Please recommend a non-wasteful, powered scrubber for a tub (other ideas also welcome)

[kbutton]

My hypermobile kiddo needs a way to scrub the tub that doesn't cause pain. I know people have recommended some scrubbing appliances that have disposable heads. Does anyone have something to recommend with a head/scrubbing pad that can be tossed in a washer, washed by hand, etc.? We use very few disposable products, and we'd like to keep it that way.

I am not sure we could go the steam cleaner route without injury (coordination and tight spaces are a real issue, but it could be on the table if something changes). 

He's tall, so an adjustable handle helps. He can crouch down or kneel for short periods of time (and we have a kneeling pad), but he has to change positions frequently. 

He's a willing worker, but we have some barriers to getting the job done well. 

Just as an aside--we're super thankful for some innovations with battery-powered lawnmowers!!! We just bought one that has such nice wheels that he can choose between self-propelled and pushing it. Loving the mower if anyone needs a mobility-friendly lawnmower recommendation. 🙂 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

I have EDS and to be perfectly honest, scrubbing the tub is one of the things I’ve outsourced.  I have never found a way to do it without pain.

[mommyoffive]

Stop scrubbing!  Use dawn and vinegar.  It has changed my life.  We have really hard water and scrubbing was so  hard.  Dawn and vinegar means we just need a wipe or a rinse. 

[stephanier.1765]

Just now, mommyoffive said:

Stop scrubbing!  Use dawn and vinegar.  It has changed my life.  We have really hard water and scrubbing was so  hard.  Dawn and vinegar means we just need a wipe or a rinse. 

What a ratio do you use or do you apply them separately?

[prairiewindmomma]

I could never get dawn and vinegar to work.  Scrubbing bubbles has been better, but it is irritating to my lungs. 

Watching this thread with interest because scrubbing totally kills my hands. ETA: To scrub tubs, I do using a kneeling pad, and I use a blue non-scratch scrubbing sponge with the palm of my hand, not my fingers. I have to cut it in half to make it work. 

I've had my eye on this, but I can't justify the space: https://www.amazon.com/Homitt-Electric-Scrubber-Replaceable-Extension/dp/B07516SJ6Q  Anything that vibrates is just as hard on my hands, IME. 

Edited May 6, 2021 by prairiewindmomma

[Soror]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Stop scrubbing!  Use dawn and vinegar.  It has changed my life.  We have really hard water and scrubbing was so  hard.  Dawn and vinegar means we just need a wipe or a rinse. 

Same here. I do half and half. It works better than any commercial product I have tried and I have exceedingly hard water.

[pinball]

3 hours ago, kbutton said:

My hypermobile kiddo needs a way to scrub the tub that doesn't cause pain. I know people have recommended some scrubbing appliances that have disposable heads. Does anyone have something to recommend with a head/scrubbing pad that can be tossed in a washer, washed by hand, etc.? We use very few disposable products, and we'd like to keep it that way.

I am not sure we could go the steam cleaner route without injury (coordination and tight spaces are a real issue, but it could be on the table if something changes). 

He's tall, so an adjustable handle helps. He can crouch down or kneel for short periods of time (and we have a kneeling pad), but he has to change positions frequently. 

He's a willing worker, but we have some barriers to getting the job done well. 

Just as an aside--we're super thankful for some innovations with battery-powered lawnmowers!!! We just bought one that has such nice wheels that he can choose between self-propelled and pushing it. Loving the mower if anyone needs a mobility-friendly lawnmower recommendation. 🙂 

Why not give him another job?

is there no one else without mobility issues who could scrub the bathroom?

or is this for his personal home?

[mommyoffive]

22 minutes ago, Soror said:

Same here. I do half and half. It works better than any commercial product I have tried and I have exceedingly hard water.

Same here.  And agree that it works way better than anything we have bought before.  We had tried everything with our hard water too.   I mix in a spray bottle, spray the shower and just leave it.  You can leave it for hours (I have because I have forgotten about it), but even 20 -30 mins works too.  Even with 7 people I don't have to clean them very often.   But one mix of this and my 15 year old shower and tub look brand new. 

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Stop scrubbing!  Use dawn and vinegar.  It has changed my life.  We have really hard water and scrubbing was so  hard.  Dawn and vinegar means we just need a wipe or a rinse. 

