Cleaning the tub/shower---nightmare!

1905

Well-Known Member
This is always my worst chore! I would rather do anything than this, once a week I'm scrubbing with Comet, throwing buckets of water on the walls to rinse (That's wrong, but I don't know how to do any better), and it always looks the same- a hot mess. Today, I tried something different. I read online somewhere where you add vinegar to dishwashing liquid and put it an empty Windex spray bottle. Spray it all over, and rinse. I did this and all I can say is- my entire tub is filled to the top with bubbles. Remember that Brady Bunch episode where Bobby used too much detergent? That is what's happening here, Plus it's still all over the walls. The more I rinse, the more bubbles I make. I know it will look like I did nothing when I get this all cleared up. The bubbles don't go down.

Please, how do you clean your tub and shower?
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
To get rid of bubbles, rinse only with cold water. That will help.

I saw that recipe and said to myself, NOPE! I know the bubbles dish soap makes, not going there.

Comet is great but rinsing is a major PITA. I have one of those new tubs that require something along the lines of softscrub which supposedly won't scratch it........but rinses about as well as comet does. I don't' like the stuff much myself.

I use either Kaboom! (yes, that's it's name) which works pretty darn well with not so much scrubbing or Awesome (a buck at dollar stores) which is quite frankly.....awesome. I use Awesome for nearly everything now and don't buy many household cleaners these days. I still do generic windex, furniture polish ect......but for most cleaning, it's the cheap Awesome, even mopping.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Sounds like too much dishwashing liquid. Honestly I hate the stuff, even for washing dishes.

If you have a Lowe's Home Improvement near you, they carry this stuff called Krud Kutter. A gallon jug lasts me a couple of years. It's expensive but worth it - because it is cut about 1/9 with water.

Second to that would be Dollar Tree - they have this stuff called Awesome, and it is. (Hound Dog told me about this stuff and it ROCKS!)

Does your shower have a showerhead with a hose? If not - worth the $15.

Here's how I do it, but it will depend on your shower. This works on our plastic one downstairs and tile-and-tub upstairs.

1. Wipe tile walls with Soft Scrub. Use a plastic scrubbie pad (the flat green kind) on tough stuff.
2. Still with the Soft Scrub, use a toilet brush on the tub/shower pan (I discovered this while trying to clean the toilet brush, hee hee).
3. Rinse with detachable shower head with lukewarm water.
4. Spray nasty stains with a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and bleach - works especially well on stained grout between tiles. Let sit for 10 minutes while you take a break.
5. Rinse walls again with detachable showerhead only this time with OMG HOT.

After the whole thing dries REALLY WELL, if you have grouted tile you need to seal the grout if it wasn't done. They sell spray-on grout seal at Lowe's and Home Depot and probably Ace Hardware. Spray on well, let dry for 24 hours. This will help with staining AND mildew!!!
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Wow Step, you've got a lot of steps there. I just spray, scrub, rinse. But then I have no tile to deal with either.

Although I'd like to meet the person who invented shower doors and personally knock their block off. I hate shower doors, no I loath them. grrrr A shower curtain you take down and toss it into the wash and hang the thing back up again, easy peasy. Getting soap scum off a shower door, until Awesome, was a living nightmare. argh

So while we're on my least favorite subject, cleaning the bathroom............any good ideas for getting calcium sediment "stains" out of the toilet bowl? I used to use sani flush and omg that stuff ROCKED until evidently they stopped making it because someone was probably too stupid to read the instructions. I've not found something that does it as well since.
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
CLR works great on staining. Here we can purchase it at hardware stores and Walmart etc.

As for bathtub cleaning. Omg. Bane of my existence and I flat out refuse. It's a task given weekly to S/O. Couldn't even tell you what he does to clean it but it takes him ages it seems. I just hide in another room to duck out of becoming a helper in any fashion. It's the one household chore I refuse altogether.
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
CLR CLR CLR. Funny you post this today. Just last week I went intot he basement and saw the toilet down there that we never use and the entire bowl was black inside, it made me sick. The black mineral deposits even spread to the toilet seta. I took the seat off and threw it away, poured CLR in the bowl, let it sit for a while and used a toilet scrub brush and it all came off. I was so surprised it came out looking like new.

I also hate cleaning the shower and agree with your assessment of shower doors. I buy any soap scum spray and spray it on and use a scrub brush to scrub it off and then finish with comet and a handheld shower sprayer. But I am now going to look for Awesome and try that.

Once you get the tub cleaned use a shower spray everytime you use the shower and it will help keep soap scrum to a minimum. I use Clean Shower, just spray it on after your shower and leave it.

Nancy
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
I assume Awesome is a liquid sold in a jug ??? or is it a spray dispenser ??? I hate shopping and I really can't do heavy duty cleaning, bending etc. now so I'm following this thread with interest. DDD
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
I got it in a spray dispenser - they also have a larger orange-action that works a charm on kitchen grease. And for $1...!!!

husband loves shower doors. I kinda like them, in my opinion they are easier to clean than a curtain... I put the curtains in the washer and they crumple up, and you take them out and they're full of water so you get a bath. Honestly, we clean our shower while in it...
 

