Bathrooms are the most frustrating room in the house to clean. First of all they are hard to clean when you are dealing with not only germs, but hard water, soap scum and product residue on hard surfaces and, in some cases, mold. What makes it worse is that just as you step back with a huge sigh of accomplishment, someone uses the bathroom and it’s already getting dirty again!
With some simple solutions and tools you can make cleaning the bathroom easier and also safer when you aren’t using lots of harsh chemicals.
Let me break it down by problem and solution:
First let’s talk about what to do if you have mold on caulking, grout, shower curtains, etc. There is a natural way to remove it
• Take a spray bottle that holds at least 2 cups and label MOLD REMOVER. Combine 2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of Tea Tree Oil. Find Tea Tree in drug stores and health food stores. When you see mold, spray it heavily with the solution and then walk away. The next day, combine some baking soda and a few sprays of the solution to make a paste. Apply to mold and scrub with a brush. Every time you notice mold spray it and soon you will only need to spray and not scrub. Tea Tree Oil has a pungent clean odor and the fumes are not dangerous.
• If you have just a small area of mold buy one of the bleach pens in the laundry aisle. Dab it on the mold multiple times until it disappears. Don’t get the bleach on towels or fabric or it will remove color.
Disinfecting in the bathroom is another “must do”. Here’s a simple and safe disinfectant for hard surfaces. Don’t forget to spray some on a cloth or paper towel and wipe down door knobs and light switches that are great places for germs to hide.
• In a spray bottle that holds at least 3 cups combine the following: 2 cups water, ¼ cup white vinegar, ¼ teaspoon Tea Tree Oil and ¼ teaspoon fragrance oil (optional). Shake well and spray on surface. Let sit 5 minutes and then rinse and wipe dry.
For those shower doors, walls, floors and faucets that are covered in soap scum and mineral deposits this will be your favorite cleaner because it makes it easy.
• In a spray bottle that holds 2 cups combine: 1 cup of heated white vinegar (should be hot but not boiling) and 1 cup of Dawn Original Dish Soap or Dawn Ultra. These are concentrated forms of Dawn so you must use them. Tip the spray bottle back and forth to combine. Spray heavily on the walls, doors, etc. skipping the floor for now. Let sit 15 to 30 minutes and then scrub with a brush or scrubbing sponge. Rinse well with cold water. Cold water eliminates foaming. Repeat if needed. Do the floor last using the same procedure.
One question I am always asked is about styling product residue. That’s the hair spray or gel that won’t come off the counter or the wall. Here’s a simple formula to conquer it.
• In a spray bottle that holds 1 to 2 cups of liquid, combine: 1/3 warm water and 2/3 liquid fabric softener. Spray the area, let sit and then use a scrubbing sponge to remove the residue. Rinse and dry.
Mirror and chrome can be a challenge too.
This is another formula that you can keep in the cupboard.
• 2 cups water, ½ teaspoon Dr Bonner’s Castile Soap (drug store), 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. Shake this and spray on chrome. Let sit a few minutes and rinse and buff. For mirrors, never spray the mirror, this can remove the silvering and cause a smoky look. Instead, spray the cloth, clean the mirror and buff to a great shine.
Got a toilet bowl that needs cleaning? The first thing to remember is to close the toilet bowl lid before you flush. This will keep microscopic toilet bowl water from spraying out. Make sure when you are cleaning the toilet that you clean the top surface of the seat as well as the underside and wipe down the front of the toilet with the disinfecting cleaner. This is a great formula to clean and disinfect the toilet bowl.
• Flush the toilet and then dump in about ½ cup of baking soda, 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil and ¼ cup of white vinegar. Swish well getting it up under the rim and let it sit for about 20 minutes to overnight. Swish well again and flush.
These formulas are safe for use around children, inexpensive to make and work really well. I always urge people to label the bottles carefully for safety.
I think it makes most people feel better to know that the average work desk contains many more forms of bacteria than the entire bathroom including the toilet.
My morning routine includes keeping a microfiber cloth handy and quickly wiping down the counter, sink and faucets every morning before I leave the room. It’s one of the most used rooms in the house and this quick attention will keep bigger, messier problems from developing.
5 MOST DIFFICULT AREAS TO CLEAN IN YOUR HOME
It goes without saying that one is the BATHROOM! If is frustrating because as soon as you clean it, it is dirty again. Doing it easily makes it more bearable. Most frustrating area is the shower. Here is a never-fail homemade solution that works.
