Rub a dub dub: Cleaning the tub.
Scrub porcelain enamel bath tubs and sinks with the home brewed all purpose cleaner, or a solution of hot water and a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent. Both mixtures will easily clean the fixtures. without scratching the shiny finish. Always rinse the tub after taking a bath. If you can somehow coax, bribe or threaten your family to do likewise, the chore of cleaning the bathtub will be much easier, and you won't have to do it as often.
If you have a new bathtub, it may be plastic or acrylic. You need to be extra careful when cleaning these types of tubs. Always use a mild cleaner, such as the all purpose bath cleaner or a dishwashing liquid (but not dishwasher soap) does a good job of making bubbles and cleaning the tub at the same time. Just don't tell the kids that they are helping to clean the tub; let them think you are doing them a big favor by letting them take a bubble bath.
To keep your soap bars from melting into a soggy mess that you'll have to clean up, place a sponge under the bar of soap. Then use the sponge to wash yourself or clean the inside of the tub. This will help keep the area neat, and you will actually use most of the melted soap instead of washing the soapy mess down the drain.
You can get rid of a stubborn bathtub ring with a paste of cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide. Take 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar and add hydrogen peroxide drop by drop until you have a paste. Apply the paste to the ring and let it dry. When you come back to wipe off the paste, the ugly bathtub ring will disappear, too.
Shower Power
To clean the shower walls and floor, use a bucket of all purpose bath cleaner or the heavy duty cleaner. I like to take a cleaning brush and dip it into the cleaning solution. Then brush down the wet shower walls and floor with the cleaner. Leave it on the walls and floor for a few minutes before rinsing off with clean water.
The metal frames of shower doors can get water spots on them that seem impossible to remove. Lemon oil removes those tough water spots. Apply a little oil to a rag, and rub over the metal. Use a dry cloth to buff the metal to a shine. The oil will help repel water and will make it tougher for new water spots to form. Glass shower doors will sparkle and stay clean if you wipe them down once a week with a sponge dipped into full strength white vinegar. You can also clean out shower door tracks with a toothbrush or cotton swab dipped into a solution of bleach and water.
Cleaning sinks
Wipe sinks frequently with the all purpose cleaner or any type of non-abrasive cleaner, then rinse and pat dry with a towel. The frequent wiping will keep sinks clean without having to resort to harsh cleaning products. Never use abrasive cleaners on sinks because they can scratch and damage the surface. For a shiny porcelain-white sink, cover the sink with paper towels saturated in white vinegar. Let stand for 30 minutes; then rinse thoroughly with cool water. The white vinegar will also remove many stubborn stains without scrubbing.
Most used seat in the house
I doubt cleaning the toilet would be at the top of anyone's favorite things to do list but it really doesn't have to be a nasty job. Here are some easy ways to keep the toilets sparkling clean.
Home brewed toilet cleaner
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup liquid detergent
1/4 cup warm water
Mix together the baking soda, liquid detergent, and water in a bowl. Use a toilet brush to apply the cleaner inside the bowl. You can let the solution soak inside the bowl for as long as you like, or you can immediately swish it around with the toilet brush before flushing. If the bowl is especially soiled or has a ring, let the cleaner soak overnight. In the morning, use a toilet brush to help remove the dirt or ring.
For automatic bowl cleaner just drop one denture cleanser tablet in the bowl, and let it bubble away the stains. If you have a buildup, you will need to swish a toilet brush around to loosen the grime--but if you do this regularly, you won't even have to scrub. It is much cheaper than buying those blue toilet bowl cleaners that go into the tank.
Mirror mirror on the wall
Spray on home brewed window and mirror cleaner. Then use a dry towel or paper towels to clean and wipe dry. Of course, you can buy window cleaner at the store, but it is so easy and economical to make the home brewed kind.
Home brewed window and mirror cleaner
2 cups water
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1 tablespoon ammonia
blue food coloring (optional)
Mix the water, alcohol, ammonia, and food coloring (if desired) together. Pour the mixture into an empty spray bottle. This cleaner works great on windows and glass top tables too.
Homemade all purpose bath cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup clear ammonia
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon warm water
Mix together in a bucket and then pour some of it into a spray bottle.
Homemade heavy duty cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 gallon very warm water
1 cup vinegar
1 cup clear household ammonia
1 tablespoon liquid detergent
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