I don't understand how this works for the tub. Shower? Yes. Tub? No. The tub is where all the crud accumulates, though we try to have the kids clean often enough that it's not hateful for anyone. We also have a pretty effective water softener. After years of experimenting with getting the water conditioned enough but not too much, we settled on just a little too much, lol, which means there isn't that much crud.

I do encourage them to use dish soap, which does make it easier. We have some scrubbing pads that they both like. 

Oh, I see someone else said to leave it on and come back. Is that what you do?

3 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I have EDS and to be perfectly honest, scrubbing the tub is one of the things I’ve outsourced.  I have never found a way to do it without pain.

He is not as hypermobile as someone with EDS, but we aren't planning to force the issue if it doesn't work. I am not hypermobile, and I find some kinds of scrubbing to hurt a lot--my hands have always been vulnerable to overuse for some reason. 

3 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I could never get dawn and vinegar to work.  Scrubbing bubbles has been better, but it is irritating to my lungs. 

Watching this thread with interest because scrubbing totally kills my hands. ETA: To scrub tubs, I do using a kneeling pad, and I use a blue non-scratch scrubbing sponge with the palm of my hand, not my fingers. I have to cut it in half to make it work. 

I've had my eye on this, but I can't justify the space: https://www.amazon.com/Homitt-Electric-Scrubber-Replaceable-Extension/dp/B07516SJ6Q  Anything that vibrates is just as hard on my hands, IME. 

This sounds more like my set of problems, lol! His hands don't really hurt him, it's more the being on his knees even with a kneeling pad.

I saw that set on Amazon and wondered if it would be a good fit. Vibration would bother me, but I wouldn't have thought about that if hadn't brought it up. He says the vibration wouldn't bother him, so we might give it a try!

44 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Same here.  And agree that it works way better than anything we have bought before.  We had tried everything with our hard water too.   I mix in a spray bottle, spray the shower and just leave it.  You can leave it for hours (I have because I have forgotten about it), but even 20 -30 mins works too.  Even with 7 people I don't have to clean them very often.   But one mix of this and my 15 year old shower and tub look brand new. 

Leaving it and coming back makes some sense for the tub. I can see how that would help. I think the finish would be okay with vinegar--our last tub had very few products that wouldn't dull the finish (lesson learned: never get a Kohler tub, lol!). This tub was here when we bought the house, so we've been careful, not knowing for sure what is okay for it. Even if we spray the soap and not the vinegar, it might be just enough to loosen the slight ring that accumulates.

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, pinball said:

Why not give him another job?

is there no one else without mobility issues who could scrub the bathroom?

or is this for his personal home?

I am trying not to feel prickly about this. We aren't going to push things if something won't work, but we'd like him to have all the skills he can and to learn to use workarounds whenever possible. There are lots of people in my family with serious arthritis and all kinds of issues, and most people can't really afford to hire these things out. They find ways to make it work, or they trade off jobs with a family member that can do them. I have no idea what kind of money he might make someday--one of his career interests will probably involve owning a small business or consulting, which means he'll likely have to foot the majority of the bill for health insurance, disability insurance, etc. 

The biggest problem is being on his knees for the time it takes to clean. 

Someday, if he marries, he might have someone to share cleaning tasks with, but it's likely that a spouse will already have to take over some things he can't do, and I'd like to keep that list as short as possible. He won't be able to be the spouse or dad that can lift and move things, etc., and that's fine, but I'd like him to feel like he is able to do most things he needs to do. His brother is extraordinarily capable at nearly everything he tries in terms of hands-on work (and also has a work ethic that is truly over the top, through no real parenting prowess), and he's always gotten a lot of recognition for that. Just trying to foster good skills and offer good tools. 

He saw the Amazon link and was kind of surprised at the cost--so much so that he said, "I can clean the tub from time to time--it's not that big of a deal." I told him that it's an investment in helping it be an easier task for him, which he thinks is cool. So, it's just a process of negotiating what works, what doesn't, and where we draw the line between trying new things and needlessly pounding sand. 😉 

We have work mats in the kitchen for fatigue, and our lawnmower was chosen, in part, to allow him to be able to take a turn mowing. We've always had to work to make things fit him, and this is just one more product and step in getting him what he needs.

[Spryte]

3 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I could never get dawn and vinegar to work.  Scrubbing bubbles has been better, but it is irritating to my lungs. 

Watching this thread with interest because scrubbing totally kills my hands. ETA: To scrub tubs, I do using a kneeling pad, and I use a blue non-scratch scrubbing sponge with the palm of my hand, not my fingers. I have to cut it in half to make it work. 