• In a two cup measuring cup heat one cup of white vinegar in the microwave. Heat until it is nice and hot but not boiling. Add this to one cup of Dawn Original Dish Washing Liquid or Dawn Ultra. (It must be one of these two because they are concentrated) Stir and carefully pour into a two cup or larger spray bottle. Spray on the tub and shower walls and floor. Let sit for 15 – 20 minutes and then work it in with a gentle scrubbing sponge. Rinse well, paying special attention to the floor of the shower. It will remove soap scum, oily dirt and even that ring around the tub. NOTE: if you have to stand in the shower or tub to do the walls, wait to spray the bottom of the tub/shower until you are done so you don’t slip.
COOKTOP:
So hard to clean that you hate to cook on it and especially you hate to cook anything that will spatter. There is an easy way to clean it. Most people complain that it never looks good after the first time you cook on it. Knowing how to clean it can remove that frustration and make it easy.
• Buy Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser at the grocery, home store or big box store. It is a mild pumice cleanser that will not scratch. Always wet the cooktop surface before applying the cleanser. Work in with a mild scrubbing sponge (not a harsh pad that will scratch). Use a safety straight edge razor to gently scrape up any burned on food. Wipe off with paper towels, rinse well and buff. I love this because it works on burned on food, pasta water that has boiled over and even grease from frying or browning meat. Follow the directions on the can.
STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES:
So beautiful, so frustrating! No matter what you do they seem to streak and look awful. I hated my original ones so much that I got rid of them and bought black appliances. Now I have stainless steel again because I have found a product that never fails.
• The solution is CLR Stainless Steel Cleaner. A simple spray, wipe and polish is all it takes. They resist smudging and look great. Google for a store location near you.
TOILET RING:
Most people have it. That awful ring in the toilet that is brownish, black or sometimes blue. People try all kinds of toilet bowl cleaners to remove it. A special toilet bowl cleaner won’t work.
• Shut the water off at the toilet tank. Flush the toilet. Most of the water will leave the bowl. Sprinkle in Twenty Mule Team Borax or Bar Keepers Friend. Take a piece of FINE drywall sandpaper and rub the ring. It will be gone in seconds! Turn the water back on at the tank and flush. It’s that easy. NEVER use this sandpaper on any other surface. It will scratch. A great cleaner for normal cleaning is a teaspoon or two of orange flavored breakfast drink. Drop in, let sit 20 minutes or so or even overnight and then swish and flush. Great because it is natural and the worst thing that can happen if the dog drinks out of the toilet is orange lips.
WOOD FURNITURE:
Please have used spray polish and multi-surface polish for so long and they don’t realize that it dries out and builds up on the surface of wood furniture. Furniture starts to look dull and smeary. The answer to it is to wash the furniture with warm soap (liquid dish soap) and water, rinse and dry very thoroughly. Stop using sprays! Make a natural polish that will protect and condition and provide that shine everyone is looking for.
• Combine 1 cup of olive oil and ¼ cup of white vinegar in a jar with a lid. Shake prior to each use. Apply sparingly with a soft cloth – an old washcloth works well. Buff to a brilliant shine. In between uses, dust with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. Apply the polish no more than one time per month.
My research has shown that the bathroom is the #1 room that people hate to clean, closely followed by the kitchen. I think part of the frustration is that they don’t stay clean for sometimes more than minutes. I do think that probably the bathroom and kitchen provide the most challenges. They both contain dirt that is not easily wiped away and require in depth cleaning that takes extra time to do.
There probably is no way to make cleaning fun. But involving the entire family will help. I love the idea of setting the kitchen timer for an hour or so and then assigning tasks to everyone to get done. You clean until the timer goes off. Even if you’re not done be sure to stop. Next time set the timer for a little longer. As long as everyone knows that there is a set time that they need to help out, most kids are even willing to do it. It instills good cleaning skills in kids and a sense of responsibility. Many who have tried this find that their family has become more diligent about picking up and keeping things clean. Sometimes it is up the grandparents to give the kids this sense of responsibility and teach some of the tricks of cleaning. Let’s face it cleaning is something that has to get done even if you live in a dorm. The longer you let it go the worse it is in the end.
