here are three ways to keep them looking great:
Use a mix of vinegar and dishwashing liquid, either mixed in a bowl or mixed in a spray bottle, with a soft sponge. You will be amazed at the cleanliness and shine. Use a soft head sponge dishwashing brush for harder-to-clean stains such as dried toothpaste, bottle rings, and such.
Use a fresh cut lemon or lime on the drain and tap if the chrome starts to look blemished or tired, it works just as well as a chemical cleaner and is way better for the environment. These hacks work just as well on the basin as on the vanity top, even if they are stone, tile or masonry. And you won’t damage any finishes like harsh chemicals can.
The shower
Definitely, one of the more demanding places to clean and also rather visually obvious when the screens start looking milky and blind, the tiles flat, and the showerhead chalked up. And, sadly, it doesn’t take too long to happen.
For the shower head, simply fill a small plastic bag half with white vinegar and half a cup of baking soda, slip it over the shower head, and secure it with a rubber band or cable tie so it is submerged. Leave overnight and rinse the next day. All those chalk marks and blemishes, even from inside the head, will flush right out and away.
For the shower screen, either use a sponge dishwashing brush with dish soap and run over the tiles and glass screens, or use a strong vinegar and dish soap solution on a soft scourer sponge and do the old wax-on-wax-off motion. You’ll be surprised by the shine, and your karate moves!
For rather hardy stains on the shower screen, the experts at Highgrove were undecided about which is the better, but both work amazingly. Either fresh-cut lemon or lime and swirl and scrub away, or leave it to soak first. Then rinse well.
Or… get the trusted can of WD-40 from the garage or car boot and be blown away by how easily soap scum and water stains disappear with just a spray and a light scrub.
And, to give your shower screen a lasting shine and to repel water, get a dishwasher tablet (please wear gloves for this one) and apply it straight to the screen. Alternatively, wipe it over with a generous helping of Finish dishwasher dry rinse on a wet sponge. Both will give your clean shower screens that new look, and water will literally just pearl off.
To maintain it for longer, it’s best to squeegee after each shower which stops those water marks from setting in too quickly.
The toilet
Well, absolutely not the favourite spot to clean for most, but often the one we judge ourselves most on, or are judged on. The age old vinegar and baking soda soak trick does amazingly here too. For more difficult stains, use either a can of Coke or a generous squirt of tomato sauce. Then give it a good scrub with either the brush or a (designated) scouring sponge. Then let it soak for a bit and rinse well.
Again, as unconventional as they may seem, they do really work.
And, if a subtle pee smell develops in your loo, try a pet odour spray with enzymes. These love to feed on any spillage that may have been caught in the grout around the porcelain throne. It may take a few applications and let sit, but it can really change the scent in the toilet and bathroom. As for the toilet brush, soaking it from time to time in the vinegar/baking soda mix is beneficial, then flushing it thoroughly. And adding a splash of vinegar or bleach to the bottom of the brush holder stops odours, but you probably knew that one already.
The tiles
One school of thought says to use multi-purpose or kitchen spray, the other swears by water, vinegar, and a couple of big drops of dish soap. Apply by sponge or spray bottle and go for it. If you like the bouquet of eucalyptus, add a couple of drops of water-soluble eucalyptus oil to the mix. It cuts through any smell, disinfects surfaces wherever you spray it, adds a fresh and clean scent, plus it cloaks the distinct vinegar scent. You can also add it to the earlier suggested blends above.
The mirror
A bowl of hot water with a splash of methylated spirits and newspaper to dry it off with will cut through water splash marks, toothpaste sprinkles and oily fingerprints in a breeze. And, it doesn’t cost the world, nor is it too harsh on the mirror surface. Plus, it leaves a streak-free shine, second to none. All these hacks are proven and tested, cost very little, and are gentle on the environment.
Staff tip
If your hardware is starting to look rather tired and stained, even just replacing taps, the shower head and accessories can give your bathroom a clean, fresh, and new look. While it is not necessarily a cleaning tip per se, it’s a cost-effective way to give your bathroom or ensuite a spruce-up. And adding some new colours in towels, accessories plus a nice plant and decorative items, you’ll be surprised how easy it can be to create a new look and feel.
Obviously, when you are planning a full bathroom design or renovation, thinking beyond the trendy look to consider the ease of cleaning will pay off. Think about avoiding hard-to-get-to places and tight spaces behind above-surface basins, free-standing bathtubs, and such.
