Oh, those annoying showers. You need to use them every day, but they seem impossible to keep clean. It takes plenty of elbow grease and when you put it off it is even harder to tackle the dirt. Showers are prone to all kinds of buildup from soap scum to mildew and grime to scary mould. If you feel you are losing the endless battle to keep your shower sparkling clean here are nine cleaning tips to help.
1. Understand what you’re up against
Sometimes it helps to understand why your shower gets so dirty. Although you might think the soap and shampoo you use to clean your hair and body wouldn’t be the cause of your shower dirt woes, they are the very thing that starts it all. Along with your dead skin cells and body oil, all of these things work together to create the perfect storm of very unsightly, not to mention unhealthy, buildup. You also might be contending with minerals found in water which leave that grey film around the tub or on your shower stall tiles. All of these things require regular cleaning to keep your shower from becoming a host for germs and bacteria.
2. Use a squeegee
The best way to avoid having to scrub down your shower is to take a more proactive approach to keeping it clean. Your goal is to remove as much of the daily soap scum that can build up over time. The easiest way to do this? Buy a small shower squeegee. After each shower use the squeegee on the walls and shower door to wipe everything off. You can then give the squeegee a quick rinse and you’ll find your cleaning time is reduced from weekly to monthly.
Because the steam of the shower and the soap and water on the walls and door are easy to wipe down, you don’t even need a cleaner. If you have a tub, make sure you drag the squeegee down to the rim and pull it across the surface.
3. Create your own DIY spray
If you aren’t so keen on the squeegee idea or want to enhance the effectiveness of the squeegee wipe-down idea, keep a spray bottle of your own DIY eco-friendly cleaner in the shower. After each shower, do a quick spritz of the walls, shower curtain or door and it will help keep the scum buildup to a minimum.
Vinegar and water are a good choice for glass or lemon for tile, not to mention a nicer smell. It takes a cup of water, ½ cup of lemon juice or vinegar and a dash of dishwashing liquid. You can even add some drops of your favourite essential oil for a clean, relaxing scent when you shower.
4. Improve air ventilation
Luckily, condos require fans in the bathroom. If, for some reason you don’t have one (maybe you live in an older building) leave the door to the bathroom open, if you can, so you reduce moisture that can contribute to mildew and mould growth. If you have a bathroom window you can crack it open as well. Keep your fan running for at least 30 minutes or keep your door or window open until the moisture has had time to dissipate.
5. Wash glass shower stalls with vinegar
If you have a glass shower stall or door, vinegar is an excellent cleaner for soap scum – and also kills bacteria. As above, you can use it on the glass surfaces for major cleans instead of after each shower. Spray it on, let it sit on the glass for about five minutes and then wipe the walls down with a soft cloth. You’ll see a real sparkle to your glass using this method.
6. Use dryer sheets
If you find your shower door or glass walls always seem to have water drop marks, a good solution is to wipe down dry walls with a dryer sheet. Collect the dryer sheets you use in your laundry loads and reuse them to clean the doors. Just use them as you would any cleaning cloth. It does take a bit of elbow grease sometimes, so you might find you prefer using a window cleaner and cloth instead.
7. Attack the real dirt now
We understand how easy it is to get too busy to clean. However, this becomes a habit and the next thing you know you are cringing from the ick factor of facing that dirty shower every day.
The best thing to do is tackle the real dirt now because it can only get worse. This calls for a cleaning product made for bathrooms with the cleaning power to remove that buildup. You can try a scrub-free brand but chances are with the real dirt buildup, this won’t cut it. Remember: Procrastination is the number one enemy of clean bathrooms.
8. Use scrub-free products
Another good proactive approach is to use a scrub-free product on your shower every few days. This allows you to spritz it in the shower and let it work until your next shower. Make sure no one will be using the shower right after you though, or it will be rinsed off before it can do its job.
9. Trusty toothbrush
Save your old toothbrushes to tackle those corners where soap scum tends to build up. When you are doing your more thorough monthly scrub-down, this will help make short work of the debris that lurks along the tub line and in the corners. It also is the ideal tool to get in between the grooves of your shower door.
Using these tips will help you keep your shower clean and make it easier to complete those monthly, major deep cleans.
If you want to find out more about shower cleaning, call Maid4Condos at 647-822-0601 or contact us here.
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