Cleaning the Shower - Poll to Follow!

[Mrs_JWM]

I like a clean and shiny bathroom, so I use a daily shower spray. I'm trying to make one that's cheaper, though, since I feel like I spray a lot of it.

 

If you're interested, these are the recipes I'm trying:

 

http://www.frugalupstate.com/crafts-diy/readers-question-homemade-shower-spray-recipe/

 

#1 was great, didn't bother with #2, and #3 is meh. I'm probably going back to #1.

 

If I use a daily spray, why do I feel like I have to scrub the tiles, though? Do those of you who also use a daily spray just scrub out the tub each week - or on some other regular basis?

 

I'm going to make a poll - it's my first!

Edited October 14, 2012 by Mrs_JWM

[LibraryLover]

In one of my bathrooms, I have an old fiberglass shower/tub thing that is one piece. I detest it. It is so difficult to clean. My old home had gorgeous ceramic tubs. So easy to clean. A little Bon Ami, and it was all over.

 

This horrible thing is why the devil made Scrubbing Bubbles. With it, it sparkles, without it, yuck.

 

If there was a better way, besides replacing it, I want to know.

 

As it is, I make sure I open the window in the bathroom (even in winter), close the door, and basically do this before we leave the house. ;)

Edited October 14, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Ghee]

LOL Library Lover! See, for me, I prefer the one piece fiberglass to dealing with tile grout :tongue_smilie: All those nooks and crannies, blech.

[Carrie12345]

Other. :)

 

I have smooth, one-piece showers. Remove shower head and spray down any soap and shampoo. Every week or two, I swipe them with Magic Erasers to pick up mineral residue, and it takes 5 minutes.

[PrincessMommy]

:lurk5: I also hate cleaning tile ,but that's what I got.

[Mrs_JWM]

I have a great recipe that I found at One Good Thing by Jillee, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it for cleaning fiberglass that's gunky:

 

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/tub-and-shower-soap-scum-buster.html

 

I used it in our utility sink because our washer drains into it and it gets so nasty with detergent and lint scum. We also have hard water. I sprayed it on and left it overnight; I did scrub it in the morning, but it was really quick, and then rinsed all the grossness away!

[Mommy22alyns]

I basically use the Scrubbing Bubbles spray foam. Makes the cleaning SO much easier! We don't have tile though.

[Unicorn.]

I think you would have better luck w/ number two! Number 2 doesn't have the soap and stuff that will leave build up, and would, I think, over time, leave a cleaner shower.

[justLisa]

I keep a tiny squeeze bottle (like a travel size) of Softscrub in the shower. After I am done soaping up I rinse my washcloth, squeeze a bit on to it and scrub the shower with it. I do this a couple times a week along with squeegeeing the glass door

[Plink]

I didn't check all of the previous links, but I thought you might like this one that I stumbled into thanks to pintrest. http://www.joyfulhomemaking.com/2012/08/simple-shower-and-tub-cleaner.html

[Soror]

Listening along here, dh used some stuff from the dollar tree when we had company coming and it really took care of the soap scum. I would however like something that is more green and still works. I'm going to try the Dawn and vinegar recipes. I have hard water and build-up and soap scum are my nemesis in his shower!

[Parrothead]

I use scrubbing bubbles whenever the shower gets too gross. That happens on a regular basis but not every couple of days or anything. :D

[Laura Corin]

..... clean it all on an irregular basis? I clean the tub when I wash the dog (about every six weeks). The showers I clean when they look grotty.

 

The rest of the bathroom (toilet, basin, floor around toilet) I clean weekly.

 

Laura

[MindyD]

I spray ours with an orange oil infused vinegar spray (thanks pinterest!) after the last shower of the morning. I've noticed a big difference since we started using it. I don't do a deep clean every week, but I did try the dawn and vinegar cleanser a couple of weeks ago and it worked as well as anything else. The Magic Eraser is still the best for getting the residue off the walls and tub IMO.

[Miss Tick]

Our last house had a LOT of iron in the water (even after softening) so we started squeegeeing the fiberglass surround and the vinyl curtain once a day. Made a lot of difference. We still do it in our new house with ceramic tiles and glass door. I'm wondering if a daily spray would make for less grout cleaning, so I'm off to check out your recipes!

[Katy]

I LOVE the dawn-hot vinegar combo, but you don't need a scrubber. Just put it in a spray bottle, spray to saturate the walls & tub, and walk away for at least 20 minutes. Then wipe in out with an old bath towel (no water!!!). So simple, works much better and easier than scrubbing, and leaves a fine film of detergent that keeps it clean for almost a week.

