I have become obsessed with trying out natural cleaning tips. Most of the time I am disappointed by them, but I just tried one that works so well that it was like magic! Yep, I found out how to clean my shower and tub without lifting a finger.
Now, first, let me tell you that I hate to clean. I also hate a dirty shower and tub. This has caused quite a dilemma in my life. I even decided to hire a cleaning lady just to tackle my bathroom.
Every cleaning person announced how hard it was to clean my shower since the floor is patterned to keep from slipping, but the pattern creates hundreds of little hills and valleys that are impossible to clean. I bought a Mr. Clean power scrubber (at a yard sale, of course) and still couldn’t get my shower floor clean. There had to be an easier and cheaper way.
Then, I read an article about how vinegar and Dawn blue dish washing soap magically cleans tubs and showers. The recipe is 50-50. Half Dawn and half white vinegar (which can be purchased at the Dollar Store) mixed in a spray bottle (also from the Dollar Store). You are supposed to just spray it on and walk away. Leave on for 30 minutes and you will be able to just come back and wipe off the dirt.
It seemed easy enough, so I thought I would try it. The first time, I was too anxious and only waited 20 minutes. It got off part of the dirt. The second time, I got distracted and left it on for a couple of hours. MAGIC OCCURRED!! Truly. I didn’t even have to wipe if off, I just sprayed it down. Amazing.
I even tried it on half of the glass door to see if it got rid of that impossible to scrub-off soap scum. Yep! It was gone.
There are a few downsides:
- It works better on the flat floor of the tub than on the sides.
- That is a lot of dish soap to put down the drain. I don’t know how good that is for the environment.
- It also doesn’t smell terrific while it is working, but I’ve smelled worse.
With family coming to visit for the holidays, I figured this was a great time to tell you about this time saving tip. Your tub and shower will be so clean that your family will think you are a cleaning genius. You will know that you are a frugal genius.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
I am definitely going to try this one. NOTHING I have ever used has cleaned up the shower doors!
Let us know how it works for you, Michelle! I have a shower curtain, but it causes me plenty of headaches. We have old copper pipes and so it slowly turns the white shower curtain orange. Yuck! I hate using bleach, so I wash it with vinegar from time to time. It’s overdue for another vinegar wash.
@BargainBabe – Just throw that shower curtain in the washing machine and it comes out clean. A wonderful lady who cleaned houses for a living told me that trick and I couldn’t believe how easy it was.
I know, I totally need to. Washing the shower curtain is like one of those chores that is so glaring yet I wait sooooo long to do it.
soak paper towels in the stuff the stick on the tub they will stick layer them this gets the really hard crap leave them at least an hr may have to repeat on tough jobs
Is that Dawn concentrate or regular?
@Felcia – I used Dawn ultra concentrate. I haven’t tried all the various types of dish soap to see if they all work as well, but the Dawn ultra concentrate worked very well.
Well Julia, I can’t say it cleaned my shower doors the way I would want, maybe I have to repeat the process. I did leave it on well over an hour and a half, the floor of the shower is very clean, but like you said, the sides, (because of dripping down) don’t get evenly clean. I see streaks, and spots where I didn’t sponge it off. I did have to use a scrubby sponge though to do the glass doors. I think I need a hammer and chisel! All kidding aside, I will try it again, and the smell isn’t half as bad as the chemical stuff!
@Michelle Ventresca Sorry for the late response. One final idea – maybe spray on a thicker coat? Perhaps your bathroom scrum is so thick Bobbi’s cleaning elixir needs more time to work. Perhaps after a few repeat cleanings you’ll see clean surfaces again and it will be easier to maintain!
For the tub sides, just place a paper towel over the sprayed area, then come back 30-60 minutes later and wipe the grime away. If needed, spray the paper towel so it sticks/stays in place (I use the 1/3 cut paper towels and line the ‘tub ring’ only).
I do the same to clean my oven; You must warm up the over first; then spray the oven walls and floor with amonia; wait 30 minutes or so; come back and wipe all the grime away; little to no scrubbing needed. After the holidays I sometimes need to do the heavy/burnt on spills twice. For the racks, I spray them then lay the paper towels over each (warm) racks, spray agian, and stack them so they drip on each other; then come back later wipe away the grime (you must do it before the towels start to dry out). Be sure to keep the oven door closed so it stays warm, and the grime just lifts off!
@Kay – Thanks for the great advice about the paper towels.
I totally need to clean our oven! I’m always spilling things and now every time I turn it on, the kitchen smokes up. But I’m totally intimidated by the charred mess.
TIP: Spraying your shower down with alcohol after you shower will help keep the soap scum from sticking; no harsh chemicals and no rinsing necessary!
@Kay What kind of alcohol do you use?
For extra help with the shower doors….I create a paste with baking soda and water and rub it on the doors and sidewalls of tub. The foaming action once you spray the vinegar and dawn mixture on….bubbles…bubbles…bubbles!!! And they do the work of scrubbing for you. Also… I have used the paper towels too. I wrap the glass doors with plastic wrap to keep them in place. If you use length wise strips of the paper towels…then wrap with Saran wrap..the towels stick tightly to the glass. Hope this helps. If when you’re done…everything clean and dry…use a pledge-like product over the glass. Rub in..the water will not stay on after your shower but using a squeegie after finishing shower…does not take very long…and you’ll avoid ever having to worry about soap scum again!!! HOPE THESE TIPS HELP…
@alisasaunders Thanks so much for this detailed tip. I’m going to try it soon!
I hate cleaning, too. In my opinion it is necessary but it is not pleasant. Vinegar and Dawn are amazing together. They could clean almost everything. I use them for cleaning my kitchen , too. Wish you Happy cleaning! 🙂
yes I tried this and it works wonder. I used green apple Dawn Dish Detergent and White vinegar it left my bathroom smelling good and it cleaned
I just came across this cleaning idea as I also hate to clean. It cleaned great but loosened some of my caulking between the tub and shower wall. I had to remove all the loosened stuff and re-caulk. Would that be the vinegar?
I’m guessing that vinegar is the culprit. But I’m glad you posted this because I need to re-caulk my tub and I’ve been dreading the process of removing the old caulking. This could actually make it a lot easier!
I bought an E-Cloth and used a mix of hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and water. It was magic…………….I don’t think there’s a formula…………..I had already mixed vinegar and water (no specific measurements) and then just poured the peroxide (almost a whole 32 oz bottle) into it. I had a cleaning team tell me about the peroxide.
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