5 Easy Bathroom Cleaning Hacks to Remove Mildew, Stop Soap Scum, and More
Pesky soap scum, clogs, and other muck can be tricky to remove from your bathroom. Luckily, these five easy hacks will allow you to spend less time scrubbing and make cleaning your bathroom a breeze from now on!
Mildew-proof showers with a citrus spritz.
To halt mildew from forming, follow the advice of Natalie Wise, author of The Modern Organic Home (Buy from Amazon, $13.39). Soak the rinds of two to three oranges in one quart of white vinegar; remove rinds after two hours and add the liquid to a 32 ounce spray bottle. Spritz walls after every shower. The vinegar breaks down mildew, while citrus oils destroy bacteria and germs.
Stop soap scum with this soap.
The simple step that eliminates soap scum buildup? “Using a glycerin-based bodycleansing soap,” says Paul Abrams, cleaning expert for Roto-Rooter. “Paraffin forms the base for most soaps, which is what leaves that waxy residue on shower walls.” But glycerin-based soaps are water-soluble (able to be dissolved in water), unlike their paraffin counterparts. One option to try: Neutrogena Glycerin Facial Cleansing Bar (Buy from Walmart, $2.74).
Prevent toilet rings with denture tablets.
“The same way they kill germs and remove stains on dentures, the tablets fizz away bacteria and grime in your toilet,” says Greg Shepard, founder of Dallas Maids home cleaning. “Drop a few in the toilet at night, flush in the morning and voilá!” Repeat weekly to keep new rings from forming.
Sidestep drain gunk with dryer sheets.
Stray hairs that come loose while shampooing can mix with soap scum to form yucky buildup in drains or on hair stoppers. To prevent it, lay a used dryer sheet over the drain, says Leanne Stapf, COO of The Cleaning Authority cleaning company. “The sheet forms a seal that catches hair and soap while letting water through.” Just toss out the sheet when you step out of the shower!
Keep a shower liner clear with a salty soak.
To nix gunk on a plastic shower liner and keep it clean: Fill tub with one inch of hot water and 1⁄2 cup of salt, then add the liner and 1⁄4 cup of white vinegar, says Jacob Martinez, founder of SwiftClean. Let it soak for five minutes, then rinse and hang. Salt and vinegar create a chemical reaction that lifts soap scum, hard water and mildew. Plus, it forms a seal to prevent future buildup.
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