 

We do have one shower with natural stone tile that this wouldn't work on though - the acid would damage the surface of the tile over time.

[I.Dup.]

I actually have a cleaning lady here right now for the first time in years, just to do the bathrooms (mainly, showers). I keep meaning to give my shower a good scrub down but it just wasn't happening. I also have not found ANYTHING that gets rid of the soap scum. It just gets all gummy and spreads around no matter what I try to use. I plan on asking the cleaning lady what she uses.

[melbotoast]

..... clean it all on an irregular basis? I clean the tub when I wash the dog (about every six weeks). The showers I clean when they look grotty.

 

The rest of the bathroom (toilet, basin, floor around toilet) I clean weekly.

 

Laura

 

:iagree: I hate cleaning showers.

[EKS]

..... clean it all on an irregular basis?

 

:iagree:

[NittanyJen]

In one of my bathrooms, I have an old fiberglass shower/tub thing that is one piece. I detest it. It is so difficult to clean. My old home had gorgeous ceramic tubs. So easy to clean. A little Bon Ami, and it was all over.

 

 

I have never seen "grout" (implied with anything ceramic) and "easy to clean" used in a sentence together without hilarious laughter involved. Grout sealer has always been a joke. If it has nooks and crannies in a bathroom, there is NOTHING easy to clean about it!

 

I have a 20+ year old fiberglass shower, and yes, the three-layer aluminum track door is something I cannot wait to replace but the fiberglass itself-- nice smooth surface, no cracks or sharp nooks and crannies, is easy-peasy to clean. I have a green pad on a telescoping handle, a bottle of Soft Scrub, and a big plastic cup for rinse water (we have a fixed shower head). After my shower, on a periodic basis, I just squirt some Soft Scrub onto the green pad on the telescoping pole (no reaching up, no bending over) and the pole provides the leverage for scrubbing power across the surface of the pad-- I don't have to push very hard at all. I can scrub the insides of the glass doors and the other three walls of the shower, floor to ceiling in about three minutes flat. Use the cup to rinse clean (always start at the top, then re-rinse at waist level again so you don't get any residue). Then step out of shower, scrub the floor, and rinse again and done. Whole process takes maybe five to six minutes, no reaching, no bending, no sore shoulders, even for somebody like me with spinal cord issues, squeaky clean shower-- you can run your fingers over it and no grit.

 

We did try the daily spray thing-- it smelled really bad and chemical-ish, and didn't help very much. Squeegee-ing the shower after showering does help keep it a bit cleaner longer and only takes seconds.

[Kathryn]

It gets cleaned whenever it looks dirty. I don't waste my time cleaning things that don't need cleaning.

[catz]

Is anyone using these home made techniques in a grouted tub/shower?

 

We are having 2 bathroom remodels done right now (only one has a shower/bath). Our grout WILL be cement grey, so we will not have the burden and issue of trying to maintain white grout. But I think we're going to have to re-evaluate our lax shower cleaning routines when our bathrooms finish up in a few weeks here!

[HappyCrazyMama]

It gets cleaned whenever it looks dirty. I don't waste my time cleaning things that don't need cleaning.

:iagree: I picked other, I wouldn't call anything I do regarding shower cleaning regular.;) I will add though that we do live in an extremely dry area and have no issues with mold whatsoever, never ever.:D

[MyLittleWonders]

I voted other. I rinse down the shower every couple days, and when it needs it, I scrub it down with baking soda. Works great. The boys wipe their bathtub with a baby wipe and/or wet washcloth a couple times a week (most months of the year they play outdoors barefoot and use the bathtub to wash their feet), and we'll scrub it with baking soda once every few weeks (or they'll use the clorox toilet wand on the bathtub). I agree with a pp; I clean it when it looks like it needs it. It's not very humid here (usually pretty dry) and we don't tend to have much trouble with mold/mildew, and we have tiled showers/tubs.

[Pegasus]

I picked other, I wouldn't call anything I do regarding shower cleaning regular.

 

:iagree: Nothing "regular" happening here. When it does get cleaned, it is usually with scrubbing bubbles (DH) or magic eraser (me or DD). So glad to have old fashioned shower curtains instead of a door on tracks to clean. When the liner gets too yucky, it is tossed and replaced.