1905

Well-Known Member
I just don't have the strength needed for the chore. I am about to cry, honestly, what a mess. I will try CLR or Krud Kutter. I'll look for Awesome and I know I have seen Kaboom.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
For toilets they sell a product from one of the name brand ones...whatever they are, that has a black nossal (sp) how do you spell that? The little thing on the end that you turn on to spray. I swear it works on whatever is in your toilet. I am not known for cleaning my toilet out very well and Billy is even worse. We really need to buy new potties for this house. But this stuff if you leave it in the toilet for maybe 20 minutes for a very bad toilet like mine will clean anything. What is is Clorox?
 
S

Signorina

Guest
In a pinch - fabric softener will knock down too many soap bubbles. Straight vinegar should do it too.
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Depending on the age of your tub:

Use a spray cleaner that works on SOAP SCUM such as Scrubbing Bubbles. Spray, rinse, done.

Use a product called "Gel Gloss". It works pretty much like car wax - wipe it on, rub a bit, then polish to a high shine. GREAT for tubs and tile that are still new enough to have their shiny finish...
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I have never ever had scrubbing bubbles do a thing for me.........I was the one doing all the scrubbing. I was less than impressed. I do not like to scrub the tub/toilet, since it's my least favorite chore to begin with.

I'll try the CLR stuff I guess. I've never had much luck with anything except sani flush, honestly. But I've got to use something, I'm NOT buying a new toilet.

DDD Awesome comes both in a spray bottle and a refill jug. Here's something handy.......the nozzle from the reg bottle fits on the refill bottle. lol (yes, I'm dense enough at times it took me a time or two to figure that out omg) As far as I know, it can't be found in reg dept stores, only dollar type stores like family dollar and dollar tree. And best yet? It's a buck! :)
 

klmno

Active Member
I think I'm going to try the Awesome, too. The townhouse we used to live in had a stinky toilet no matter what I cleaned it with and it appeared dirty the day after I'd clean it. I knew the landlord wouldn't look at anything unless he considered it an emergency so I started using drop-in clorox things and a refreshener in the actual toilet. That worked wonders for the smell but also kept it from having to be cleaned so often. The shower/tub- that's always been a challenge especially since E likes using the tub for baths occasionally so we wanted it really clean. I'm going to try some suggestions here- too bad this thread doesn't meet an archive category!
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Ok, don't call me crazy, but I have glass shower doors in my bathroom - thankfully difficult child has a shower curtain! I keep a squeegee hanging in the shower and, after I finish my shower, I squeegee the three panels. Beats having to get in there and scrub when you get the build up! I'm the one who believes you do a little all the time and it saves the huge all at once - it's my philosophy on keeping my house in control!

Sharon
 

1905

Well-Known Member
KABOOM! I bought this at the supermarket on the advice of you smart ladies. (Even though I didn't have a coupon and it wasn't on sale) OMG~! Spray it on, wipe it off- it saved time and no elbow grease needed! My shower looks brand new. After last weeks fiasco, it took care of that as well. Try this. No more throwing buckets of water all over the place and scrubbing but never getting anywhere.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
STOP bending over - get one of those wands.....with the extension rod......and the pads........TRUST me - if you are OVER 40 and NOT limber? YOU WILL LOVE, love LOVE it and you will LOVE whomever suggested it to you...it's like having a maid .......on a stiiiiiiiiiiiick. Use with Kaboom or Mean Green Mold and Mildew (if the prblem so exists- open windows and shut door - go back an hour later - fumes are toxic) and voila....

Also - Daisys tip about the wax is a good one - we used to shine shower tiles with windex after washing too.....and those automatic sprayers for every day cleaning I think are still on the market - you may want to try those - but that STICK thing is the bomb.
 
We have huge calcium and rust problems in our area. Ugh. It took me years to find a good toilet bowl cleaner - Lysol toilet bowl cleaner. If you have a lot of build up then the best one to buy is the one in the black bottle with electric blue accent - it is called LYSOL DEEP REACH TOILET BOWL CLEANER (COMPLETE CLEAN). Squirt it up under the rim and let it sit for a half hour or so. It will run right down into the toilet drain and get rid of all the build up. It dissolves it very quickly. Once it is clean you can maintain it with any of the other Lysol toilet bowl cleaners.

For my shower I have just recently discovered a brand called Swish. It works great on soap scum and stains - almost instantly removing build up. It's a Canadian brand so I'm not sure if they sell in the US or not. It works on my granite countertops too (they are well sealed though).

Swish! also make a great floor stripper for removing wax. I looked for 6 years to find a stripper that would take the 30 years of wax build up off my ceramic tile floors (don't ask - ok, it was my mother in law). This one works and works well! It's still a huge job but at least it is doable.
 
I've used Kaboom as well - in an old, stained claw foot tub at our old house - it worked better than anything I tried. Of course, I could never find it again. Maybe it didn't do well in Canada??
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Kaboom is great. They supposedly sell one that foams up in the toilet but it didnt do as well as the black bottle lysol did for me.
 
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