13 Unusual Tips for Your Cleanest Bathroom Ever

Few chores are as perennial as cleaning the bathroom. The loo probably gets more use per square foot than any other space in the house. As a result, it has to be cleaned more frequently as well. You may think you know all there is to know about getting your bathroom spick-and-span. But there are a few unconventional ways to cleanse the commode and scrub the tub that you’ve probably never heard of, including these surprising favorites.

By Jennifer Noonan | Updated Apr 25, 2016 06:10 PM

Remove Soap Scum with Dryer Sheets

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How to Remove Soap Scum

Dryer sheets aren't just for freshening your laundry Add a couple of drops of water to one, and you can remove soap scum from your shower doors, walls, and tub. And while you’re at it, stuff one into the cardboard insert of your toilet paper roll. You’ll spin out some freshness every time you use it.

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Clean Your Mirrors with a Coffee Filter

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How to Clean a Mirror

Because coffee filters are lint-free, they are a great alternative to paper towels for shining up your bathroom mirrors and fixtures. Just grab your favorite glass cleaner and go.


Related:  5 Things to Do with... Coffee Grounds

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Tackle Grout with an Old Electric Toothbrush

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How to Clean Grout

Many a cleaning nut has put a toothbrush to the floor to scrub the grout. Save yourself some elbow grease by holding on to that old electric toothbrush head. Whether you opt for a baking-soda-and-vinegar concoction or a conventional cleaner, you can use that old brush head on your trusty electric toothbrush to power away the crud.


Related:  10 Ingenious Home Uses for Baking Soda

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Clean Your Toilet with Denture Tablets

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How to Clean a Toilet

Even if you don’t wear dentures, you should keep a box of denture cleaner around. Its effervescent power will clean a whole host of things in your house—like toilets, for one. Drop a couple of tablets into the bowl, and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Follow up with a little scrubbing, and you're done.

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Machine Wash Your Shower Curtain

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How to Clean Shower Curtain

You can wash a plastic shower curtain or liner in the washing machine on the gentle cycle if you also throw a couple of towels or a bunch of rags in the load. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your detergent on the wash cycle and 1/2 cup of vinegar on the rinse cycle. Once it's been washed, let the curtain drip dry, of course.


Related:  10 Laundry Room Storage Ideas That'll Knock Your Socks Off

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Shine Your Shower with Car Wax

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How to Clean a Shower

Alkaline deposits from your water can cause a fiberglass shower to get spotty over time. Keep those spots away by applying car wax to the walls about every six months to seal the pores of the fiberglass. This little bit of maintenance will make the shower easier to clean on a regular basis as well. Do not wax the floor, though—it will become slick and hazardous.


Related:  10 Quick Fixes for a More Refreshing Shower

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Clear Drains with Baking Soda and Vinegar

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How to Clear a Clogged Drain

Remember that volcano experiment back in grade school? You can have fun re-creating that on a regular basis in your bathroom drains—both the sink and shower. Just pour a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by one cup of vinegar. Put a damp washcloth or cover over the drain and let the mixture fizz away, blasting away built-up gunk to keep the water moving. Wait about 15 minutes, then pour a kettle's worth of boiling hot water down the drain to flush.


Related:  The Complete Illustrated Guide to Unclogging a Drain

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Shine Your Faucets with Vinegar

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How to Clean Faucet

Lime deposits can collect on your sink faucets and make a spotty mess that's difficult to remove. Soak a paper towel in vinegar, wrap it around your faucet, and leave it for about 10 minutes. Then buff the faucet to a gleaming shine with a dry paper towel.


Related:  10 Handy Household Uses for Vinegar

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Clean Your Countertops With Aspirin

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Clean Your Countertops With Aspirin

Aspirin can do more than relieve a headache. Dissolve 2 uncoated aspirin in a glass of warm water, and use the solution to clean your countertop. It works as a mild abrasive to break down soap scum, toothpaste, and other grit and grime.


Related: 9 Home Repair Remedies to Borrow from Your Medicine Cabinet

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Remove Rust with Salt & Lemon

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Remove Rust with Salt & Lemon

If rust has settled into and around the drain of your bathroom sink or tub, take a trip to the kitchen and grab the salt and half a lemon. Close the drain and squeeze some lemon juice around the rusted area. Then add enough salt to form a paste. Leave it for a few hours, and then come back and wipe the paste, and the rust, away.


Related: 3 Natural Fixes to Get Rid of Rust from Metal

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Hydrogen Peroxide Cleanses Grout

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Hydrogen Peroxide Cleanses Grout

You don’t have to use caustic store-bought solutions to get your grout clean. Instead, pour hydrogen peroxide onto your bathroom floor’s grout lines, and then cover that with baking soda. Allow it to sit, and then scrub with a stiff brush. Rinse and wipe it away for a very noticeable improvement.


Related: Quick Tip - Scrub Your Tub with… Grapefruit?

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Polish Your Sink Faucet with Toothpaste

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Polish Your Sink Faucet with Toothpaste

You can shine up the chrome of your faucet with something you already have on hand in the bathroom. Toothpaste! Just apply a light layer of non-gel toothpaste onto the chrome and polish it with a soft, dry cloth.

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Banish Mildew with Vinegar

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Banish Mildew with Vinegar

Vinegar, in a spray bottle, can be your first defense against mildew in the bathroom. You can use it on any surface. For the hardest stains, use it full-strength. For lighter stains, and for preventative maintenance, dilute it 50/50 with water.


Related: The Dark, Dirty Truth About Household Mold (And How to Rid Yourself of It)

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