Homemade solutions to keep bathrooms sparkling clean

The bathroom is one of the most-used rooms in the house — and one of the messiest. It's also a breeding ground for mould, mildew and grime. Make bathroom clean-ups a breeze with these great homemade solutions!

• Here's an easy-to-make dirt buster: Stir 45 grams (three tablespoons) of baking soda and 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) of household ammonia into 500 millilitres (two cups) of warm water.
• Once you've wiped the solution on and rinsed it off with a sponge or rag, bathroom surfaces will gleam!

• Chrome faucets and other bathroom fixtures get spotted in seconds, but you can shine them quickly with fabric softener sheets.
• Keep some on hand in the bathroom to wipe off fixtures. Rubbing alcohol, white vinegar and the inside of a lemon rind will do a good job, too.

The moist environment of a bathroom attracts mildew, so don't be surprised when it pops up on your curtain. You can keep it at bay by soaking curtains and liners in salt water before hanging them. Once they're up and any mildew appears, follow these tips.

• Add 125 grams (1/2 cup) of borax and 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) of vinegar to 500 millilitres (two cups) of water, pour onto the affected areas and let sit for eight to 10 minutes. Then scrub with a sponge or cloth.
• Mix 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of dishwashing liquid with 500 millilitres (two cups) of household bleach and spray the solution on the curtain.
• Make a paste of vinegar and salt and spread it on the mildewed area. Let dry for one to two hours and then clean it off with a damp cloth.

• You're probably so busy cleaning the fixtures and tiles in your bathroom that you don't even think about the ceiling.
• Look up, but prepare yourself for what you might see — mildew, spotting, built-up grime.
• For an easy cleanup, fill a mop bucket with equal parts water and white vinegar. Then don protective eyewear.
• Dip a long-handled sponge mop into vinegar, squeeze it out and reach up to clean one section of ceiling at a time. One more spic-and-span surface, one spiffier-looking bathroom.

The grouting between bathroom tiles is a magnet for dirt, and it's easy to miss these hard-to-reach crevices during regular cleaning. Every so often, ensure you use these tools.

• Make a paste of one part borax, two parts baking soda and one to two parts water and scrub it onto the grout with a toothbrush.
• Rub away grime with a new pencil eraser, well-suited to reach narrow spaces.
• Scrub with a mouthwash containing a tooth-whitening agent.
• Soak a cotton ball in household bleach and set it on a spot of badly stained countertop grouting for a few hours; for walls, attach the cotton ball with duct tape.

Non-porcelain surfaces in the bathroom — including ceramic tiles around sinks and tubs and fiberglass and acrylic shower stalls — can become dulled by water spots and built-up scum. Use these recipes to tackle them.

• 500 grams (two cups) of salt dissolved in 3.8 litres (one gallon) of hot water.
• 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) of vinegar, 500 millilitres (one cup) of ammonia and 50 grams (1/4 cup) of baking soda added to 3.8 litres (one gallon) of warm water.

Apply one of the solutions, let sit for about 15 minutes, then scrub off and rinse.

• To get rid of hard-water rust stains on commodes, tubs and sinks, squeeze toothpaste onto an old toothbrush and scrub.
• Or scrub the stain with a paste of borax and lemon juice or a solution of equal parts turpentine and salt.
• Whichever method you choose, the sooner you deal with them, the easier they are to remove.

No more expensive or toxic cleaning products! These easy-to-make homemade remedies will leave your bathroom clean and shiny as a new whistle, without harsh ingredients.