Entries Tagged as 'Bathroom'

Getting Started: The Great Bathroom Cleansing Ritual

June 13th, 2009 15 Comments

retrochick.JPGIvy says:

Getting your house back in shape absolutely requires that you clean the bathroom. Let me tell you, you could have mounds of laundry piled everywhere and a spotless bathroom and I totally wouldn’t think you’re gross. But make me use a dirty bathroom and I’ll take pictures and post them here on Home Ec 101 with the Home Ec 101 Seal of Disapproval. Just kidding.

Mostly.

But seriously, cleaning your bathroom is a must. Where to get started with this disaster area?

First, remove all clothes, towels, and washcloths that are strewn about. Perhaps you’re the sort of person who never, ever lets dirty clothes go anywhere but the hamper. Or perhaps you’re like all my family members who like to drop their clothing right next to the hamper. Either way, if there is clothing in your bathroom, remove it.

Next, discard all trash in the bathroom. I normally empty the bathroom trash every week come trash day, but somehow little bits of trash tend to end up in odd places, like underneath cabinets and behind the toilet. I don’t always get those on trash day, so I gather up all that flotsam plus all the trash in the trashcan, and take it out.

Now, clear off your sink area. Yes, even the stuff that normally goes there. Just set it in the cabinet for now.

Then vacuum or sweep the floor and the bottom of your tub/shower. And dust anything that needs dusting. This concludes the “dry” portion of your bathroom cleaning experience. Let’s move on to the “wet” part.

Put your toilet bowl cleaner stuff around the rim of your toilet bowl and close up the toilet to let it soak in. I particularly like the extra caustic, super-chemical kinds of toilet cleaners. Your mileage may vary, depending on how green you are. I’m pretty green, but when it comes to toilet cleaning, gimme chemicals.

Then do your shower. For this, I like a vinegar and water 50/50 mix. Nothing removes soap scum quite as well as plain ol’ white vinegar and water. Just spray and wipe. Don’t forget your shower curtain, spray and wipe that bad boy, too.

Next, move on to your sink, mirror, and other things that need to be sprayed and wiped. Not your toilet, not yet. That comes last. I have a flat plastic scraper (like the ones Pampered Chef gives you to clean off your stoneware) that I use to scrape off toothpaste yuck. Don’t forget to clean behind and under your faucet!

On to the toilet! A little scrubbing here, a little scrubbing there, and voila! Clean toilet.

Finally, mop. And then you’re done with the bathroom and can move on to more fun tasks, like laundry.

And that concludes the bathroom cleaning. Whew! Wasn’t that fun?!

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Linoleum Lament

October 14th, 2008 6 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,
I was hoping you could help me with a cleaning problem I have been having lately.  I can’t get my floors clean!  No matter if I wash the floor on my hands and knees or if I use a mop, there’s still a dirt residue that will not go away.  I usually use Clorox clean-up with bleach (1/4-ish c.) diluted in a bucket of water, since that’s what my mom used when I was growing up.
 
The floor been like this since I moved in, despite my cleaning.  It’s a beige/tan colored linolium floor, so the dirtyness is not visibly noticable until you walk over it wearing a pair of light colored socks.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions… cleaning techniques, cleaners, etc.
Signed,
The Girl with Grocery Feet

Heather says:

Linoleum can be great and affordable flooring and cute if you are after retro look, not that we are biased or anything. However, it requires the same care as hardwood. Use doormats or throw rugs and sweep daily. The sand and grit that is tracked in on people’s shoes causes tiny nicks and scratches in your linoleum. These scratches are the perfect place for dirt to accumulate.

Don’t use bleach or products containing bleach to clean linoleum. The high pH can actually damage the flooring. For regular cleaning damp mop with, drum roll please, diluted vinegar.  However, it sounds like you have a buildup on your flooring that may need several steps to remedy. Not to worry, if you do this once you won’t need to repeat the process for 12 – 18 months. 

First, carefully sweep your floor. Then mop with a very dilute solution of hot water and detergent (I like original Dawn dish detergent, but it’s up to you). The detergent will help get the dirt out of those crevices. Next mop the floor a second time, but switch to diluted vinegar, this will remove any detergent residue. Finally Armstrong, a leading linoleum manufacturer, recommends using an acrylic floor polish. The polish will help fill some of those nicks and scratches that are the source of your dirty socks. It’s very important to have very clean floors before using the polish or you will simply be sealing the dirt to your floor.

Good luck!

Submit your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Hard Water Spots

July 3rd, 2008 No Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

No matter what I do, the hardwater spots on my shower and tub keep coming back?  What am I doing wrong?

Signed,

Speckled in Spencerton

Heather says:

Well there are a couple of options.  You could invest in a water softener or be super diligent and use a squeegee after every shower.

Unless your family is unusually cooperative, these spots are simply a fact of life.  If you wipe down the walls frequently with diluted vinegar you will keep those annoying spots from becoming difficult to remove.

In all honesty, it’s these never ending chores that I find most annoying.  Take heart, you aren’t going to suddenly find a Home Ec 101 Seal of Disapproval plastered on your shower stall anytime soon.   Hang in there.

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Another Sticky Situation

July 2nd, 2008 4 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

How do you get stuck on hairspray off walls and a cheap linoleum bathroom floor?

Signed,

Tacky in Texas

Heather says:

Oh it’s the dreaded hairspray overspray!

The answer is deceptively simple.  You’ll need hot water and elbow grease.  Use an old rag and water as hot as you can stand it. This should work for semi-gloss paint and your linoleum.  If you have flat pain, wipe carefully.

If you have wallpaper, use cool water and sponge gently.

If there is a heavy build up of hairspray make a past of baking soda and water, gently rub that into the stains and then wipe off.  Follow this with clear water.  As always, please test this in an inconspicuous spot.  A last resort to try is diluted fabric softener, again test please.   Dilute 1 part fabric softener with 2 parts water.  Spray and then wipe.  Never use this method on wallpaper, as it is probably one of the most effective wall paper removers I’ve ever used.

I

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What Is Growing in My Shower?

June 10th, 2008 2 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

We keep getting these pale pinkish stains on the shower curtains and at the base of the tub…
Our neighbor has the same issue, and he thinks it’s metal in the Mt P. water supply.
Could it be mold?

I’ve found a weak bleach solution or most any bath cleaner completely fades the stains without much scrubbing – but the spots will return in less than a week if I don’t spray on a near-daily basis.

Signed,
~Pretty in Pink

Heather says:

You are right on target cleaning with a weak bleach solution.  The microorganism behind your bathroom cleaning quandary is Serratia marcescens and it loves damp environments.  The bacteria was once used for experimentation due to its coloration (it made it easy to track growth, even without a microscope).  However it has been found to cause urinary tract infections and rarely pneumonia.

Chlorine is an effective preventative and will wipe it out temporarily.  Unfortunately chlorine evaporates more quickly than water and eventually the airborne bacteria will reproduce in sufficient numbers to create the pink stain in showers, and in toilets that are used infrequently.  Remember to periodically clean your showerhead if you notice the telltale pink discoloration.

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