cleaning tips
Clean the shower: The best tricks and home remedies
If you clean your shower regularly, you prevent limescale, dirt and mold
© AllaKostomarova / Getty Images
Limescale and dirt deposits are not a sign of poor hygiene, but the result of our daily body care in the bathroom. The high humidity and heat also provide an ideal breeding ground for mold.
The fittings, joints and tiles are particularly susceptible, but the shower curtain or the shower cubicle walls also suffer from the constant watering of a wet room. And since limescale and dirt do not stop at glass or plastic, our tricks apply to all materials that are in your bathroom (in the shower). The following cleaning tips reveal which home remedies achieve the best results without aggressive cleaning agents.
1. Cleaning tip: joints
Dirty grout is best cleaned with a mixture of baking soda (or baking soda) and stir in water. Apply the paste directly to the grout using a toothbrush and rub it into the affected areas. The mass must then be absorbed for a few minutes before you rinse it off again with warm water. But be careful: materials containing lime (e.g. marble or granite) should not be cleaned with an acidic household product. Use a mix here soda and water in a ratio of 3:1, which must soak into the joints for 30 minutes.
A notice: You can read here how to get rid of mold in the bathroom.
2nd cleaning tip: tiles
Calcified tiles are much easier to clean. Here, too, you can stir up a mixture of baking soda and water until you get a spreadable paste and apply it with an old sponge. Alternatively, you can also use a proven home remedy: vinegar essence. Dilute this with water and then use a cloth to apply the liquid to the tiles in a circular motion. If possible, be careful not to rub into the joints. Then rinse off the solution with warm water.
A notice: For stubborn deposits, investing in a steam cleaner worth. By using hot steam, dirt residues can be easily removed from the tiles. The attachments and brushes supplied can be used to clean the grout.
3. Cleaning Tip: Drain
Hair and dirt, shampoo and shower gel residue can clog the shower drain. Instead of using an aggressive pipe cleaner, the problem can also be solved in another way – for example with a vinegar-soda mixture: first drizzle five tablespoons soda down the sink and pour a coffee cup of vinegar afterwards. If the mixture starts to foam, let it sit for a few minutes before flushing the drain with hot water. Important: The resulting fumes can irritate the respiratory tract, so it is better to wear a face mask and ventilate the bathroom well.
4th cleaning tip: fittings
Here, too, a household remedy has proven itself: citric acid (Vinegar also works as an alternative). Dilute this with a little water before cleaning your shower fixtures with it. If the deposits are particularly stubborn, you can leave the mixture on overnight and wipe it off the next day.
A notice: Read here how to descale a faucet.
5. Cleaning tip: shower curtain
Unlike a shower stall, most shower curtains have the great advantage that they can be cleaned in the washing machine. You can see whether this is really the case from the sewn-in label – it also states the maximum number of degrees that the material can withstand without problems. But even at 30 degrees, most models become very clean again.
6. Cleaning tip: shower cabin made of glass
If a shower cubicle is made of glass, it can be freed from limescale and dirt deposits with the following home remedies:
- Mix vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:2. Work the glass with the mixture as thoroughly as possible and then rinse it off with cold water.
- Use the juice of a real lemon (a dash is enough) and mix it with water. Use it to clean the glass as just described.
7. Cleaning tip: Plastic shower cubicle
If, on the other hand, you have a shower cubicle made of plastic, you can use the following home remedies and tricks:
- Use so-called soft soapto remove limescale deposits. Rub this into the shower cubicle with a damp cloth, let it soak in for a moment and then rinse off again.
- In the case of stubborn stains, the only thing that usually helps is a commercially available plastic cleaner or a shower cabin cleaner.
- Important: Do not use baking powder as it can attack and damage the plastic.
Extra tip: Do you already know this trick? Take half a (raw) slice of potato and rub it into the shower cubicle – this creates a kind of lotus effect, i.e. the water rolls off the shower walls and leaves fewer residues on them.
8. Cleaning tip: preventive measures
Last but not least, you can prevent limescale and dirt deposits in advance by cleaning your bathroom regularly. Also, always use one after you shower rubber squeegeeto remove the water from the walls. You can also dry the fittings with a towel if they have become damp.
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