Losing the battle to keep your bathroom clean? We’re here with some reinforcements that can help you turn the tide.
The following hacks can help get your bathroom sparkling and smelling great without a lot of elbow grease. Most won’t cost you much more than a little time.
Use canned air or a dishwasher to clean vents
When your bathroom vent cover gets dirty, one quick and easy solution is to clean it with a can of compressed air — just as you would with your computer fan.
If you don’t have compressed air handy, and your vent is easy to take apart, you may be able to toss the vent cover into the top rack of your dishwasher, as we detail in “17 Unusual Things You Can Clean in a Dishwasher.”
Use a drill to scrub your tub
For those hard-to-get-rid-of stains, you’ll need a little help. Putting a scrub brush at the end of a drill can add just the “oomph” you need without muscle strain.
You can try to make a homemade version of this. But it probably makes more sense to buy a ready-made version.
Hang a magnetic strip to gather metal items
Are your tweezers, scissors, nail clipper and other small metal items scattered all over the place? Hang a magnetic strip — such as a magnetic knife rack or magnetic tape — along the bathroom wall and keep those items together and in sight at all times.
You also won’t have to move them out of the way each time you clean the countertop.
Wipe black tea on your mirror
Forget the expensive cleaner and simply brew up a strong batch of black tea. Apply it with a lint-free cloth to your mirror, and the tannic acid will cut through grime and get the surface clean, says glass servicing company Glass Doctor.
If you’re out of black tea, vinegar will also do the trick. We’ve got the recipe for this DIY all-purpose cleaner in “Never Buy These 7 Overpriced Cleaning Products Again.”
Soak your shower head in a vinegar bath
Had enough of the gunk clogging up the openings on your showerhead? The white stuff is mineral deposits from hard water. Luckily, the acetic acid in vinegar can dissolve that buildup.
Just fill a small plastic bag with distilled white vinegar, place the shower head inside the bag and seal it with a rubber band. Let it sit for at least an hour, then remove the bag and rinse. A little scrubbing with an old toothbrush helps break up any remaining deposits.
Wrap a screwdriver to clean crevices
For those hard-to-reach places — think the crevices of toilets — take a disinfecting wipe, wrap it around a flat-head screwdriver end, and push the end into the crack or crevice.
Gently move the screwdriver horizontally across the spot, and you’ll clean the area and kill any lingering smells.
Clean faucets and other chrome with lemon juice
Faucets looking a little dingy? Rub a little lemon on them, and the citric acid will make the water spots disappear. The easiest way to do this is to cut a lemon in half, and rub the faucets with the exposed end.
Again, the acetic acid in vinegar will also do the trick here.
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