I've had my eye on this, but I can't justify the space: https://www.amazon.com/Homitt-Electric-Scrubber-Replaceable-Extension/dp/B07516SJ6Q  Anything that vibrates is just as hard on my hands, IME. 

I have that scrubber.  Well, maybe a different “brand” - pretty sure they are all made by the same manufacturer.

It works well.  We keep it in the bathroom closet. It holds a charge for weeks, and when it needs to be charged we plug it in for a bit.

We have ordered replacement heads maybe once in two years.  That’s with almost daily use.

[Junie]

I have hard water and Rheumatoid Arthritis.  When I clean the tub/shower, I use Mrs. Meyer's tub and shower cleaner.  I spray it on and let it sit for a while and then I use the showerhead and/or a bucket of water to rinse it.  I generally try not to scrub anything because I want my hands to last for a few more decades.

[prairiewindmomma]

@Spryte, what's the vibration level on that? Is it like running a sander or do you have something to compare it to?  I can't run a motorized lawn mower, but I can push a rotary wheel one. It's totally bizarre what my hands can and can't do, but I just have to live with the odd body that I have.

Odd thought #2, can he sit inside of the tub and scrub? I have to do that with our deep soaking tub. It has such a high edge that I can't kneel, and I certainly can't bend over at that angle and width either.

[kbutton]

6 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Odd thought #2, can he sit inside of the tub and scrub? I have to do that with our deep soaking tub. It has such a high edge that I can't kneel, and I certainly can't bend over at that angle and width either.

I give him a lot of leeway to do things like that, but it's worth maybe observing him again to see what we can optimize or reiterating these things. He's sort of prickly about supervision.

[Lucy the Valiant]

I have to use CLR (any brand) for our tub (hard water / high iron), but that does indeed convert it from "scrubbing" to "basically wiping it down." I also spray and let it work a bit (usually while I'm cleaning the rest of the bathroom).

 

[Spryte]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

@Spryte, what's the vibration level on that? Is it like running a sander or do you have something to compare it to?  I can't run a motorized lawn mower, but I can push a rotary wheel one. It's totally bizarre what my hands can and can't do, but I just have to live with the odd body that I have.

Odd thought #2, can he sit inside of the tub and scrub? I have to do that with our deep soaking tub. It has such a high edge that I can't kneel, and I certainly can't bend over at that angle and width either.

It does vibrate, but nothing like a sander.  I’m trying to think of a good comparison and coming up short.  It’s definitely doable for me, though we probably don’t have exactly the same stuff going on.  DH got it for me because I was really struggling with the tub, and I never wanted to ask for his help.

He could sit and scrub, I think, though the one I have has such a long handle that I prefer to stand outside and can reach everything.  We have a one person soaker tub, very deep, but not super wide like a corner tub, if that helps.

It isn’t a perfect solution, but really has helped us here.

 

[kbutton]

17 minutes ago, Spryte said:

It does vibrate, but nothing like a sander.  I’m trying to think of a good comparison and coming up short.

Hair dryer level of vibration? Just throwing out ideas, lol! 

17 minutes ago, Spryte said:

He could sit and scrub, I think, though the one I have has such a long handle that I prefer to stand outside and can reach everything.

It sounds like it will work well. 🙂 

[Spryte]

Just now, kbutton said:

Hair dryer level of vibration? Just throwing out ideas, lol! 

It sounds like it will work well. 🙂 

That’s it!  Hair dryer!  I kept vaguely picturing a hair salon, and thinking, no, that isn’t right.  Hahahaha!  I’m still a little groggy from anesthesia earlier today for a test, and all synapses are not firing yet.  🤣

I’m going to add that we only use this for the tub.  The separate shower is much easier to clean and we just spray it down with scrubbing bubbles and rinse.  Easy peasy.

[kbutton]

1 minute ago, Spryte said:

That’s it!  Hair dryer!  I kept vaguely picturing a hair salon, and thinking, no, that isn’t right.  Hahahaha!  I’m still a little groggy from anesthesia earlier today for a test, and all synapses are not firing yet.  🤣

I’m going to add that we only use this for the tub.  The separate shower is much easier to clean and we just spray it down with scrubbing bubbles and rinse.  Easy peasy.

I hope all is well with your testing.

We have a shower curtain in this bath...one I should probably check, lol! I am not sure the kids would notice if it needs a wash.