[SwallowTail]

My shower is natural stone, so I can't use those daily sprays on it. we use a squeegee after every shower on the walls, glass door, and floors to get all the water out. Of course I clean/scrub it routinely with appropriate cleaner for the materials.

[Mrs_JWM]

Is anyone using these home made techniques in a grouted tub/shower?

 

Our shower is grouted tile with an enameled tub. Our grout is white, but I don't do anything special besides scrub the tiles and it all stays white. I do use Comet with bleach when I scrub, though, so that probably helps. Our bathroom was remodeled 20 years ago, and that's probably when the tile was done.

 

We get some mildew on the shower curtain, but I bought a heavy-duty one a few years ago, and I wash it in the washing machine with hot water and bleach every six months or so and it stays nice enough.

[Jpoy85]

I use Ajax and a sponge every week to every other week.

[dbmamaz]

our grout is 25 years old and I cannot get the mold stains off, and the tub is 25 years old but was painted at some point, and that is peeling off. No matter what I do the bathroom looks gross. Dh is really uptight about money and does not want to talk about getting it replaced. I got a quote from my plumber for replacing just the tub, but I would still need to find a grout guy to replace ALL the grout, and remove 2 rows of tiles first and put them back in after the tub replacement. I REALLY want an all-in-one plexiglass tub/shower surround, but everyone i talks to says that if you have tile, you have to stick with tile . .which is why i havent pushed harder.

 

oh, and the kids bathroom is even worse, since they dont put as much effort in keeping the grout grey rather than black . . . :eek:

 

When we first moved in, i used the arm&hammer daily spray, and wiped w a rag occasionally, and that worked well, but then every so often I would just totally forget and it would be months before i noticed.

[walkermamaof4]

I did it! Yesterday I got a spray bottle, heated 1/2 c vinegar and poured it in, added 1/2 cup blue dawn, and went to town on my shower and tub. I bet they make spray bottles that spray more easily than mine. It took me a long time to spray the whole shower and tub with mine. Then I forgot about it. I didn't remember for hours. I took a big OXO brush and scrubbed it and it was super clean. My only problem was that the Dawn was ultra-concentrated and I should have used way less. So it was extremely hard to wash away the suds. I used a rag and managed. I wish our tub and shower had spray heads on hoses. That would make cleaning easier. Anyway, I think if I do this weekly I'll keep it sparkling. Or maybe I could spray vinegar after use and do this much less frequently.

[swimmermom3]

I did it! Yesterday I got a spray bottle, heated 1/2 c vinegar and poured it in, added 1/2 cup blue dawn, and went to town on my shower and tub. I bet they make spray bottles that spray more easily than mine. It took me a long time to spray the whole shower and tub with mine. Then I forgot about it. I didn't remember for hours. I took a big OXO brush and scrubbed it and it was super clean. My only problem was that the Dawn was ultra-concentrated and I should have used way less. So it was extremely hard to wash away the suds. I used a rag and managed. I wish our tub and shower had spray heads on hoses. That would make cleaning easier. Anyway, I think if I do this weekly I'll keep it sparkling. Or maybe I could spray vinegar after use and do this much less frequently.

 

Get your spray bottles at a janitorial supply store. They last for years and years and end up being more cost-effective than the grocery store ones.

 

I am still not understanding how Dawn and vinegar together work chemically. I thought vinegar was supposed to cut soap scum, but yet you are mixing it with soap? Years ago, I used that type of solution to spot-clean carpets until the carpet guy told me I was defeating the purpose of the vinegar. He said to use the soap first, then the vinegar.

[JoLuRu]

I have a great recipe that I found at One Good Thing by Jillee, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it for cleaning fiberglass that's gunky:

 

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/tub-and-shower-soap-scum-buster.html

 

I used it in our utility sink because our washer drains into it and it gets so nasty with detergent and lint scum. We also have hard water. I sprayed it on and left it overnight; I did scrub it in the morning, but it was really quick, and then rinsed all the grossness away!

 

I use this too. It's magic.

 

I keep a dish wand full of the mixture in the shower and swipe any time I think about it in the shower, rinsing after. It stays sparkling clean. We have white tile and grout.

[In The Great White North]

I REALLY want an all-in-one plexiglass tub/shower surround, but everyone i talks to says that if you have tile, you have to stick with tile . .which is why i havent pushed harder.

 

 

Why? Ours was clearly installed over tile, eons ago. They just glued it on. It needs re-glued now but has probably been there 20 years.