Bathroom Stains, Scum, Buildup and Residue Removal

Dirt and grime has a tendency to grow exponentially in your bathroom without proper maintenance. If you follow these simple steps, you can have the sparkling clean bathroom you want with little effort involved.

There's a simple way to avoid the buildup of residue in your soap dish.

• Cut a thin, cellulose sponge to fit within your soap dish.
• The soapy film will run into the sponge instead of the dish itself, making cleanup a matter of wringing out the sponge in warm water.

Cleaning and maintaining marble and other natural stone can be tricky, because each type of stone has its own characteristics. The chemicals in some cleaners can react with the minerals in a particular stone and cause discolouration. Use only cleaners, polishes and sealers recommended by the stone dealer.

• To remove light stains in marble or cultured marble (the most common stone material for vanity sinks), put on rubber gloves and mix a small amount of soap flakes with hydrogen peroxide.
• Rub the solution on the stain in the direction of the grain.
• Rinse with water and buff dry.

Attacking mildew can be a simple process:

• Don rubber gloves and spray on a commercial mildewcide, wait a couple of minutes, then scrub the mildew away with a soft brush.
• Once you've gone over the entire area, rinse off the cleaner and wipe the tile dry.
• Or wet the surface with water, then spray it with a solution made of 250 millilitres (one cup) of bleach per litre (or quart) of water.
• Work in a well-ventilated room and keep towels and other fabrics out of the way.
• For stubborn mildew stains, use a stronger mixture of bleach to water.
• Let stand, then scrub and rinse off.

If the pieces of non-skid tape in your tub are dirty-looking, you can remove them cleanly.

• First scrape them off with a straight-edged razor blade that has been dipped in soapy water. (For safety's sake, mount the blade in a protective holder).
• Remove any adhesive residue with a paper towel dipped in acetone or acetone-based nail-polish remover.
• Rinse the area thoroughly.

Hard water and soap team up to create a phenomenon known as soap curd — a hard gray film that can blanket tubs, sinks and shower enclosures. A regular wipe-down with a damp sponge or a paper towel soaked in lemon juice will keep soap curd at bay.

• To attack a buildup of scum, don rubber gloves and apply a paste of cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide.
• Scrub the paste lightly into the stain and allow to dry.
• Rinse thoroughly and buff dry.
• Or clean soap film and mineral buildup with commercial products made to do the job.

Following these basics steps will ensure your bathroom is sparkling clean.