How to Really Clean Your Bathtub and Surrounding Area

Keep your tub, tile and grout clean and shining.

Only one thing is wose than a dirty bathtub, a bathtub that's been scrubbed till you drop and it still looks dirty. Stubborn grime and soap scum tends to cling to tubs and surrounds, making them look dingy and unclean despite your best efforts. There are some tricks that help make tub-cleaning efforts more effective.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Sponges, rags and paper towels
• Chlorine bleach or white vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Scouring powder
• Oven cleaner
• Denture tablets
• Ammonia
• Toothbrush
• Baking soda
• Mineral oil
• Glass cleaner
• Hydrogen peroxide

Instructions

1. Turn on your bathroom ventilation fan and open any windows. Put on rubber gloves.

2. Spray oven cleaner on the tiles around your bathtub and let them sit for several hours or even overnight. Rub with a soft rag or use a soft brush, lightly running the bristles over the tiles and grout. Rinse well. A big measuring cup or a watering can work really well but a hand held sprayer is the easiest thing to use if your tub is equipped with one. Dry with a towel.

3. Spray the tiles with a mixture of vinegar and salt to treat mildew. Pour 1 cup salt into a spray bottle and fill it with white vinegar. Let sit at least half an hour and rinse thoroughly. You may need a second application. If that doesn't work you'll have to resort to bleach. Mix 1 cup chlorine bleach with 1 quart water. Spray thoroughly. Let sit 15 minutes. Rinse well and dry. If tile doesn't sparkle, wait a few hours and use glass cleaner and wipe dry.

4. Clean spots on marble tile with glass cleaner or a mild dish liquid and a soft-bristled brush. Use bleach sparingly on any grout by the tub if you have marble tile. It isn't good for marble. Don't use scouring powder on marble, either. You can use ammonia and paper toweling but be sure to wash with mild soap afterward. Do not use ammonia in combination with bleach -- the two together form a toxic gas. One of the keys to keeping marble looking good is to thoroughly dry it after cleaning and in between each use.

5. Clean mildew from the corners and grout with cotton balls or paper towels soaked in bleach for a few hours -- repeat as needed. Stick wet towels to tiles and sit cotton in corners.If tiles have mineral spots, clean with kitchen oven cleaner. Leave on overnight. Rinse thoroughly. Repeat if needed.

6. Clean the soap dish with water and an old toothbrush to remove all traces of soap gunk. Cut a sponge to fit the dish so all your future cleaning requires is running water and a good squeeze or two.

7. Fill a zipper-top plastic bag filled with vinegar. Tie it around the shower head with twist ties so that the vinegar completely covers it. Leave it for one hour or overnight and rinse. If the shower head is covered in gunk that doesn't want to wipe off, you need another tactic. Put a denture tablet in a zipper bag and add water and do the same thing. Wait and rinse by running the shower for several minutes.

8. Mix equal parts of ammonia and water and use with an old toothbrush and your faucets will be shiny and new looking. Use vinegar or bleach solution on a folded paper towel if there is mildew around the edges of your faucets.

9. Tackle the tub last. It can be complicated with several issues. Clean fiberglass tub surrounds and tubs with basking soda and a damp sponge. It can remove spots and mild soap scum (usually not as big a problem on fiberglass as on tile). For a lightly soiled tub, dissolve 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of water and wipe using a damp sponge. It also works on most other lightly soiled bathroom surfaces such as countertops, fixtures and tiles.

10. Mix hydrogen peroxide and cream of tartar into a thick gooey paste as a cleaner for stubborn tub rings. Rub it on lightly with a sponge or a soft bristle brush and let dry. Rinse well and repeat if needed.

11. Saturate a rag with mineral spirits and place it on any old decal or adhesive residue. Keep it on for 15 minutes and then scrape it off with one a credit cards or plastic scraper. Clean the area with scouring powder or with one of the above treatments, depending on your tub's problems.

Tips & Warnings

• For regular cleanings, use a small mop to clean the tub instead of doing it it on your hands and knees.

• If you use a bathtub mat that adheres to the tub, pull it out and let wipe out the tub and let the tub and mat dry before putting it back in.

• Never mix bleach with any kind of ammonia product. The fumes can be deadly. Read the labels of all new cleaning agents to be doubly sure.

• Also use bleach with the best ventilation you can -- open doors and windows and any windows that are close by.

• Don't stay in the room while bleach is being used to soak surfaces. Leave and come back in later.

References

• University of Florida Extension: Keeping It Clean - Cleaning Bathrooms
• North Dakota State University Extension: Cleaning Fiberglass Tubs and Showers