24/7 Emergency
It’s spring again! That means the sun is coming back to the southern hemisphere and as the light gradually brightens and shines through your bathroom window it will begin to spotlight the detritus from a year’s worth of bathroom living which (spoiler alert) won’t be pretty. Equally unappealing of course, is the thought of wasting a weekend scrubbing fruitlessly at unidentifiable stains in the grout or digging fossilised toothpaste out from behind the tap. Happily, in 2018, there is a middle ground between these two extremes which can be achieved through what the millennials call ‘hacks’ (aka a legitimate shortcut to achieving your goals). Here are 10 of our favourite bathroom spring cleaning hacks that will save you time and make your bathroom look fresh with a capital F.
Go high tech with your scrubbing
Save yourself the tennis elbow and blast through grime and soap scum by MacGyver-ing a scrubber attachment for your cordless drill. All you need is a soap dispensing brush head, a bolt that fits your drill head, a washer and a nut. Push the bolt though the head of the brush where the soap would ordinarily dispense so that it sticks out the back. Secure the bolt to the brush with the washer and nut. Attach the bolt to your drill and you’re good to go!
Clean grout with minimal scrubbing
Whilst no one has discovered an entirely elbow grease-free way to clean grout, this method minimises the amount of manual labour required and all you need is a spray bottle plus equal parts vinegar and dish soap. Mix the two together in the spray bottle (heating your vinegar for a minute in the microwave can give your mix some extra oomph), spray along your grout lines, wait a few minutes and then wipe away or use your drill scrub.
Remove the limescale from your shower head while you sleep
To improve the flow of water coming out of your shower head and blast away mineral deposits all you need is a plastic bag, vinegar and a twist tie. Fill the bag with vinegar, tie it around your shower head (ensuring the mineral deposits are submerged) and secure it with a twist tie. Leave it for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight. The more deposits on your shower head, the longer it will take to descale. Once time is up, remove the bag, brush away any remaining limescale with an old toothbrush and run the shower full force.
Clean your bathtub with a broom
Once again, this is not an entirely scrub free cleaning method (we’ll let you know as soon as we’ve found one) but it does cut down on time and effort required. That ring of grime around the waterline on your bathtub is mostly grease, so logically, a degreaser (dish soap) is the best way to manage it. Grab your dish soap and swirl a generous amount around your empty tub. Next, take a clean broom (preferably one with plastic bristles) and sweep the soap up and down the sides to get a lather. Finally, wash away the soap with water and voila, your bathtub is clean.
Use the old bi carb/vinegar trick to clean your windowsill
Whilst windowsill grime might look like dust, it tends to be a little more stubborn to remove. Coating the sill with a generous amount of bi carb, then filling a spray bottle and spraying the bi carb until it bubbles before finally wiping the muck away with a microfibre cloth after a few minutes should take care of the problem.
Polish your bathroom chrome with baby cleaner
Dab a little baby oil onto a cotton cloth and use it to polish the grime off all of your chrome fixtures. Shiny!
Get a professional to clean your bathroom duct/exhaust fan
This job takes elbow grease, is time consuming, has an electrical element, requires disassembling all parts of the fan to clean it properly (and then putting them back together) and its something everyone procrastinates about doing. However, the benefits of having a clean, functional exhaust fan are numerous: it helps prevent mold, mildew and bacteria build up and also plays a key role in keeping the air fresh. As a general rule, when something is important, has multiple technical steps involved and you keep putting it off, delegate to a professional. There are dozens of professional exhaust fan/duct cleaning services in Melbourne which charge a reasonable rate of $10-$15 per duct.
Do not use baking soda and vinegar to speed up your drain
If you have a slow moving drain, pour half a cup of salt down the drain and then follow by slowly pouring 2 liters of nearly boiling water and then a round of hot tap water. The hot water will melt the fat and the abrasive qualities of the salt will help scour it away. Baking soda and vinegar have no effect on fat deposits.
Tie a microfibre cloth to your broom to create a duster with reach and range
Put a microfibre cloth over the bristles of your broom and then secure with a rubber band. Use your new long distance duster to get into those dark and dusty ceiling corners you’d otherwise need a step ladder to reach.
Put vinegar in your toilet tank to kill bacteria and minimise scrubbing
Open up your toilet tank and pour in as much vinegar as you can (don’t let the water level rise more than an inch below the top of the tank). Leave for around 30 minutes and then flush. The vinegar will descale the inside of the tank and help prolong the amount of time between bowl cleans.
