---
title: "13 Unusual Tips for Your Cleanest Bathroom Ever"
description: "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."
date: "2015-02-10"
modified: "2016-04-25"
authors:
  - name: "Jennifer Noonan"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.bobvila.com/authors/jennifer-noonan/"
url: "https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/13-unusual-tips-for-your-cleanest-bathroom-ever-48495/"
categories:
  - "Bathrooms"
  - "Cleaning"
  - "Cleaning & Organizing"
  - "DIY"
  - "Interior"
tags:
  - "bathroom"
  - "cleaning"
---

# 13 Unusual Tips for Your Cleanest Bathroom Ever

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/bathroom_-_cover.jpg>)

### Remove Soap Scum with Dryer Sheets

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/adff5233acd91a4271ef680db5c40c5c.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com&#160;*

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](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/clean-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.

### Clean Your Mirrors with a Coffee Filter

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/a04e24ce0715ee46134a17a03e8d0f8b.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com&#160;*

Because coffee filters are lint-free, they are a great alternative to paper towels for shining up your bathroom [mirrors](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/decorating-with-mirrors/>) and fixtures. Just grab your favorite glass cleaner and go.

### Tackle Grout with an Old Electric Toothbrush

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/0ed85a6fc37fce6482c010b2af05cac6.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com&#160;*

Many a cleaning nut has put a toothbrush to the floor to [scrub the grout](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/cleaning-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.

### Clean Your Toilet with Denture Tablets

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/b354dea8a9db2eed31b5a991058d8c07.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com*

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](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/the-right-way-to-clean-a-toilet/>), 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.

### Machine Wash Your Shower Curtain

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/8d993f5d140f41cee497664d57aa9af5.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com&#160;*

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](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/homemade-laundry-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.

### Shine Your Shower with Car Wax

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/9f5e41d334cfb6e57053220823ba85df.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com*

Alkaline deposits from your water can cause a fiberglass shower to get [spotty over time](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/homemade-shower-cleaner/>). 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.

### Clear Drains with Baking Soda and Vinegar

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/69609a30060fd5c7df4f77371d299a0b.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com&#160;*

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](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/slow-sink-drain/>). Wait about 15 minutes, then pour a kettle's worth of boiling hot water down the drain to flush.

### Shine Your Faucets with Vinegar

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/80e88cbf5719ccf5028474f8a18f8a0e.jpg>)
*shutterstock.com&#160;*

Lime deposits can collect on your sink [faucets](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-bathroom-faucet/>) 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.

### Clean Your Countertops With Aspirin

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/aspirin_cleaning.jpg>)
*fotosearch.com*

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.

### Remove Rust with Salt & Lemon

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/lemon_and_salt_to_remove_rust.jpg>)
*fotosearch.com*

If [rust](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-remove-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.

### Hydrogen Peroxide Cleanses Grout

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/hydrogen_peroxide_grout.jpg>)
*fotosearch.com*

You don’t have to use caustic store-bought solutions to get your [grout clean](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/cleaning-grout/>). 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.

### Polish Your Sink Faucet with Toothpaste

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/toothpaste_cleaning.jpg>)
*fotosearch.com*

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](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-clean-chrome/>) and polish it with a soft, dry cloth.

### Banish Mildew with Vinegar

![](<https://www.bobvila.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mildew_vinegar.jpg>)
*fotosearch.com*

Vinegar, in a spray bottle, can be your first defense against [mildew](<https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-mildew-smell/>) 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.

## Author
A confessed DIY junkie, Jennifer Noonan writes about home improvement, gardening, and all things do-it-yourself. The recipient of degrees in International Relations and Library & Information Science from Syracuse University, Noonan has worked in media and related fields for over 15 years, including her time at [MTV Networks](<https://www.paramount.com/about/brands/mtv>), where she served as Manager of Digital Programming at [Nickelodeon](<https://www.nickelodeon.com>). Today, Noonan lives in Delaware with her husband and daughters, where she is ardently teaching the next generation how to use power tools.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-noonan-ab62a05/>)