With a huge 50% of Australian families reportedly feeling stressed for time, cleaning duties are often put on the back burner.
Hardly surprising when you consider that we’re already spending an average of two hours on chores around the house every single day.
Of all the rooms in the house, the bathroom can get filthy fastest.
This spring, take back control of your bathroom with these no-fail techniques and fast-acting products that will make it easier to clean and keep it gleaming for longer.
1. Buff off grime
If your clear shower doors are starting to look like frosted glass then the soap scum has become nearly impossible to remove and normal cleaning products just won’t cut it.
Pick up some polishing compound from your local hardware or autoparts store and use an orbital buffer to polish the scum off for a streak-free finish.
TIP Remove the doors and buff them clean in the garage.
2. Polish up
For a brilliant result with minimum elbow grease, microfibre cloths are the best choice. They pick up dust, wipe off smudges, don’t shed fibres and won’t leave streaks or scratches.
Microfibre cloths can be used wet or dry on glass, mirrors, counter tops, tiles and fixtures.
TIP Use a cleaning solution first, dry the area then polish off with a microfibre cloth to a high shine.
3. Prevent build-up
When the beads of water on your glass shower door dry out, they leave minerals behind that are at best unsightly and at worst can be tough as nails to remove if you allow them to build up.
Stop the water from beading on the surface in the first place by coating the glass with a treatment such as Enduro Shield, which repels water, soap scum and grime.
Follow the instructions on the packet to apply the treatment to your glass shower door for lasting clarity.
4. Remove rust
If you have high levels of iron in your water supply and struggle with rust stains in the toilet or bathtub, there is a removal solution that works.
Ranex Rustbuster cuts through rust quickly to leave your bathtub looking like it came straight from the showroom. Just apply the rustbuster with a cloth and wait a few minutes before rinsing off with clean water.
TIP For stubborn stains, reapply and scrub the surface with a brush.
5. Dirt buster
Whether it’s built-up soap scum on the shower walls, ground-in dirt on the floor tiles or dried toothpaste on the sink, a Mr Clean Eraser Pad will power through it fast.
Melamine pads are especially useful for removing stubborn dirt from porous floor tiles and getting those non-slip strips in the bottom of your tub clean.
Just dampen the sponge and rub over the target area.
TIP Unlike regular sponges they wear out quickly, so stock up.
6. Greener cleaner
To clean your bathroom thoroughly without upsetting Mother Nature, mix up this planet-friendly solution.
In a 5L bucket, combine a cup of distilled vinegar, three tablespoons of borax, 3.8L of hot water and half a cup of natural cleaning soap. add 10 to 15 drops of tea tree, lavender or lemon oil for a nice fragrance.
Stir well, then fill a spray bottle with the solution to clean tiles, vanities and painted woodwork or apply to floors with a squeeze mop such as the Oates Sqwivel Mop for easy manoeuvrability in tight spaces.
TIP Store any extra in a bottle for next time.
7. Clean grout
Is the grout in your bathroom breeding more fungus than a petri dish in a lab? Claim it back with a grout pen.
Selleys Grout Stain Whitener can restore clean white lines to your tiled wall s and contains an antimicrobial to break the mould cycle, preventing new spores from taking hold.
Applying the paste takes patience, but it’s time well spent as your newly whitened grout will be protected against future stains.
8. Vacuum first
If you’ve ever been driven nuts pushing hairballs around the bathroom floor when mopping, you should try vacuuming before you start cleaning.
Begin at the top, sucking dust from light fixtures, then work down around the room, before methodically vacuuming the floor. A wet-and-dry vacuum with an upholstery brush attachment will work best.
9. Detachable toilet seat
No matter how hard you try, cleaning the hinges on the loo is tricky and there’s always some cleaning fluid that seeps out later. A detachable toilet seat is the solution to this particular problem.
The Caroma Germgard Seat snaps on or off for easy access when cleaning and is coated with an additive that disrupts the metabolic process of microorganisms to inhibit bacteria.
10. Scrub and wax
Give your showerhead and taps a facelift by scrubbing them with CLR Bathroom & Kitchen Cleaner to erase calcium and lime deposits, soap, dirt and tarnish.
Rinse before buffing with car wax to keep them shiny for up to three months.